Murray is a home rule-class city in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of Calloway County and the 19th-largest city in Kentucky. The city's population was 17,307 during the 2020 U.S. census, and its micropolitan area's population is 37,191. Murray is a college town and is the home of Murray State University.
History
Early history
The city now known as Murray began as a post office and trading center sometime in the early 1820s. It was at first called “Williston” in honor of James Willis, an early settler. Later, the name was changed to “Pooltown” after Robert Pool, a local merchant. The name was changed again to “Pleasant Springs” before its incorporation on January 17, 1844, when the present name was adopted to honor Rep. John Murray.
Murray was not the first county seat, which was at Wadesboro. Calloway County was then much larger than today. In 1842, however, the state legislature divided the area, creating Marshall County. It was felt that a more centrally located county seat was needed, and as the village of Murray was at the geographic center, it was chosen. A new courthouse was built along with a jail, and the town Murray was laid out on an plot subdivided into 137 business and residential lots divided by eight streets.
The Civil War era
Kentucky did not officially secede from the Union at the start during the Civil War, instead declaring its neutrality, but both Murray and Calloway County were strongly pro-Confederate. Calloway County was one of the counties that sent a delegate to the Russellville Convention signing an Ordinance of Secession in which the Confederate government of Kentucky was formed and Kentucky was admitted into the Confederacy on December 10, 1861, with Bowling Green as the first capital. This region fell under Confederate control early in the war. No major battles were fought near the town, but guerrilla warfare sometimes took place nearby. In the spring of 1862, a Union force stationed in Paducah marched across the county to the Tennessee River, taking anything it wanted from the inhabitants without paying. Also, parts of Murray were burned on several occasions. Once, part of the town was burned by the Union Army in retaliation for its presumed support for the Confederate guerrillas. A diary kept by Josh Ellison of Murray tells that one night during the winter of 1864–65, a detachment of Union soldiers from Paducah torched every building on the east side of the court square, and three days later burned all those north of the square.
An estimated 800 men from the area joined in the Confederate Army, either as infantry in the Kentucky Orphan Brigade or in the cavalry. About 200 sided with the Union. Calloway County's Confederate veterans are honored by a monument on the northeast side of the court house square. The Confederate Monument was donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and has been subject to calls for removal most recently in 2020. The courthouse grounds on which the statue stands belongs to Calloway County, and the County Court voted unanimously in 2020 to keep the statue rather than relocate it from courthouse grounds.
Demographics and geography Murray is located at (36.609494, −88.315656), north of the Tennessee border. Benton is to the north, and Mayfield is to the northwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.26%, is water.
Murray is situated west of the of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, which offers hiking, elk and bison viewing, birding, 1850s historic buildings, a planetarium, a nature center, off-highway vehicle riding, fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and a large wildlife population.
Climate Murray has a humid subtropical climate and four distinct seasons. The warmest month of the year is July, with an average high temperature of 90 °F (32 °C). The coldest month is January, with an average high temperature of 45 °F.
Tornadoes and storms Murray has had several tornadoes and storms in recent years and has been the site of two F4 tornadoes. On February 5, 2008, Kentucky and surrounding states were subject to many violent tornadoes with some of them in Western Kentucky. On June 30, 2009, a violent storm with winds of up to ravaged trees and damaged buildings. On July 4, 2009, another tornado outbreak in Western Kentucky interrupted Independence Day celebrations throughout the region.
Cityscape The architecture of Murray preserves its history throughout many of its downtown businesses. A commemoration was held on October 28, 2014, for the 150th Civil War anniversary of Fort Heiman in New Concord, Kentucky, which became a National Battlefield on October 30, 2006.
Census data
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Murray had a population of 17,307. The median age was 28.3 years. 16.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.1 males age 18 and over.
