Paducah, Kentucky: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added
No edit summary
Tags: Reverted Visual edit
Climate: Mean annual extremes
(19 intermediate revisions by 16 users not shown)
Line 13:
| mapsize = 250px
| map_caption = Location of Paducah in McCracken County, Kentucky
| pushpin_map = Kentucky#USA
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_label = Paducah
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_type1 = State
Line 48:
| population_demonym = Paducahan
| pop_est_as_of = 2023
| pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="United States Census Bureau">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-20222023/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 16, 2024|archive-date=May 1626, 2024|archive-url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2023-POP-21.xlsx}}</ref>
| population_est = 2674927205
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_21.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 18, 2022}}</ref>
Line 69:
| website = {{URL|paducahky.gov}}
}}
'''Paducah''' ({{IPAc-en|p|ə|ˈ|d|uː|k|ə}} {{respell|pə|DOO|kə}}) is a [[List of cities in Kentucky|home rule-class city]] in the [[Upland South]], and the [[county seat]] of [[McCracken County, Kentucky]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The largest city in the [[Jackson Purchase]] region, it is located in the [[Southeastern United States]] at the confluence of the [[Tennessee River|Tennessee]] and the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] rivers, halfway between [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]], to the northwest and [[Nashville, Tennessee]], to the southeast. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 27,137,<ref name="USCensusEst2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref> up from 25,024 in 2010.<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> Twenty blocks of the city's downtown have been designated as a historic district and listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].
 
Paducah is the principal city of the [[Paducah micropolitan area|Paducah metropolitan area]], which includes McCracken, [[Ballard County, Kentucky|Ballard]], [[Carlisle County, Kentucky|Carlisle]] and [[Livingston County, Kentucky|Livingston]] [[list of counties in Kentucky|counties]] in Kentucky and [[Massac County, Illinois|Massac County]] in [[Illinois]]. The total population of the metro area was 103,481 in 2020. The [[Combined statistical area|Paducah–Mayfield combined statistical area]] had a total population of 140,138.
 
==History==
[[File:Kentucky - Paducah through St. Matthews - NARA - 23940335 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Paducah in 1933]]
===Early history===
[[File:Kentucky - Paducah through St. Matthews - NARA - 23940335 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Downtown Paducah in 1933|left]]
{{anchor|Pekin}}
Paducah was first settled as "Pekin" around 1821 by European Americans James and William Pore.<ref name=ren>Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=3Lac2FUSj_oC&pg=PA224 p. 224]. University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed August 1, 2013.</ref> The town was laid out by explorer and surveyor [[William Clark (explorer)|William Clark]] in 1827 and renamed Paducah.
 
Although local lore long connected this name to an eponymous [[Chickasaw]] chief "Paduke" and his band of "Paducahs", authorities on the Chickasaw have since said that there was never any chief or tribe of that name, or anything like it. The Chickasaw language does not have related words. Instead, historians believe that Clark named the town for the [[Comanche]] people of the western plains.<ref name=ren/> They were known by regional settlers as the ''Padoucas'', from a Spanish transliteration of the [[Kansa language|Kaw]] word ''Pádoka''<ref>Rankin, Robert. ''[http://www.kawnation.com/WebKanza/LangResources/nglshknzdctnry.pdf English to Kanza Dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011115616/http://www.kawnation.com/WebKanza/LangResources/nglshknzdctnry.pdf |date=October 11, 2016 }}''. "Comanche" & "Paducah". Accessed September 24, 2013.</ref> or the [[Omaha language|Omaha]] ''Pádoⁿka''.<ref>''Omaha & Ponca Digital Dictionary''. "[http://omahaponca.unl.edu/omaha/view/9907 Pádoⁿka]". September 24, 2013.</ref>
 
