Formed November 24, 1784 (4th county)
Nelson County (46,737), Bardstown (13,566)
An outstanding red brick Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse was erected in 1892 and is located on the square at Foster and 3rd streets. United States Highway 62 is Foster Street. The courthouse designers are Mason Maury and William J. Dodd. A Justice Center was added in 2003. The courthouse features a tower. Since the county’s November 24, 1784 organizing, Bardstown has been the only seat. The county was taken from Jefferson County as the 4th county. It is named for Thomas Nelson, signer of the Declaration of Independence. The county seat is named for city developer William Bard. Nelson County was the birthplace of 2 Kentucky Governors, Charles S. Morehead and J. C. W. Beckham.
Nelson County government consists of a County Judge Executive, a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive). It has 5 Magistrates (legislative.) One Circuit Court Judge and Two District Court Judges serve Nelson, Hart, and LaRue counties and a court clerk serves Nelson County (judicial.) The county is in central Kentucky. Louisville, Kentucky is northwest and Lexington, Kentucky is east. The county center is 4.3 miles South-Southeast of Bardstown nearer Balltown. The county is surrounded clockwise by Spencer, Anderson, Washington, Marion, Larue, Hardin, and Bullitt counties.
The area of the county is 423 square miles. It is 28 out of 120 in the state. It ranks 22 out of 120 in population in the state. It has a density of 110.5 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 120 in the state. Nelson County has 33.0% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 31 East crosses north to southwest in the county from Spencer County to Larue County. United States Highway 62 goes east to west from Anderson County to Hardin County. United States Highway 150 enters joined with United States Highway 31 East from Spencer County, splits and travels southeast to Washington County. The county is shaped like a car heading northeast. Bardstown is in the western half of the county. Bardstown is the county seat and the largest city. It is 29.0% of the county population. This county is in the Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Bardstown
Bloomfield
Fairfield
New Haven
