Berea, Kentucky

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Coordinates: 37°34′37″N 84°17′37″W / 37.57694, -84.29361
Berea, Kentucky
Location of Berea, Kentucky
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Madison
Government
- Mayor	Steven Connelly
Area
- Total	9.4 sq mi (24.2 km²)
- Land	9.3 sq mi (24.2 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	1,024 ft (312 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	9,851
- Density	1,055.4/sq mi (407.5/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	40403-40404
Area code(s)	859
FIPS code	21-05842
GNIS feature ID	0486894

Berea is a city in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 9,851 at the 2000 census. Its most prominent institution is Berea College, which owns a substantial percentage of the city's land. A dry town, it is also one of the fastest growing towns in Kentucky. Berea is on pace to have a population of 17,068 by 2010, a 73% increase over the town's 2000 census population.^{[citation needed]} Due to the high number of arts and crafts produced, Berea is a semi-popular tourist attraction, and hosts several Crafts Festivals throughout the year. Berea also hosts a Spoonbread Festival in mid-September, which revolves around a cornmeal bread that is traditionally served with a wooden spoon.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Berea is located at 37°34′37″N, 84°17′37″W (37.576844, -84.293555)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.4 square miles (24.2 km²), of which, 9.3 square miles (24.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.32%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 9,851 people, 3,693 households, and 2,426 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,055.4 people per square mile (407.7/km²). There were 4,115 housing units at an average density of 440.9/sq mi (170.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.44% White, 4.30% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.99% of the population.

There were 3,693 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88. It is known as a politically progressive community with an active arts and crafts movement and a large number of arts professionals among its residents.

The age distribution was 21.6% under the age of 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24 (primarily students at Berea College), 25.7% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,480, and the median income for a family was $35,505. Males had a median income of $29,763 versus $22,102 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,025. About 14.7% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

In 1850 this area, called the Glade, was a community of scattered farms with a racetrack and citizens sympathetic to emancipation. In 1853, rich and politically ambitious Cassius Marcellus Clay gave Reverend John Gregg Fee a free tract of land in the Glade, where with local supporters and other abolitionist missionaries from the American Missionary Association, Fee established two churches (First Christian Church and Union Church), Berea College, and a tiny village. Fee named Berea after a biblical town (today Veria) where the people “received the Word with all readiness of mind.” Founded in 1855, Berea College became the only integrated college in the South for nearly forty years. During the Civil War, John G. Fee preached to and taught thousands of slave men who had volunteered for the Union Army. After the War, African American families came to Berea to join in the beginnings of this rich Black history.

In the 1890’s, there was a growing national interest in the culture and traditions of Appalachia by writers, academics, missionaries, and teachers. Fascinated by the rich culture and dismayed by the isolation and poverty, college donors were excited by the traditional coverlets brought by students in exchange for tuition. College President William Frost took many of these coverlets with him on his fund raising trips North. Frost, perceiving a national market for traditional crafts, established the first Berea College Fireside Industries. Frost encouraged people to move to Berea, and the college built a loom house and hired a supervisor to train and maintain the quality of student work. The first supervisor of weaving was Jennie Lester Hill. She was succeeded in 1911 by Anna Ernberg, a Swedish weaver who taught several influential figures in the American Handweaving Revival while at Berea.

Berea maintains its history of support for traditional arts and crafts today. The recently built Kentucky Artisan Center, located at Exit 77 off I-75 hosts a wide variety of works by Kentucky artisans. In 1922, Churchill Weavers was established by David Carroll Churchill. Churchill Weavers closed in the spring of 2007.