The B.G.M.U. Water Tower atop Reservoir Hill is a local landmark visible from many parts of Bowling Green.The Warren County Justice Center is the center of the local court system.
The first Europeans known to have reached the area carved their names on beech trees near the river c.1775. By 1778, settlers established McFadden's Station on the north bank of the Barren River.[8]
Present-day Bowling Green developed from homesteads erected by Robert[8] and George Moore and General Elijah Covington, the namesake of the town near Cincinnati.
Some controversy exists over the source of the town's name. The city refers to the first county commissioners' meeting (1798), which named the town "Bolin Green" after the Bowling Green in New York City, where patriots had pulled down a statue of KingGeorge III and used the lead to make bullets during the American Revolution.[8] According to the Encyclopedia of Kentucky, the name was derived from Bowling Green, Virginia, whence early migrants had come, or the personal "ball alley game" of founder Robert Moore.[9]
19th century
By 1810, Bowling Green had 154 residents. Growth in steamboat commerce and the proximity of the Barren River increased Bowling Green's prominence. In 1821, the Kentucky Legislature built a toll road between the town and Cloverport on the Ohio River.[10]Canal locks and dams on the Barren River made it much more navigable. In 1832, the first portage railway connected the river to the location of the current county courthouse. Mules pulled freight and passengers to and from the city on the tracks.
Despite rapid urbanization of the Bowling Green area in the 1830s, agriculture remained an important part of local life. A visitor to Bowling Green noted the boasting of a tavern proprietor named Benjamin Vance:
[Vance] says that he has seen a turnip this fall that measures thirty-two inches around, and has a beet that weighs sixteen pounds and a half;... that corn in this country grows so fast that if you look at it the next, it has grown a foot higher; that the "little hickory twigs" growing in the barrens have roots as large as his legs...
Bowling Green declared itself neutral in an attempt to escape the Civil War. Because of its prime location and resources, however, both the Union and Confederacy sought control of the city. The majority of its residents rejected both the Confederacy and the Lincoln administration. On September 18, 1861, around 1,300 Confederate soldiers arrived from Tennessee to occupy the city, placed under command of Kentucky native General Simon Bolivar Buckner. The city's pro-Union feelings surprised the Confederate occupiers.[11] The Confederates fortified surrounding hills to secure possible military approaches to the valuable river and railroad assets. In November 1861, the provisional Confederate government of Kentucky chose Bowling Green as its capital.[12]
On February 14, 1862, after receiving reports that Fort Henry on the Tennessee River and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River had both been captured by Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant, the Confederates began to withdraw from Bowling Green. They destroyed bridges across the Barren River, the railroad depot, and other important buildings that could be used by the enemy. The city was subject to disruptions and raids throughout the remainder of the war. During the summer of 1864, Union General Stephen G. Burbridge arrested 22 civilians in and around Bowling Green on a charge of treason. This incident and other harsh treatment by federal authorities led to bitterness toward the Union among Bowling Green residents and increased sympathies with the Confederacy.
After the Civil War, Bowling Green's business district grew considerably. Previously, agriculture had dominated the city's economy. During the 1870s, many of the historic business structures seen today were erected. One of the most important businesses in Bowling Green of this era was Carie Burnam Taylor's dress-making company. By 1906, Taylor employed more than 200 women.
In 1868, the city constructed its first waterworks system. The fourth county courthouse was completed in 1868. The first three were completed in 1798, 1805, and 1813. In 1889, the first mule-drawn streetcars appeared in the city. The first electric streetcars began to replace them by 1895.
The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth founded St. Columbia's Academy in 1862, succeeded by St. Joseph's School in 1911.[13] In 1884, the Southern Normal School, which had been founded in 1875, moved to Bowling Green from the town of Glasgow, Kentucky. Pleasant J. Potter founded a women's college in Bowling Green in 1889. It closed in 1909 and its property was sold to the Western Kentucky State Normal School (see below, now known as Western Kentucky University). Other important schools in this era were Methodist Warren College, Ogden College (which also became a part of Western Kentucky University), and Green River Female College, a boarding school.