===Incorporation, steamboats and railroads===
[[File:Kentucky. Paducah, wharf scene LCCN2013646142.jpg|thumb|The wharf in Paducah, 1890|left]]
{{anchor|incorporation|steamboats|railroads}}
Paducah was formally established as a town in 1830 and incorporated as a [[list of Ky cities|city]] by the [[Kentucky Assembly|state legislature]] in 1838.<ref name=sos/> By thisThe time,city steamcharter boatswas traverseddrafted theby river[[Quintus system,Quincy and its port facilities were important to tradeQuigley]] and transportationH. InClay addition,King developingin railroads began to enter the region1856.<ref>{{citation A|newspaper=News-Democrat factory|date=20 forDec making1910 red|page=1 bricks,|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-democrat/128022780/ and|title=Article aclipped foundryfrom forNews-Democrat making rail and locomotive components became the nucleus of a thriving "River and Rail" economy.}}</ref>
 
By this time, steam boats traversed the river system, and its port facilities were important to trade and transportation. In addition, developing railroads began to enter the region. A factory for making red bricks, and a foundry for making rail and locomotive components became the nucleus of a thriving "River and Rail" economy. Paducah became the site of dry dock facilities for steamboats and towboats, and thus headquarters for many barge companies. Because of its proximity to [[Western Kentucky coalfields|coalfields]] further to the east in Kentucky and north in [[Illinois]], Paducah also became an important railway hub for the [[Illinois Central Railroad]]. This was the primary north–south railway connecting the industrial cities of Chicago and [[East St. Louis, Illinois|East St. Louis]] to the [[Gulf of Mexico]] at [[Gulfport, Mississippi]], and [[New Orleans|New Orleans, Louisiana]]. The Illinois Central system also provided east–west links to the [[Burlington Northern Railroad|Burlington Northern]] and the [[Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway]]s (which later merged to become the [[BNSF Railway]]).
[[File:Kentucky. Paducah, wharf scene LCCN2013646142.jpg|thumb|The wharf in Paducah, 1890]]
Paducah became the site of dry dock facilities for steamboats and towboats, and thus headquarters for many barge companies. Because of its proximity to [[Western Kentucky coalfields|coalfields]] further to the east in Kentucky and north in [[Illinois]], Paducah also became an important railway hub for the [[Illinois Central Railroad]]. This was the primary north–south railway connecting the industrial cities of Chicago and [[East St. Louis, Illinois|East St. Louis]] to the [[Gulf of Mexico]] at [[Gulfport, Mississippi]], and [[New Orleans|New Orleans, Louisiana]]. The Illinois Central system also provided east–west links to the [[Burlington Northern Railroad|Burlington Northern]] and the [[Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway]]s (which later merged to become the [[BNSF Railway]]).
 
In 1924 the Illinois Central Railroad began construction at Paducah of their largest locomotive [[workshop]] in the nation. Over a period of 190 days, a large ravine between Washington and Jones streets was filled with 44,560 carloads of dirt to enlarge the site, sufficient for the construction of 23 buildings. The eleven million dollar project was completed in 1927 as the fourth-largest industrial plant in Kentucky. The railroad became the largest employer in Paducah, having 1,075 employees in 1938.
Line 95 ⟶ 94:
===Civil War===
{{Further|Kentucky in the American Civil War}}
[[File:Fort Anderson. Fort Anderson, Paducah, Kentucky, and the camp of the 6th Illinois Cavalry, April, 1862 - sketched by A.E. Mathews, 31st Regt. O.V.U.S.A. LCCN92508857.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Anderson (Kentucky)|Fort Anderson]] was the site of the [[Battle of Paducah]] in March 1864.|left]]
At the outset of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Kentucky attempted to take a neutral position. However, when a Confederate force occupied Columbus, a [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] force under General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] responded by occupying Paducah. Throughout most of the war, [[Colonel (U.S.)|Col.]] [[Stephen G. Hicks]] was in charge of Paducah, and the town served as a massive supply depot for Federal forces along the Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee river systems.
 
