Sonora, Kentucky

Sonora is a home rule-class city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 565 as of the 2020 Census, up from 513 from the 2010 census,. It is included in the Elizabethtown, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Sonora began as an L&N Railroad construction camp known as "Bucksnort" in the late 1850s. This name is believed to have been inspired by the sounds of early locomotives, which the workers thought resembled deer snorts. When a depot was established at the site in 1859, the name was changed to "Sonora". This may have referred to Sonora, Mexico, the home of a railroad contractor.

U.S. Navy Master Diver Carl Brashear was born in nearby Tonieville and raised in Sonora.

Geography
Sonora is located in southeastern Hardin County at 37.52583°N, -85.89444°W (37.525783, -85.894373). The city is concentrated around the intersection of Kentucky Route 84 and Kentucky Route 720, with its municipal boundaries stretching eastward to the Hardin-LaRue county line. Interstate 65 passes through the eastern end of the city, with access from Exit 81. I-65 leads north 13 mi to Elizabethtown, the county seat, and south 18 mi to Munfordville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 km2, of which 0.03 sqkm, or 0.98%, are water.

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 565 people.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 350 people, 138 households and 85 families residing in the city. The population density was 423.3 PD/sqmi. There were 159 housing units at an average density of 192.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 94.86% White, 2.86% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.29% Asian, and 1.71% from two or more races.

There were 138 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.22.

The age distribution was 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median household income was $27,361 and the median family income was $37,500. Males had a median income of $28,438 and females $14,038. The per capita income was $13,554. About 6.1% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.