Danville is a city located in Boyle County, Kentucky. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 15,477. It is the county seat of Boyle County. It was the original home of Transylvania University, which soon after its founding moved to Lexington. Later, Centre College opened in Danville, and remains there today. Danville is also home to the Great American Brass Band Festival and to the Pioneer Playhouse, an important part of theater in Kentucky.
In 2001, Danville received a Great American Main Street Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Danville is located at 37°38'44" North, 84°46'30" West (37.645527, -84.774992).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.9 km2 (15.8 mi2). 40.9 km2 (15.8 mi2) of it is land and 0.06% is water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 15,477 people, 6,223 households, and 4,013 families residing in the city. The population density is 378.4/km2 (980.4/mi2). There are 6,734 housing units at an average density of 164.7/km2 (426.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 83.67% White, 13.02% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. 1.48% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,223 households out of which 29.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% are married couples living together, 14.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% are non-families. 31.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is 2.82.
The age distribution is 22.4% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 81.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,938, and the median income for a family is $40,528. Males have a median income of $35,327 versus $24,542 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,906. 12.4% of the population and 9.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 17.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Danville was established on December 4, 1787, by the Virginia Legislature. Before recognition from Virginia, Danville and its vicinity had already been home to settlers for several years, being in the original Great Settlement Area around Harrod's Fort (now Harrodsburg), which was first settled in 1774.The name of the city is in memory of Walker Daniel, who purchased the original site of the settlement from John Crow, another early settler. Walker, who was killed by Indians on the way to Bullitt's Lick in August 1784, had served since 1783 as the first Attorney General of the Kentucky District Supreme Court, which on March 14, 1785 moved to the site he had surveyed for a town. Danville became a part of the Commonwealth when Kentucky became a state in 1792. Danville was the capital of Kentucky when it was a district of Virginia. The city is called the "Birthplace of the Bluegrass" since the state's Constitutional Convention was held at what is now known as Constitution Square in 1792, when Kentucky's first Constitution was signed.
In 1842, Danville became the seat of Boyle County, which was formed primarily from southern Mercer County, Kentucky and northern Lincoln County, Kentucky. For much of the time since the creation of Mercer County in 1785, Danville had been in the compromised position of being the largest city in the county without having the distinction of being the county seat.
Danville is also called the "City of Firsts". Danville housed the first Courthouse in Kentucky, the first U.S. Post Office west of the Alleghenies, the first state-supported School for the Deaf, and in 1809, Danville's own Dr. Ephraim McDowell became the first physician in the world to successfully remove an ovarian tumor.
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Danville, KY
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