On December 17, 1862, under the terms of [[General Order No. 11 (1862)|General Order No. 11]], US forces required 30 Jewish families to leave their long-established homes. Grant was trying to break up a black market in cotton, in which he assumed Jewish traders were involved due to [[racial stereotyping]] associated with [[anti-Semitic tropes]]. [[Cesar Kaskel]], a prominent local Jewish businessman, dispatched a telegram of complaint to [[list of U.S. presidents|President]] [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] and met with him. As there were similar actions taken by other Jewish businessmen and loud complaints by Congress about the treatment of their constituents, Lincoln ordered the policy to be revoked within a few weeks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Grant and the Jews |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/history/Modern_History/1700-1914/Modern_Anti-Semitism/Grant_Expels_Jews.shtml |access-date=2024-03-22 |website=My Jewish Learning |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sarna |first=Jonathan D. |date=2012-03-13 |title=When Gen. Grant Expelled the Jews |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/03/ulysses-s-grant-and-general-orders-no-11-how-the-infamous-order-changed-the-lives-of-jews-in-america.html |access-date=2024-03-22 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339}}</ref>
 
On March 25, 1864, [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] Gen. [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] raided Paducah as part of his campaign northward from [[Mississippi]] into Western Tennessee and Kentucky. He intended to re-supply the Confederate forces in the region with recruits, ammunition, medical supplies, horses and mules, and especially to disrupt the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] domination of the regions south of the [[Ohio River]]. Known as the [[Battle of Paducah]], the raid was successful in terms of the re-supply effort and in intimidating the Union, but Forrest returned south. According to his report, "I drove the enemy to their gunboats and fort; and held the city for ten hours, captured many stores and horses; burned sixty bales of cotton, one steamer, and a drydock, bringing out fifty prisoners."<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2rZbIVSUNUgC&pg=PA330 | page = 330 | title = Life of General Nathan Bedford Forrest | author = John Allan Wyeth | publisher = Harper & Brothers | year= 1899| isbn = 978-0-7222-9281-5 }}</ref> Much of the fighting took place around [[Fort Anderson (Kentucky)|Fort Anderson]] on the city's west side, in the present-day [[Lower Town Neighborhood District|Lower Town neighborhood]]; most buildings in the neighborhood postdate the war, as most of the neighborhood was demolished soon after the battle to deny any future raids the advantage of surprise that they had enjoyed during the battle. Among the few houses that were not destroyed is the [[David Yeiser House]], a single-story [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]] structure.<ref>Cherry, Robert C. ''National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Mayor David A. Yeiser House''. [[National Park Service]], 1972-12-27, 9.</ref>
 
Later having read in the newspapers that 140 fine horses had escaped the raid, Forrest sent Brigadier General Abraham Buford back to Paducah, to get the horses and to keep Union forces busy there while he attacked [[Fort Pillow, Tennessee|Fort Pillow]] in Tennessee. His forces were charged with a massacre of [[United States Colored Troops]] among the Union forces whom they defeated at the fort. On April 14, 1864, Buford's men found the horses hidden in a Paducah foundry, as reported by the newspapers. Buford rejoined Forrest with the spoils, leaving the Union in control of Paducah until the end of the War.
Line 119 ⟶ 118:
On April 25, 1991, the [[National Quilt Museum]] opened in downtown Paducah.<ref name="Nickell">{{cite news |last1=Nickell |first1=Patti |title=Why visit Kentucky's Paducah? Because artists, preservationists and foodies think you should |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/sns-tns-bc-ust-ky-paducah-20181001-story.html |access-date=October 15, 2018 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=October 1, 2008}}</ref> Paducah has been part of the [[Creative Cities Network|UNESCO Creative Cities Network]] in the category of craft and folk art since November 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.paducahky.gov/news/paducah-unesco-creative-city-crafts-folk-art|title=Paducah, A UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art {{!}} City of Paducah|website=www.paducahky.gov|language=en-us|access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref><ref name="NPR 2022-04-29">{{Cite news |last=Operele |first=Derek |date=April 29, 2022 |title=QuiltWeek is finally back on in Kentucky |language=en |work=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095642528/quiltweek-is-finally-back-on-in-kentucky#storytext |access-date=2022-04-30}}</ref> The national quilt show takes place yearly at the Schroeder Expo Center. The American Quilter's Society hosts a week of quilt shows with quilt classes, fabric shops and a variety of vendors. They host a variety of award-winning quilts from across the country. The show features exhibits that include hand pieced and appliqued quilts, Kentucky heritage quilts, and Paducah contest quilts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Quilter's Society- Quilt Week Shows in Paducah, KY |url=https://www.americanquilter.com/quiltweek/paducah-2023/paducah-2023-quilt-exhibits/}}</ref>
 
