Ballard

Formed February 15, 1842 (91^st county)

Ballard County (7,730), Wickliffe (666), La Center (878)

The clock tower stands out on the 1903 red brick and stone Colonial and Beaux Arts courthouse.  The courthouse is on 4^th Street between Ohio and Court streets.  United States Highway 51 is 4^th Street in the town.  Jerome B. Legg is the building architect.  A rot-iron fence surrounds the grounds.  Ballard County was created on February 15, 1842 from parts of Hickman and McCracken counties as the 91^st county.  Blandville was the first county seat until 1880 when Wickliffe assumed that role.  The county was named for State Assemblyman Bland Ballard.  The county seat is named for settler Charles A. Wickliffe. 

Ballard County government consists of a sheriff, County Judge Executive, and 5 Magistrates.  One Circuit Court Judge and One District Court Judge serve Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton and Hickman counties.  The county is in the western end of Kentucky on the borders with Illinois and Missouri where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi River.  The county center is 7.8 miles Northeast of Wickliffe nearer Barlow.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Illinois and McCracken and Carlisle counties and Missouri. 

The area of the county is 251 square miles.  It is 84 out of 120 in the state.  It ranks 109 out of 120 in population in the state.  It has a density of 30.8 persons per square mile making it 107 out of 120 in the state.  Ballard County has 37.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 51 enters from Illinois, west, and exits into Carlisle County, south.  United States Highway 60 crosses the county east to west from McCracken County to terminate.  United States Highway 62 cuts the southeast tip of the county from McCracken County into Carlisle County and then re-enters to join United States Highway 51 into Illinois.  The county looks like a tall pile of leaves.  Wickliffe is on the western border just south of the joining of the Ohio River with the Mississippi River.  La Center is slightly north of center in the county.  Wickliffe is the county seat and La Center is the largest city.  Wickliffe is 8.6% of the county population while La Center is 11.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Paducah Micropolitan Statistical Area.