Ballard County is a county in Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in the far western tip of the state known as the Jackson Purchase. It had a population of 7,728 at the 2020 census and covers 274 square miles (710 km2) centred near 37°04′N 89°00′W.
Wickliffe is the county seat and its postal code is 42087. LaCenter, the county’s largest city, is the other of two other incorporated cities alongside Barlow and Kevil, plus three census-designated places and several unincorporated communities. The county sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Ballard County
Ballard County has four incorporated cities, three census-designated places, and a scatter of unincorporated crossroads communities. CDP = census-designated place (unincorporated but tracked by the Census Bureau); Unincorp. = an unincorporated community with no census-place boundary.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wickliffe | City · seat | — | 42087 |
| LaCenter | City | — | 42056 |
| Barlow | City | — | 42024 |
| Kevil | City | — | — |
| Bandana | CDP | — | 42022 |
| Blandville | CDP | — | — |
| Lovelaceville | CDP | — | 42060 |
| Ceredo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gage | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hinkleville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ingleside | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Monkeys Eyebrow | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Needmore | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New York | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oscar | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ross Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Slater | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Turner Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodville | Unincorp. | — | — |
Monkeys Eyebrow, near the county’s western tip, is the community made famous by a 1930s newspaper story about how it got its name — still one of the most-searched place names in the county. New York, Kentucky is a small crossroads community, not to be confused with the far larger New York elsewhere in the country.
ZIP Codes
- 42087 — Wickliffe (county seat)
- 42056 — La Center
- 42024 — Barlow
- 42022 — Bandana (PO Box only)
- 42060 — Lovelaceville (PO Box only)
Kevil and the county’s smaller unincorporated communities use the ZIP code of the nearest post office town above; no separate code has been assigned to them.
Geography
Ballard County occupies the tip of the Kentucky Bend area, bounded by the Ohio River to the north and the Mississippi River to the west and southwest. The terrain is flat bottomland and low bluffs typical of the Jackson Purchase region, with roughly a tenth of the county’s area covered by water. The county borders Pulaski County, Illinois across the Ohio River to the north, McCracken County to the east, Carlisle County to the south, Mississippi County, Missouri across the Mississippi River to the southwest, and Alexander County, Illinois across the Ohio River to the west.
Demographics
Ballard County had 7,728 residents at the 2020 census. LaCenter and Wickliffe are its two largest communities. The county’s median household income runs below the Kentucky median of $61,118, consistent with its small, rural population base. Density works out to roughly 31 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the local economy — corn, soybeans and wheat on the bottomland fields along the two rivers — alongside grain barge traffic on the Ohio and Mississippi. Wickliffe is home to Wickliffe Mounds, a Mississippian-culture archaeological site and state historic site open to the public. The county seat also sits near industrial river-terminal operations that ship grain and other bulk commodities downriver.
History
The Kentucky legislature formed Ballard County in 1842 from parts of Hickman and McCracken counties, naming it for Captain Bland Ballard, a Revolutionary War-era scout and later member of the Kentucky General Assembly. Blandville was the original county seat; a courthouse fire on February 17, 1880 destroyed most of the county’s early records, and the seat moved to Wickliffe in 1882 after the railroad bypassed Blandville.
Getting There
- Paducah — 20 miles east
- Cairo, Illinois — 15 miles northwest
- Mayfield — 30 miles southeast
U.S. Route 51/60/62 and U.S. Route 62 cross the county, linking Wickliffe and LaCenter to Paducah. Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ballard County?
It is in the far western tip of Kentucky, at the point where the Ohio River meets the Mississippi River.
What is the population of Ballard County?
7,728 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Ballard County?
274 square miles (710 km2), of which about a tenth is water.
What is the county seat of Ballard County?
Wickliffe.
How many towns are in Ballard County?
Four incorporated cities (Wickliffe, LaCenter, Barlow, Kevil), three census-designated places, and a number of smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Ballard County?
42087 (Wickliffe), 42056 (La Center), 42024 (Barlow), 42022 (Bandana) and 42060 (Lovelaceville).
How did Monkeys Eyebrow get its name?
The origin is undocumented, but the name has been in local use since at least the early 20th century and remains one of the county’s best-known landmarks.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Kentucky.