Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,748. Its county seat is Hopkinsville. The county was formed in 1797. Christian County is part of the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.
| Name: | Christian County |
|---|---|
| FIPS code: | 21-047 |
| State: | Kentucky |
| Founded: | 1797 |
| Named for: | William Christian |
| Seat: | Hopkinsville |
| Largest city: | Hopkinsville |
| Total Area: | 724 sq mi (1,880 km²) |
| Land Area: | 718 sq mi (1,860 km²) |
| Total Population: | 72,748 |
| Population Density: | 100/sq mi (39/km²) |
| Time zone: | UTC−6 (Central) |
| Summer Time Zone (DST): | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Website: | www.christiancountyky.gov |
Christian County location map. Where is Christian County?
History
The county is named for Colonel William Christian, a native of Augusta County, Virginia, and a veteran of the Revolutionary War. He settled near Louisville, Kentucky in 1785, and was killed by Native Americans in southern Indiana in 1786.
Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, was born in Fairview, Christian County, Kentucky (now part of Todd County) in 1808. United States Vice President Adlai Stevenson I was born in Christian County in 1835.
The present courthouse, built in 1869, replaced a structure burned by Confederate cavalry in 1864 because the Union Army was using it as their barracks.
The United States Supreme Court case Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514 (1972), arose out of a 1958 double-murder in Christian County, Kentucky.
In 2006 and 2008, tornadoes touched down across northern Christian County, damaging homes in the Crofton area.
In 2017, northwestern Christian County was the point of greatest eclipse for the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 that crossed North America. The center was in the Bainbridge/Sinking Fork area of the county, on the Orchardale farm.
Christian County Road Map
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 724 square miles (1,880 km), of which 718 square miles (1,860 km) is land and 6.5 square miles (17 km) (0.9%) is water. It is the second-largest county by area in Kentucky and the largest in Western Kentucky.
Adjacent counties
- Hopkins County (north)
- Muhlenberg County (northeast)
- Todd County (east)
- Montgomery County, Tennessee (southeast)
- Stewart County, Tennessee (southwest)
- Trigg County (west)
- Caldwell County (northwest)
Christian County Topographic Map
Christian County Satellite Map
Christian County Outline Map
