Bourbon

Formed December 15, 1785 (5^th county)

Bourbon County (20,250), Paris (10,172)

The state capital type Beaux Arts structure sits on a square at Main at 3^rd streets and was built in 1905.  Frank P. Milburn was the building designer for this masonry and stone structure.  The Judicial Center was added in 2003 across the street.  United States Highway 460 is Main Street in the city.  The courthouse features a dome with a working clock and columns.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Bourbon County was established on December 15, 1785 from Fayette County as the 5^th county with Paris as the only county seat.  The county originally took in most of northeast Kentucky.  Thirty-four counties were cut from the original area.  The county is named for the French royal family.  The county seat is named for Paris, France.  

Bourbon County government consists of a sheriff, County Judge Executive, and 7 Magistrates.  Two Circuit Court Judges, Three District Court Judges, and One Family Court Judge serve Bourbon, Scott and Woodford counties.  The county is in east central part of the state directly east of Lexington, Kentucky.  The county center is 1.7 miles Northeast of Paris.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Nicholas, Bath, Montgomery, Clark, Fayette, Scott, and Harrison counties. 

The area of the county is 291 square miles.  It is 67 out of 120 in the state.  It ranks 57 out of 120 in population in the state.  It has a density of 69.6 persons per square mile making it 53 out of 120 in the state.  Bourbon County has 56.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 27 goes north to southwest through the county from Harrison County to Fayette County.  United States Highway 68 enters from the northeast, Nicholas County, and joins United States Highway 27 into Fayette County.  United States Highway 460 comes in from Montgomery County, southeast, and goes into Scott County, west.  The county is overall a diamond.  Paris is located south and west of the county’s center.  Paris is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 50.2% of the county population.  This county is in the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.