Grant County, Kentucky

Grant County
Grant County
County
	The Grant County historic courthouse in Williamstown
	Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
	Kentucky's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 38°38′N 84°37′W / 38.64°N 84.61°W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	1820
Seat	Williamstown
Largest city	Williamstown
Area
• Total	261 sq mi (680 km2)
• Land	258 sq mi (670 km2)
• Water	2.8 sq mi (7 km2) 1.1%
Population (2020)
• Total	24,941
• Estimate (2023)	25,619
• Density	96/sq mi (37/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	grantcounty.ky.gov

Grant County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,941.^[1] Its county seat is Williamstown.^[2] The county was formed in 1820 and named for Colonel John Grant,^[3] who led a party of settlers in 1779 to establish Grant's Station, in today's Bourbon County, Kentucky. Grant County is included in the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Grant County residents voted to allow full alcohol sales in the county by a margin of 56% to 44% in a special election on December 22, 2015.^[4] In the 19th century, Grant County had multiple saloons.^[5]

The Grant County News, established in 1906 and published in Williamstown, is preserved on microfilm by the University of Kentucky Libraries. The microfilm holdings are listed in a master negative database on the UK Libraries Preservation and Digital Programs website.^[6]

History

Grant County was established in 1820 from land taken from Pendleton County. The historic courthouse, built in 1939, replaced two earlier structures. A new judicial center was completed in April 2010.^[7] In 1975, many residents reported seeing a UFO at Williamstown Lake.^[8]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 261 square miles (680 km²), of which 258 square miles (670 km²) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²) (1.1%) is water.^[9]

Adjacent counties

Boone County (north)
Kenton County (northeast)
Pendleton County (east)
Harrison County (southeast)
Scott County (south)
Owen County (west)
Gallatin County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	2,986		—
1840	4,192		40.4%
1850	6,531		55.8%
1860	8,356		27.9%
1870	9,529		14.0%
1880	13,083		37.3%
1890	12,671		−3.1%
1900	13,239		4.5%
1910	10,581		−20.1%
1920	10,435		−1.4%
1930	9,876		−5.4%
1940	9,876		0.0%
1950	9,809		−0.7%
1960	9,489		−3.3%
1970	9,999		5.4%
1980	13,308		33.1%
1990	15,737		18.3%
2000	22,384		42.2%
2010	24,682		10.3%
2020	24,941		1.0%
2023 (est.)	25,619	^[10]	2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[11] 1790-1960^[12] 1900-1990^[13] 1990-2000^[14] 2010-2020^[1]

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,384 people, 8,175 households, and 6,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 per square mile (33/km²). There were 9,306 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.31% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,175 households, out of which 39.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.90% were non-families. 19.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.70% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,438, and the median income for a family was $42,605. Males had a median income of $31,987 versus $23,669 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,776. About 9.00% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 13.40% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Grant County has six schools: Crittenden Mt Zion (CMZ), Dry Ridge Elementary (DRE), Sherman Elementary (SES), Mason Corinth Elementary (MCE), Grant County Middle School (GCMS), Grant County High School (GCHS) and Williamstown Independent Schools (WES)- (WMS) – (WHS).

Grant County's only library is located in Williamstown.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Grant County, Kentucky^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	8,725	78.55%	2,205	19.85%	178	1.60%
2016	7,268	76.03%	1,910	19.98%	381	3.99%
2012	5,664	65.80%	2,810	32.64%	134	1.56%
2008	5,510	62.94%	3,112	35.55%	132	1.51%
2004	5,951	67.44%	2,818	31.94%	55	0.62%
2000	4,405	62.02%	2,568	36.15%	130	1.83%
1996	2,697	45.43%	2,541	42.80%	699	11.77%
1992	2,128	39.44%	2,097	38.87%	1,170	21.69%
1988	2,835	59.05%	1,896	39.49%	70	1.46%
1984	2,840	61.70%	1,685	36.61%	78	1.69%
1980	1,779	42.53%	2,272	54.32%	132	3.16%
1976	1,212	33.35%	2,336	64.28%	86	2.37%
1972	2,086	64.03%	1,054	32.35%	118	3.62%
1968	1,386	39.35%	1,169	33.19%	967	27.46%
1964	1,068	30.13%	2,461	69.42%	16	0.45%
1960	2,163	53.25%	1,899	46.75%	0	0.00%
1956	1,680	42.04%	2,300	57.56%	16	0.40%
1952	1,609	38.67%	2,545	61.16%	7	0.17%
1948	1,154	30.22%	2,633	68.94%	32	0.84%
1944	1,621	40.05%	2,413	59.62%	13	0.32%
1940	1,535	35.96%	2,729	63.93%	5	0.12%
1936	1,353	34.35%	2,560	64.99%	26	0.66%
1932	1,407	30.64%	3,148	68.55%	37	0.81%
1928	2,448	59.48%	1,662	40.38%	6	0.15%
1924	1,404	39.45%	1,923	54.03%	232	6.52%
1920	1,613	37.19%	2,686	61.93%	38	0.88%
1916	1,078	36.44%	1,841	62.24%	39	1.32%
1912	837	32.43%	1,562	60.52%	182	7.05%

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public transportation is provided by Senior Services of Northern Kentucky with demand-response service.^[16]

Notable attractions

Grant County, specifically in Williamstown, is the location of the Ark Encounter, operated by the Christian apologetics organization Answers in Genesis and opened in 2016.^[17]^[18]^[19]