{"id":3924,"date":"2023-06-12T21:51:42","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T21:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=3924"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:59:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:59:40","slug":"calloway-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/calloway-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Calloway County, Kentucky"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Calloway County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the far southwest corner of the<br \/>\nstate, about 40 miles south of Paducah on the Tennessee line. It had a population of 37,103 at<br \/>\nthe 2020 census, an estimated 39,421 by 2025, and covers 411 square miles (1,064 km2) centred<br \/>\nnear 36\u00b037\u2032N 88\u00b016\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Murray is the county seat and the county&#8217;s only city of any size; its postal code is 42071.<br \/>\nThe county holds 2 cities, 1 census-designated place and more than 20 unincorporated<br \/>\ncommunities, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 21035.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Calloway County<\/h2>\n<p>Calloway County has 25 named places on record: 2 incorporated cities, 1 census-designated<br \/>\nplace and 22 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for<br \/>\ncensus designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal<br \/>\nboundary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Murray<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>17,307<\/td>\n<td>42071<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hazel<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>390<\/td>\n<td>42049<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dexter<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>257<\/td>\n<td>42036<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Almo<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>42020<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Backusburg<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bethel<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Blood<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Boatwright<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Coldwater<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Crossland<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Elm Grove<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Faxon<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hamlin<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Harris Grove<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hico<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kirksey<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>42054<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lynn Grove<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Midway<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>New Concord<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>42076<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Penny<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Protemus<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shiloh<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Stella<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wadesboro<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wiswell<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>The county&#8217;s earlier posted list carried a dozen names &mdash; Almo Heights, Bakers<br \/>\nCrossroads, Five Points, Fort Heiman, Irvin Cobb Resort, New Providence, North Murray, Pleasant<br \/>\nHill, Pottertown, South Murray, Van Cleave and West Murray &mdash; that trace to no gazetteer<br \/>\nentry for the county and are dropped from this list. North, South and West Murray read as<br \/>\ndirectional neighborhoods inside the city rather than separate places.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>42071 &mdash; Murray (the county&#8217;s most populous ZIP, also serves the university district)<\/li>\n<li>42049 &mdash; Hazel<\/li>\n<li>42036 &mdash; Dexter<\/li>\n<li>42020 &mdash; Almo<\/li>\n<li>42054 &mdash; Kirksey<\/li>\n<li>42076 &mdash; New Concord<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Backusburg, Bethel, Blood, Boatwright, Coldwater, Crossland, Elm Grove, Faxon, Hamlin, Harris<br \/>\nGrove, Hico, Lynn Grove, Midway, Penny, Protemus, Shiloh, Stella, Wadesboro and Wiswell have no<br \/>\nZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under Murray&#8217;s or Hazel&#8217;s code, depending on<br \/>\nwhich is closer by rural route.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Calloway County sits in the Jackson Purchase region of far western Kentucky, a low, gently<br \/>\nrolling plain that was the last part of the state acquired from the Chickasaw Nation. Of its 411<br \/>\nsquare miles, 385 are land and 26 are water, about 6.3 percent &mdash; most of it Kentucky Lake,<br \/>\nthe Tennessee River reservoir that laps the county&#8217;s eastern edge near Hamlin and Blood, and<br \/>\nClarks River, which drains the county&#8217;s western half toward the Tennessee River.<\/p>\n<p>Marshall County lies to the north, Trigg County to the northeast, Stewart County, Tennessee to<br \/>\nthe southeast, Henry County, Tennessee to the south, and Graves County to the west. <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/marshall-county-kentucky\/\">Marshall County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/trigg-county\/\">Trigg County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/stewart-county-tennessee\/\">Stewart County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/henry-county-tennessee\/\">Henry County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/graves-county\/\">Graves County<\/a> all border Calloway<br \/>\ndirectly.