===The Heath shootingsshooting===
{{main|Heath High School shooting}}
On [[December 1]], [[1997]], 14-year-old Michael Carneal brought five loaded guns to Heath High School and shot a group of fellow students in the school's lobby as they were leaving a prayer group before school. Three students, all girls, were killed and five others were wounded; one of the wounded was left a [[paraplegic]]. Carneal subsequently received a sentence of life with the possibility of parole after 25 years. In 2022, the Kentucky Parole Board denied his bid for parole.<ref>Trevor Ault, Andy Fies, Vera Drymon, and Meredith Deliso, "1997 Kentucky school shooter denied parole," ABC News, September 26, 2022, https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96287&page=1</ref>
Line 127 ⟶ 126:
 
===Climate===
Paducah has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfa'') with four distinct seasons and is located in USDA [[hardiness zone]] 7a.<ref>{{cite web |title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |author=United States Department of Agriculture |publisher=[[United States National Arboretum]] |url=http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |access-date=February 27, 2015 |author-link=United States Department of Agriculture |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303152208/http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |archive-date=March 3, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Spring-like conditions typically begin in mid-to-late March, summer from mid-to-late-May to late September, with fall in the October–November period. Seasonal extremes in both temperature and precipitation are common during early spring and late fall; [[severe weather]] is also common, with occasional [[tornado]] outbreaks in the region. Winter typically brings a mix of rain, sleet, and snow, with occasional heavy snowfall and icing. The city has a normal January mean temperature of {{convert|34.6|°F|1}} and averages 13&nbsp;days annually with temperatures staying at or below freezing; the first and last freezes of the season on average fall on October 25 and April 8, respectively.<ref name=NOAA /> Summer is typically hazy, hot, and humid with a July daily average of {{convert|78.9|°F|1}} and drought conditions at times. Paducah averages 48 days a year with high temperatures at or above {{convert|90|°F|0}}. Snowfall averages {{convert|8.9|in|cm|0}} per season, contributing to the average annual precipitation of {{convert|50.32|in|sigfig=3}}. Extremes in temperature range from {{convert|108|°F|0}} on July 17, 1942, and [[Summer 2012 North American heat wave|June 29, 2012]], down to {{convert|−15|°F|0}} on [[January 1985 Arctic outbreak|January 20, 1985]]. Paducah is prone to river flooding from the [[Ohio River]], which is currently ongoingand as of late February 2018, with the river had been expected to crest at 49 feet on February 28.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2018/02/25/paducah-crews-installing-floodgates-rising-ohio-river/|title=Paducah crews installing floodgates from rising Ohio River|date=February 25, 2018|work=WPSD Local 6 – Your News, Weather, & Sports Authority|access-date=February 26, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
 
{{Weather box
Line 145 ⟶ 144:
|Dec record high F = 77
|year record high F = 108
| Jan avg record high F = 65.4
| Feb avg record high F = 70.7
| Mar avg record high F = 77.9
| Apr avg record high F = 84.0
| May avg record high F = 89.6
| Jun avg record high F = 95.0
| Jul avg record high F = 96.9
| Aug avg record high F = 96.4
| Sep avg record high F = 93.4
| Oct avg record high F = 86.5
| Nov avg record high F = 76.0
| Dec avg record high F = 67.0
| year avg record high F = 98.4
|Jan high F = 44.7
|Feb high F = 49.7
Line 184 ⟶ 196:
|Dec low F = 30.7
|year low F = 48.2
| Jan avg record low F = 7.9
| Feb avg record low F = 11.6
| Mar avg record low F = 19.1
| Apr avg record low F = 30.6
| May avg record low F = 41.6
| Jun avg record low F = 53.2
| Jul avg record low F = 58.8
| Aug avg record low F = 55.7
| Sep avg record low F = 43.0
| Oct avg record low F = 30.4
| Nov avg record low F = 21.0
| Dec avg record low F = 12.7
| year avg record low F = 4.0
|Jan record low F = −15
|Feb record low F = −14
Line 288 ⟶ 313:
| 2020 = 27137
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 2674927205
| estref = <ref name="United States Census Bureau">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 20232022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 16, 2024|archive-date=May 1626, 2024|archive-url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2023-POP-21.xlsx}}</ref>
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
Line 330 ⟶ 355:
As of the [[2020 United States Census]], there were 27,137 people, 11,330 households, and 5,561 families residing in the city.
 