20th century
In 1906, Henry Hardin Cherry, the president and owner of Southern Normal School, donated the school to the state as the basis of the Western State Normal School. The school trained teachers for the expanding educational needs of the state. This institution is now known as Western Kentucky University and is the second-largest public university in the state, having recently surpassed the University of Louisville.
In 1906, Doctors Lillian H. South, J. N. McCormack, and A.T. McCormack opened St. Joseph Hospital to provide medical and nursing care to the residents and students in the area.[14][15]
In 1925, the third and last Louisville and Nashville Railroad Station was opened. About 27 trains arrived daily at the depot. Intercity bus lines were also a popular form of travel. By the 1960s, railroad travel had dramatically declined in the face of competition from airlines and automobiles. The station has been adapted for use as a museum.
In 1940, a Union Underwear factory built in Bowling Green bolstered the city's economy significantly. During the 1960s, the city's population began to surpass that of Ashland, Paducah, and Newport.
Downtown streets became a bottleneck for traffic. In 1949, the U.S. Route 31W Bypass was opened to alleviate traffic problems, but it also drew off business from downtown. The bypass grew to become a business hotspot in Bowling Green. A 1954 advertisement exclaimed, "Your business can grow in the direction Bowling Green is growing – to the 31-W By-Pass".
By the 1960s, the face of shopping was changing completely from the downtown retail square to suburban shopping centers. Between May and November 1967, stores in Bowling Green Mall opened for business. Another advertisement said, "One-stop shopping. Just park [free], step out and shop. You'll find everything close at hand." Between September 1979 and September 1980, stores in the larger Greenwood Mall came online. The city's limits began to stretch toward Interstate 65.
By the late 1960s, Interstate 65, which runs just to the east of Bowling Green, was completed. The Green River Parkway (now called the William H. Natcher Parkway and renamed I-165 in April 2019), was completed in the 1970s to connect Bowling Green and Owensboro. These vital transportation arteries attracted many industries to Bowling Green.
The new Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce building was one of the first parts of the Downtown Redevelopment Project to reach completion.
In 2012, the city undertook a feasibility study on ways to revitalize the downtown Bowling Green area. The Downtown Redevelopment Authority was formed to plan redevelopment. Plans for the project incorporated Bowling Green's waterfront assets, as well as its historic center and streetscape around Fountain Square. It also proposed a new building for the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, construction of a Riverwalk Park where downtown borders the Barren River, creation of a new public park called Circus Square, and installation of a new retail area, the Fountain Square Market.[16]
As of spring 2009, the new Chamber of Commerce, Riverwalk Park, and Circus Square have been completed. The Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, a facility for arts and education, broke ground in October 2009 and celebrated its opening night on March 10, 2012, with a concert by Vince Gill.[17] Ground was broken for the Fountain Square Market in 2012.
In 2005, an effort was made to incorporate a Whitewater Park into the downtown Bowling Green riverfront at Weldon Peete Park. Due to the recession, the project was not funded.
In 2011, the Bowling Green Riverfront Foundation expanded its efforts to develop land on the opposite side of Barren River from Mitch McConnell Park (which is located alongside the U.S. 31-W Bypass and the riverbank, between Louisville Road and Old Louisville Road), upriver to Peete Park. The new plans include use of the adjacent river for white-water sports—the stretch of river includes rapids rated on the International Scale of River Difficulty between Class II and Class IV—as well as a mountain biking trail, a bicycle pump track, and a rock climbing area.[18] Some of this facility will be located on a reclaimed landfill, which had served as Bowling Green's garbage dump for many years.
2021 tornadoes
During the early-morning hours of December 11, 2021, two destructive tornadoes struck Bowling Green. The first was an EF3 tornado that heavily damaged or destroyed several buildings and homes and killed seventeen people.[19] The second tornado formed alongside the Main EF3 and caused additional damage on the southern and eastern parts of the city and was ratedEF2.[20]
Geography
The Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport is 547 feet (167m) above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.6 square miles (92km2), of which 35.4 square miles (92km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52km2), or 0.45%, is covered by water.