98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,759 households in Murray, of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.3% were married-couple households, 23.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 7,872 housing units, of which 14.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.4%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number PercentWhite 14,332 82.8%Black or African American 1,115 6.4%American Indian and Alaska Native 24 0.1%Asian 358 2.1%Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 9 0.1%Some other race 349 2.0%Two or more races 1,120 6.5%Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 798 4.6%
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 14,950 people, 6,004 households, and 2,869 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,622 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.16% White, 6.80% African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.75% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.73% of the population.
There were 6,004 households, out of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.2% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.70.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 13.6% under the age of 18, 33.7% from 18 to 24, 20.7% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,647, and the median income for a family was $41,331. Males had a median income of $30,266 versus $22,294 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,389. About 11.2% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Religion The city of Murray is host to 75 religious assemblies within the surrounding area. Baptists are the most prominent faith in Murray, with 28 assemblies within the area.
Culture
Museums and galleries
The Clara M. Eagle Gallery is a multi-level art gallery that houses around 1,200 permanent artworks. The gallery has also been home to temporary shows, featuring contemporary art, African art, woodworking, and tapestries from Spain. The galleries have about of show space.
The Wrather West Kentucky Museum is located in the first building constructed on the campus of Murray State University and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum, which is free to the public, highlights the social development, economic and cultural development of the people of the Jackson Purchase region of Kentucky through permanent and changing exhibits.
Parks Murray has three city parks that cover over of land: Central Park, Chestnut Park, and Bee Creek. A three-pool community swimming complex and Owens Spray Park are housed in Murray's Central Park. The parks feature 17 soccer fields, two basketball courts, five playgrounds, nine baseball and softball fields, four-bay batting cages, Lions Club Skate Park, and a three-mile (5 km) nature walking trail. The parks have nine covered picnic pavilions for family gatherings, the Murray Rotary amphitheater and west Kentucky's first dog park. The park features an 18-hole disc golf course that was the first one of its kind in the area.
Playhouse in the Park
Playhouse in the Park is one of the oldest community theatres in the state of Kentucky. The theatre is located in Murray's Central Park and is housed in a 1907 train and freight depot. The playhouse is open year-round and produces original works, comedies, dramas, children's theatre, and musicals. On May 16, 2008, former President Bill Clinton made an appearance at Playhouse in the Park to speak about his wife Hillary Clinton's presidency campaign.
Sports
College athletics are the sporting events of choice in the Murray area. Murray State University participates in NCAA Division I athletics, the highest level of collegiate athletics. The university has 16 athletic programs that compete in the Ohio Valley Conference, and have provided 117 conference titles since 1948. The most popular sport at Murray State is the men's basketball program. It is one of the winningest programs in NCAA history, with over 1,300 wins and an all-time winning percentage of .637, which places Murray State 20th best in NCAA history. Murray State has won 23 regular season Ohio Valley Conference titles and 15 OVC Tournament titles, which is the best in the OVC.
The men's basketball program has produced a number of NBA players, most notably Ja Morant, Jeff Martin, Popeye Jones, Isaiah Canaan, Cameron Payne, and Joe Fulks, who is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and has been credited with being one of the pioneers of the jump shot. The Murray State men's basketball program is currently coached by Ryan Miller, while past coaches include Steve Prohm, Matt McMahon, Billy Kennedy, and Mick Cronin.
The Murray State football program has won eight Ohio Valley Conference titles and has produced 17 NFL players. Even more well-known are the coaches the football program has produced. Ralph Friedgen, Frank Beamer, Mike Gottfried, Houston Nutt, and Ron Zook have all had their coaching careers run through the Murray State football program. Ten players have been selected as first team All-Americans, and 21 have been second, third, and honorable mention All-Americans. The Murray State football program has won more than 400 games, the most decisive win coming in 1932 when Murray State beat the University of Louisville 105–0.
Cinema Murray has two movie theaters. The Cheri Theater has seven screens and shows nothing but first-run films. The Cheri was started in 1967 as a single-screen theater with seating for 600. There have been many additions and renovations throughout the years, and in 1997, two 290-stadium seat auditoriums were added. In 2008, the theater upgraded its projectors to take advantage of Dolby 3D technology.