Nicholas County, Kentucky

Nicholas County, Kentucky
Nicholas County courthouse in Carlisle
Location in the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	1799
Seat	Carlisle
Largest city	Carlisle
Area
• Total	197 sq mi (510 km2)
• Land	195 sq mi (505 km2)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4 km2), 0.8%
Population
• (2010)	7,135
• Density	37/sq mi (14/km²)
Congressional district	6th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	nicholascounty.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Nicholas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,135. Its county seat is Carlisle, which is also the only incorporated community in the county. Founded in 1799, the county is named for Col. George Nicholas, the "Father of the Kentucky Constitution".

Nicholas County was established in 1799 from land given by Bourbon and Mason counties. Nicholas was the 42nd Kentucky county in order of formation. Among the population of 10,361 in 1850 were over 1,500 slaves. For example, there were two slave holders in Nicholas County with the surname Rogers out of over 70 so named in the state. W. C. Rogers held three slaves, a mulatto women aged 44, a black woman aged 19, and a black boy aged 10. John Rogers held three slaves, a black woman aged 45, a black boy aged 5, and a black man aged 31.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 197 square miles (510 km²), of which 195 square miles (510 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.8%) is water.

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,135 people, 2,809 households, and 1,956 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 per square mile (14/km²). There were 3,261 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.9% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.