Bowling Green has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa). The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 35.7°F (2.1°C) in January to 78.7°F (25.9°C) in July. On average, 41 days of 90°F (32°C)+ highs occur annually, and 11 days occur each winter when the high fails to rise above freezing. Annual precipitation is 47.51 in, with spring being slightly wetter; snowfall averages 8.4 inches (21.3cm) per year. Extreme temperatures range from −21°F (−29°C) on January 23 and 24, 1963, up to 108°F (42°C) on July 28, 1930.
Climate data for Bowling Green, Kentucky (Warren County Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
As of the census[26] of 2020, 72,294 people resided in the city. The population density was 1,808.8 inhabitants per square mile (698.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 64.3% White, 13.8% African American, 0.4% Native American, 8.0% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.6% of the population.
Of the 27,504 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46% were not families. About 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% 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 3.02.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 26.7% from 15 to 24, 27% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 27.6 years. Females made up 51.5% of the population and males made up 48.5%.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,044, and for families was $50,853. Males had a median income of $35,986 versus $28,271 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,302. About 20.9% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18.
Economy
The Medical Center, an ever-expanding part of Commonwealth Health Corporation, is one of the top employers in Bowling Green.
Western Kentucky University is the largest employer in Bowling Green; according to a 2022 report, WKU employed 3,274 people.[27] A 2011 study estimated that WKU salaries account for approximately 10% of all income earned in Warren County, which includes the city.[28]
Auto supplier Holley Performance Products has manufactured products in Bowling Green since 1952, and has been headquartered in the city since 1994.[33] The Japan-based Kobe Steel Ltd. operates a large assembly plant in Bowling Green, manufacturing aluminum products used in car bumpers and frames for the North American auto sector; construction of the plant began in 2016,[34] and began operation in 2018.[35]Camping World Holdings Inc., an RV company, was founded in Bowling Green in 1966 by David Garvin, the owner of the Beech Bend amusement park; the company maintains Bowling Green as one of three headquarters (the others being Lincolnshire, England and Denver, Colorado).[36] In 2022, AESC, a Japanese electric vehicle battery firm, announced plans to establish the Envision AESC plant at Bowling Green, creating an estimated 2,000 jobs in a $2 billion "gigafactory" investment.[37]
Apparel manufacturer Union Underwear Co. LLC, doing business asFruit of the Loom, is headquartered in Bowling Green,[38] employing about 930 people in the city as of 2022.[27] The company shuttered its plant in nearby Jamestown in 2014.[38] Conglomerate Houchens Industries, one of the U.S.'s largest 100% employee-owned enterprises, is based in Bowling Green.[39][40] The Swedish company SCA opened a manufacturing facility in Bowling Green in 1988; as of 2016, the company employed about 160 employees in Bowling Green and 500 employees at a paper mill in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, acquired from Wausau Paper.[41]
Kentucky Museum and Library – Home of rich collections and education exhibits on Kentucky history and heritage. Genealogical materials, published works, manuscripts and folk life information.
National Corvette Museum – Showcase of America's sports car with more than 75 Corvettes on display, including mint classics, one-of-a-kind prototypes, racetrack champions and more.
Historic Railpark and Train Museum – L & N Depot – Train museum in the original train depot of Bowling Green. Opened after the library moved at the end of 2007. Includes 5 restored historic rail cars.
Riverview at Hobson Grove – This historic house museum is a classic example of Italianate architecture—arched windows, deep eaves with ornamental brackets, and cupola. Painted ceilings. Began late 1850s, Confederate munitions magazine in winter 1861–62, and completed 1872.
Bowling Green is served by the Warren County Public Library. The main library is the Lisa Rice Library. Its website is warrenpl.org.[42]
Sports
E.A. Diddle Arena, located on the campus of Western Kentucky University, is a multi-purpose arena with a seating capacity of 7,500 persons. Built in 1963 and renovated in 2004, the arena has hosted college sports such as basketball and volleyball. It also hosted the KHSAAGirls' Sweet Sixteen state championship event in high school basketball from 2001 to 2015, after which it moved to BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University.[43] The arena has also played host to various traveling rodeos and circuses. In 2006, Diddle Arena hosted the first WWE event to be held in Bowling Green in over ten years.