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Calloway County had a population of 37,103 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts<br \/>\nthe county near 39,421 residents. Murray, home to Murray State University, holds close to half<br \/>\nthe county&#8217;s population by itself, with Hazel and Dexter far behind. Median household income<br \/>\nruns $52,706 (Data USA), below Kentucky&#8217;s statewide 2023 ACS figure of $61,118, a gap the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s large full-time student population helps explain. Population density works out to<br \/>\nroughly 96 people per square mile of land, low even by rural western Kentucky standards outside<br \/>\nthe Murray urban cluster.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Educational services employs the most workers in the county, about 2,749 people, followed by<br \/>\nmanufacturing at 2,287 and retail trade at 2,136. Murray State University is the county&#8217;s single<br \/>\nlargest institution, drawing more than 10,000 students and employing faculty and staff across<br \/>\nits 11 associate, 64 bachelor&#8217;s and 42 master&#8217;s programs. Murray Electric System, a locally owned<br \/>\nmunicipal utility, supplies power, telecommunications and internet across the city. Murray State<br \/>\nRacers home football and basketball games each fall and winter draw the county&#8217;s largest<br \/>\nrecurring crowds, filling hotels and restaurants along US 641.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>The Kentucky legislature formed Calloway County on 3 November 1822, carving it out of Hickman<br \/>\nCounty land recently opened by the Jackson Purchase. It was named for Colonel Richard Callaway,<br \/>\na co-founder of Boonesborough who was killed by Shawnee raiders in 1780. A courthouse fire in<br \/>\n1906 destroyed nearly all of the county&#8217;s early records, leaving a gap that still limits<br \/>\ngenealogical research into the county&#8217;s first decades. Murray was incorporated in 1844, named<br \/>\nfor U.S. Representative John L. Murray, and grew into the county&#8217;s commercial center after the<br \/>\nNashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway reached it in the 1890s.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>No interstate crosses Calloway County; US 641 and the Purchase Parkway carry most through<br \/>\ntraffic, along with KY 94, KY 121 and KY 280.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Paducah &mdash; about 40 miles north<\/li>\n<li>Clarksville, Tennessee &mdash; about 65 miles southeast<\/li>\n<li>Nashville, Tennessee &mdash; about 120 miles southeast<\/li>\n<li>Paris, Tennessee &mdash; about 25 miles south<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah, about 45 miles north, is the nearest airport with<br \/>\nscheduled commercial service. Murray&#8217;s own Kyle-Oakley Field handles general aviation. Amtrak<br \/>\ndoes not serve Calloway County; the nearest station is in Fulton, roughly 60 miles southwest.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Calloway County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in the Jackson Purchase region of far southwestern Kentucky, about 40 miles south of<br \/>\nPaducah, on the Tennessee state line.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Calloway County?<\/strong><br \/>\n37,103 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 39,421.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Calloway County?<\/strong><br \/>\n411 square miles (1,064 km2), of which 385 square miles are land.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Calloway County?<\/strong><br \/>\nMurray is the county seat, incorporated in 1844 and home to Murray State University.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and communities are in Calloway County?<\/strong><br \/>\nTwo cities, Murray and Hazel, plus the Dexter census-designated place and about 22 unincorporated<br \/>\ncommunities including Almo, Kirksey and New Concord.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Calloway County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n42071 for Murray, 42049 for Hazel, 42036 for Dexter, 42020 for Almo, 42054 for Kirksey and 42076<br \/>\nfor New Concord.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Calloway County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nMurray State University, its &#8220;moist county&#8221; alcohol laws that permit sales only inside Murray,<br \/>\nand Kentucky Lake along its eastern edge.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/kentucky\/\">Towns and villages in Kentucky<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Calloway County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the far southwest corner of the state, about 40 miles south of Paducah on the Tennessee line. It had a population of 37,103 at the 2020 census, an estimated 39,421 by 2025, and covers 411 square miles (1,064 km2) centred near 36\u00b037\u2032N 88\u00b016\u2032W. Murray is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Calloway County, Kentucky","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 25 towns and communities in Calloway County, Kentucky - type, population and ZIP for each, plus Murray State University and Kentucky Lake.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-3924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-kentucky","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3924"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9432,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3924\/revisions\/9432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}