===2010 datacensus===
As of the census<ref name="GR8" /> of 2010, there were 25,024 people, 11,462 households, and 6,071 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,251.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 12,851 housing units at an average density of {{convert|642.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 70.99% [[White American|White]], 23.67% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.02% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islands American|Pacific Islander]], 1.07% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#Race|other races]], and 3.01% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics or Latinos]] of any race were 2.68% of the population.
 
Line 349 ⟶ 374:
 
==Economy==
[[File:Paducah.jpg|thumb|Downtown Paducah]]
[[Dippin' Dots]], the [[Paducah & Louisville Railway]] and several barge companies have their headquarters in Paducah.<ref>"[http://www.dippindots.com/contact/ Dippin' Dots Contact Information]". [[Dippin' Dots]]. Retrieved on March 5, 2010.</ref>
 
The river continues to be a prominent source of industry for Paducah. Twenty-three barge companies have their operating or corporate headquarters in Paducah. In 2017, the city of Paducah opened a 340-foot transient boat dock that provides space for transient boaters to tie up for a few hours or several nights, increasing tourism in the city. Amenities include fuel (diesel and marine grade gasoline), water, power pedestals, and a sewer pumpout station (seasonal for water and sewer amenities).
 
Just outside the Paducah city limits sits one of the United States' few sites serviced by three railways, an interstate, and a major inland waterway. The site is known as the "Triple Rail Site." This site has 600+ acres (expandable to 1,000 acres) with triple rail service allowing access North, South, East, and West from a single location. It is served by Paducah & Louisville Railway (P&L), CN, and BNSF. The site has river access at the confluence of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers, just miles from the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and Mississippi River. The site is zoned for heavy manufacturing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sites and Buildings {{!}} Greater Paducah Economic Development |url=https://epaducah.com/site-selection/sites-and-buildings/ |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=epaducah.com}}</ref> The City of Paducah and its partners are seeking economic development of the site.
 
A federal [[National Weather Service]] Forecast Office is based in Paducah, providing weather information to western Kentucky, southeastern [[Missouri]], southern [[Illinois]], and southwestern [[Indiana]].
[[File:Delta Queen Paducah.jpg|thumb|The Delta Queen in Paducah]]
 
===Top employers===
According to Paducah's ''20212023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,'' the top employers in the city were entities in healthhealthcare care,and education and retailservices:
 
{| class="wikitable"
Line 367 ⟶ 391:
|-
| 1
| Bon Secours Mercy Health, Inc.
| Baptist Healthcare Systems
|1,474445
|-
|2
| Baptist Healthcare Systems
| Bon Secours Mercy Health, Inc.
|1,448432
|-
|3
|Wal-Mart Associates, Inc.
|993969
|-
|4
|[[Paducah PublicBoard Schools]]of Education
|589623
|-
|5
| Baptist Health Medical Group
| Lowes of Paducah #465
|396410
|-
|6
| LowesCity of Paducah #465
| West Kentucky Community and Technical College
|375339
|-
|7
| West Kentucky Community and& Technical College
| Baptist Health Medical Group
|367376
|-
|8
|ViWinTech Window and& Door
|358370
|-
|9
| CityLowes of Paducah #465
|337329
|-
|10
|GMRI
|Commonwealth of Kentucky
|310319
|}
Source:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Comprehensive Annual Financial Report |url=https://citydocs.paducahky.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=320479354919&dbid=0&repo=City-of-Paducah |title=Comprehensive Annual Financial Report |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=citydocs.paducahky.gov}}</ref>
 
