Winchester, Kentucky

Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 19,134 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located roughly halfway between Lexington and Mt. Sterling.

History
It was named after Winchester, Virginia.

Geography
Winchester is located northwest of the center of Clark County, 18 mi east of Lexington and 15 mi west of Mt. Sterling. Kentucky Route 1958 (Bypass Road) is an outer loop around the town. Kentucky Route 627 (Boonesborough Road) leads towards Richmond, 21 mi to the south and Paris to the north. U.S. Route 60 (Winchester-Lexington Road/Lexington Avenue) runs through downtown Winchester. Interstate 64 passes through the northern part of the city, with access from exits 94 and 96. The Mountain Parkway turns off I-64 just northeast of Winchester and leads 75 mi east to Salyersville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Winchester has a total area of 20.4 km2, of which 20.3 km2 is land and 0.1 km2, or 0.67%, is water.

Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Winchester has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,724 people, 6,907 households, and 4,620 families residing in the city. The population density was 2187.6 /sqmi. There were 7,400 housing units at an average density of 968.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 88.94% White, 8.83% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.

There were 6,907 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,254, and the median income for a family was $36,797. Males had a median income of $31,295 versus $21,747 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,611. About 13.1% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Small business
Ale-8-One, a Kentucky-specific brand of soft drink, has been bottled in Winchester since 1926.

Beer Cheese Festival
Winchester is home to the Beer Cheese Festival held annually in June. Beer Cheese was developed in Clark County near Winchester in the 1940s.

Historic sites

 * Bluegrass Heritage Museum
 * Clark County Court House
 * Clark Mansion (Gov. Clark House)
 * Indian old fields
 * Kerr Building
 * Leeds Theater
 * Oakwood Estate
 * Old Providence Church
 * Winchester Opera House

Education
Oliver High School was in Winchester. Berea graduate G. A. Benton was principal.

High school
Winchester students attend George Rogers Clark High School, located southwest of Winchester in Clark County.

Higher education
Winchester has been home to several higher education establishments. Kentucky Wesleyan College was located in the city from 1890 to 1954. When Kentucky Wesleyan left, the local Churches of Christ organized Southeastern Christian College on the former Kentucky Wesleyan campus. After Southeastern Christian College folded in 1979, the campus was preserved as a public park. Today, Clark County is home to the Winchester Campus of Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

Public library
Winchester has a lending library, the Clark County Public Library.

Transportation
Interstate 64 runs east–west through the northern part of Winchester. U.S. Route 60 runs east–west through Winchester. Kentucky Route 627 runs north–south through Winchester.

Blue Grass Airport, 29 miles to the west, in the western part of Lexington, is one of the busiest commercial airports in the state.

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad had run trains east–west and north–south through Winchester. The last L&N passenger train was an unnamed Cincinnati - Atlanta remnant of the former Cincinnati - Jacksonville Flamingo; it was discontinued on March 7, 1968.

Notable people

 * Armstead M. Alexander (1834–1892), congressman from Missouri
 * Chilton Allan (1786–1858), congressman from Kentucky
 * Yeremiah Bell, safety for the New York Jets NFL team
 * Rex Burkhead, running back for the Houston Texans NFL Team
 * George French Ecton, second African-American state legislator in Illinois
 * John E. Fryer, psychiatrist whose speech in 1972 as "Dr. Henry Anonymous" helped to get homosexuality removed as a mental disease from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
 * Matt Ginter, Professional Baseball 1999–2010 (11 years)
 * William Harrow (1822–1871), Union general in the Civil War
 * Joel Tanner Hart (1810–1877), sculptor
 * Joseph Jackson (screenwriter), film representative and most successful writers for Hollywood talking films. entered films in 1918 as publicity representative.
 * Preston Knowles, basketball player for the University of Louisville
 * Homer Ledford (1927–2006), instrument maker and bluegrass musician
 * Matt Long, TV's "Jack & Bobby", "Mad Men", "Helix".
 * Nettie George Speedy (1878–1957), journalist of Chicago Defender, founder of Chicago Women's Golf Club, the first woman to sit on the trustee board of Lane College, and the Pioneer of African American golf.
 * Claude Sullivan, sports broadcaster
 * Allen Tate (1899–1979), poet associated with the Agrarians, a group of Southern poets, and most noted for "Ode to the Confederate Dead"
 * Helen Thomas, White House press correspondent
 * Frank L. Winn, U.S. Army major general
 * John S. Winn, U.S. Army brigadier general

In popular culture
A 2018 episode of The Dead Files was filmed in Winchester.

Sister cities
Winchester has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
 * 🇪🇨 Ibarra, Imbabura, Ecuador
 * 🇮🇳 Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India