Bowling Green Ballpark
The city and surrounding area is home to the Warren County Inline Hockey League. It also is home to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers team, which competes in the NCAA, and are part of conference USA
The Bowling Green Hornets of the Central Basketball League are based in Bowling Green, although they play their home games in Russellville. The Hornets are coached by Russellville native Nathan Thompson.
Parks and recreation
The Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department administers 895 acres (3.62km2) of public land for recreational use.
Bowling Green was served for many years by intercity bus carriers, primarily Greyhound. But with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Greyhound downgraded their existing station to an unmanned stop, and then eliminated the stop entirely in May 2020. The end of Greyhound service marked the first time the city has been without some form of public intercity transportation since 1858, when the Louisville and Nashville Railroad first reached the city.
Greyhound now serves a stop in Franklin, Kentucky, about 20 miles (32km) south of Bowling Green.
Tornado Bus Company, based in Mexico to primarily serve the Hispanic market, lists Bowling Green as a destination, but the stop is actually located in Smiths Grove, Kentucky, about 12 miles (19km) northeast of downtown Bowling Green.
Rail
Bowling Green receives rail freight service from CSX through the former Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) namesake line. The R.J. Corman Railroad Group operates freight service on the former L&N line to Memphis from Bowling Green to Clarksville, Tennessee; the line joins with CSX at Memphis Junction on Bowling Green's southern side.
Warren County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,554, making it the fifth-most populous county in Kentucky. The county seat is Bowling Green. Warren County is now classified as a wet county after voters approved the measure in 2018. The measure became law in January 2019 that allows alcohol to be sold county wide.
Edmonson County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,126. Its county seat and only municipality is Brownsville. The county was formed in 1825 and named for Captain John "Jack" Edmonson (1764–1813), who was killed at the Battle of Frenchtown during the War of 1812. This is a dry county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Edmonson County is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Barren County is a county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,485. Its county seat is Glasgow. The county was founded on December 20, 1798, from parts of Warren and Green Counties. It was named for the Barrens, meadowlands that cover the northern third, though actually the soil is fertile. Barren County is part of the Glasgow, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Bowling Green-Glasgow, KY Combined Statistical Area. In 2007 Barren County was named the "Best Place to Live in Rural America" by Progressive Farmer Magazine.
Glasgow is a home rule-class city in Barren County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. Glasgow is the principal city of the Glasgow micropolitan area, which comprises Barren and Metcalfe counties. The population was 15,014 at the 2020 U.S. census.
WBKO is a television station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with ABC, Fox, and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Telemundo affiliate WBGS-LD. The two stations maintain studios on Russellville Road near its junction with Interstate 165 on the west side of Bowling Green. The transmitter facility is located along Kentucky Route 185 in unincorporated northern Warren County.
WNKY is a television station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with NBC and CBS. It is owned by Marquee Broadcasting alongside two low-power stations: Ion Television affiliate WNKY-LD and Glasgow-licensed Country Network affiliate WDNZ-LD. The three stations share studios on Chestnut Street in downtown Bowling Green; WNKY's transmitter is located on Pilot Knob near Smiths Grove, Kentucky.
WKYU-TV is a secondary PBS member television station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. Owned by Western Kentucky University as an arm of its Information Technology department, it is a sister station to NPR member network WKU Public Radio and its flagship station WKYU-FM. The two outlets share studios on College Heights Boulevard on the WKU campus; WKYU-TV's transmitter is located six miles (10 km) north of Bowling Green along KY 185, on a tower shared with ABC/Fox/CW+ affiliate WBKO and Telemundo affiliate WBGS-LD.
WKU Public Radio is the public radio service of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is a division of the Department of Information Technology at WKU. The network consists of four FM radio stations and one FM translator. Combined, the stations cover most of Western Kentucky and parts of Indiana and Tennessee, reaching into the northern suburbs of Nashville.