Several employers in McCracken County call Paducah home, although their facilities are located outside the city limits. Paducah and McCracken County jointly operate Greater Paducah Economic Development ("GPED"). GPED lists<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Employers {{!}} Greater Paducah Economic Development |url=https://epaducah.com/business/top-employers/ |access-date=2022-08-24 |website=epaducah.com}}</ref> the top employers in McCracken County, several of which include employers within the City of Paducah limits, and is more reflective of the true top employer situation as perceived by citizens of Paducah, as:
Line 425 ⟶ 449:
|3
|Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership
|Clean-up contractor-gaseous diffusion plant
|Department of Energy Contractor
|-
|4
Line 444 ⟶ 468:
|-
|8
|Beltline Electric
|West Kentucky Community and Technical College
|Electrical Contractor
|Higher education
|-
|9
|City of Paducah
|Paducah Public Schools
|Government
|K–12 education
|-
|10
|Computer Services, Inc.
|Bank Processing
|Fintech
|-
|11
|Credit Bureau Systems
|TVA Shawnee Power Plant
|Credit reporting
|Power provider
|-
|12
|Independence Bank
|ViWin Tech Window and Door
|Banking
|Manufacturing
|-
|13
|Ingram Barge
|Inland marine
|Marine transportation
|-
|14
|Credit Bureau Systems
|Credit reporting
|-
|15
|Lowes
|Retail
|-
|15
|Lynx Services
|Call center
|-
|16
|Paducah Public Schools
|Lynx Services
|HigherK-12 education
|Call center
|}
 
Line 507 ⟶ 531:
In September 2004, plans came together to highlight Paducah's [[Roots revival|musical roots]] through the redevelopment of the southern side of downtown. The centerpiece of the effort is the renovation of Maggie Steed's Hotel Metropolitan.[[Paducah, Kentucky#cite note-31|[28]]] Prominent African-American musicians such as [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Duke Ellington]], [[Cab Calloway]], [[Chick Webb]]'s orchestra, [[B.B. King]], [[Bobby "Blue" Bland]], [[Ike and Tina Turner]] and other [[R & B]] and [[blues]] legends have performed here as part of what has become known as the "[[Chitlin' Circuit]]". Supporters want to promote Paducah's role in the history of American music.
 
Paducah is the birthplace and residence of musicians in various genres. [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]] artists Ray Smith, whose recording of "Rockin' Little Angel" was a hit in 1960, and Stanley Walker, who played guitar for Ray Smith and others, grew up in Paducah. [[Terry Mike Jeffrey]], an Emmy-nominated songwriter, is a resident of Paducah. Nashville, TNTennessee–based based composer/violinistcomposer–violinist, [[Mark Evitts]], is also from Paducah. The most prominent mainstream artist is [[Steven Curtis Chapman]], the top-selling [[Contemporary Christian music|Christian]] artist of all time.
 
Paducah is one of only two cities named in the world-famous song "Hooray for Hollywood", which is used as the opening number for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards (the Oscars). The 1937 song, with music by [[Richard A. Whiting|Richard Whiting]] and lyrics by [[Johnny Mercer]], contains in the second verse: "Hooray for Hollywood! That phony, super Coney, Hollywood. They come from Chilicothes and Padukahs..."
Line 564 ⟶ 588:
 
====Transit====
The Paducah Area Transit System (PATS) provides fixed-route transit and paratransit service in and around the city, as well as a summer tourist trolley.. Fixed-route services operate from Monday through Saturday from 7 AM to 7 PM on four routes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.paducahtransit.com/bus-routes|title=Bus Routes|access-date=July 18, 2023}}</ref>
 
====Roadways====
Line 591 ⟶ 615:
* [[Russ Cochran]], professional golfer on [[Champions Tour]], previously on [[PGA Tour]] and [[Nationwide Tour]]
* [[Jerry Crutchfield]], country and pop music producer and songwriter
* [[Vic Dana]], Billboard Top 100 hit recording artist and professional dancer. Popular hits include "Red Roses for a Blue Lady", "Little Altar Boy", "I Will", "More", "Shangri-La", "I Love You Drops", and "If I Never Knew Your Name.".
* [[Pierre DuMaine]], Roman Catholic bishop
* [[Edwin E. Ellis]], U.S. Navy photographer who visually documented [[Antarctica]], inventor, businessman