Kentucky Route 185 is a north–south state highway traversing four counties in west-central Kentucky.
Kentucky Route 446 is a state highway in the city of Bowling Green in Warren County, Kentucky. The highway runs 0.970 miles (1.561 km) from U.S. Route 31W, US 68, and KY 80 east to Interstate 65 (I-65). KY 446 is a four-lane divided highway that serves as a connector between the Interstate and U.S. Highways east of Bowling Green and provides access to the National Corvette Museum and the Bowling Green Assembly Plant.
Hadley is an unincorporated community in Warren County, Kentucky, United States.
WCZU-LD is a low-power television station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with The365. The station is owned by Innovate Corp. and licensed to its subsidiary DTV America Corporation. WCZU-LD's transmitter is located near Wingfield, in unincorporated southwestern Edmonson County along Wingfield Church Road.
WBGS-LD is a low-power television station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language network Telemundo. Owned by Gray Television alongside ABC/Fox/CW+ affiliate WBKO, it also functions as a translator for the main subchannel of its full-power sister station. The two stations share studios on Russellville Road near Interstate 165 in Bowling Green, and both stations' transmitting facilities and shared tower space is located on KY 185 in unincorporated northern Warren County.
Bowling Green, Kentucky is the 182nd largest media market in the United States, with roughly 78,870 homes, 0.069% of all homes in the United States. As of 2022, the Bowling Green DMA comprises Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Metcalfe, and Warren Counties in Kentucky.
Interstate 165 (I-165) is a 70.2-mile-long (113.0 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Kentucky. A spur route of I-65, it extends from I-65 in Bowling Green to U.S. Route 60 (US 60) and US 231 in Owensboro. It opened in 1972 as the Green River Parkway and was renamed the William H. Natcher Parkway in 1994. It was designated as I-165 in 2019 after completion of a project that brought the highway up to Interstate Highway standards.
WDNZ-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Glasgow, Kentucky, United States, serving the Bowling Green area as an affiliate of The Country Network. It is owned by Marquee Broadcasting alongside dual NBC/CBS affiliate WNKY and Ion Television affiliate WNKY-LD. The three stations share studios on Chestnut Street in downtown Bowling Green; WDNZ-LD's transmitter is located near Polkville, Kentucky.
Glasgow, Kentucky is technically considered to be part of the Bowling Green, Kentucky DMA, which is ranked as the 182nd largest media market in the United States.
Warren County Public Schools is a school division that serves students living in Warren County, Kentucky.
WNKY-LD is a low-power television station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with Ion Television. It is owned by Marquee Broadcasting alongside dual NBC/CBS affiliate WNKY and Glasgow-licensed low-power Country Network affiliate WDNZ-LD. The three stations share studios on Chestnut Street in downtown Bowling Green; WNKY-LD also shares tower space with WNKY at its transmitter site located on Pilot Knob near Smiths Grove, Kentucky.
↑ Baird, Nancy Disher; Carraco, Carol Crowe (1999). Bowling Green and Warren County: A Bicentennial History. Bowling Green, KY: Liberty Printing. p.13. ISBN978-0932017048.
↑ Kleber, John E., ed. (1992). "Confederate State Government". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN0-8131-1772-0.
↑ "Dr Lillian Herald South". Warren County Medical Society official website. Bowling Green, Kentucky: Warren County Medical Society. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
↑ Kentucky State Medical Association. (1913). Kentucky Medical Journal. Louisville, Ky: The Kentucky State Medical Association. page 160. Accessed on 31 March 2010.
↑ National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Louisville, Kentucky (December 22, 2021). NWS Damage Survey for 12/11/2021 Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
↑ "NWS Damage Survey for 12/11/21 Tornado Event". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Louisville, Kentucky. December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
↑ "Station: Bowling Green Warren CO AP, KY". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
Hall, Eliza Calvert (October 1937). "Bowling Green and the Civil War". Filson Club History Quarterly. 11 (4). Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
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