Calhoun, Kentucky

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1908 and the latest in 1991. It stands in the Calhoun census division. It lies in ZIP code area 42327. It stands on Myer Creek. The Survey maps it on the Calhoun quadrangle. 725 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 394 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Calhoun within McLean County

On record in Calhoun

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Griffith-Franklin Houselisted 1975

Surveyed buildings and structures 1 record

James Bethel Gresham Memorial Bridge, Spanning Green Pond River at Kentucky Route 81, Calhounfederal building survey, 23 photographs

Population over time

2 figures

Calhoun fell from 763 to 725 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

Year	People	Change
2010	763
2020	725	-38 (-5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 13 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

1908 USGS Calhoun quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
1952 USGS Calhoun quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
1954 USGS Evansville quadrangle1:250000
1957 USGS Evansville quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
1961 USGS Evansville quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1986 USGS Evansville quadrangle1:100000
1991 USGS Evansville quadrangle1:100000

Photographs

1 photograph,

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

James Bethel Gresham Memorial Bridge, Spanning Green Pond River at Kentucky Route 81, Calhoun, McLean County, KY
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

8 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Calhoun between 2000 and 2019, burning about 26 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Recreation and ceremony	2
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2
Debris and open burning	2
Equipment and vehicle use	1
Railroad operations and maintenance	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
8 September 2005	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	3.0 acres	Kentucky Division of Forestry	not named
29 September 2010	Debris and open burning	3.0 acres	Kentucky Division of Forestry	KNOBS #1
24 March 2009	Recreation and ceremony	2.0 acres	Kentucky Division of Forestry	not named
2 March 2000	Debris and open burning	3.0 acres	Kentucky Division of Forestry	not named
8 November 2010	Railroad operations and maintenance	4.0 acres	Kentucky Division of Forestry	LAWN MOWER
5 October 2004	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Kentucky Division of Forestry	not named
30 October 2010	Recreation and ceremony	1.0 acres	Kentucky Division of Forestry	BED FIRE
3 October 2019	Equipment and vehicle use	10 acres	Kentucky Division of Forestry	POPCORN FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in McLean County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Calhoun: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Fluorine-Fluorite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where	Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
	H M Mine	Fluorine-Fluorite	Past Producer

Every working recorded in McLean County

Storms near this place

53 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Calhoun in 53 storm reports between 1996 and 2023: 24 flood, 10 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
January 2002	Tornado (F2)	Calhoun	$1,000,000	Top wind speeds in this F-2 tornado were estimated near 120 MPH. The damage path extended from the extreme northwest side of Calhoun to the extreme northeast side of town. A total of about 53 buildings were damaged or destroyed, of which 43 were homes and 10 were businesses. At least one home and one business was destroyed, 5 houses received major damage, and 4 businesses including a church and daycare center received major damage. The business that was destroyed was a TV antenna/satellite service on Kentucky Highway 81 at the northern city limit of Calhoun. Most of the remainder of the structures received minor damage. In addition to the damaged homes and businesses, barns, grain bins, and at least one shed were destroyed. At the city-owned cemetery, 300 to 350 tombstones were overturned, and 50 trees were uprooted.
March 1997	Flash Flood	Calhoun	$800,000	no account filed
June 2020	Flash Flood	Calhoun	$250,000	Widespread flash flooding was reported. Several water rescues were conducted, including a few from homes and a few from vehicles. Major roads were closed, including Highways 431, 136, and 81. The majority of emergencies were in the mid-morning hours. Some roads remained closed into the evening. A state of emergency was declared by county government officials. The mesonet site five miles northwest of Calhoun measured 6.74 inches in 48 hours, but much of that fell on the morning of the 28th.
December 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Calhoun	$80,000	The roof of the county high school was partially torn off. The gymnasium sustained major water damage.
March 2018	Flood	Calhoun	$50,000	Moderate flooding continued from late February on the Green River. Flooding began in lower Calhoun. A large portion of Rumsey was flooded. Voluntary evacuations of homes were recommended. Thousands of acres were flooded in the Island, Rumsey, and Jewel City areas, but the cropland was mostly dormant. High water signs were posted on Kentucky Highway 81 near the Green River bridge. Numerous county roads and a few other state roads were closed. The river crested at 31.67 feet early on the 1st. Flood stage is 23 feet.
January 2016	Flood	Calhoun	$20,000	Moderate flooding continued into January on the Green River. At the Calhoun river gage, the river crested at 28.10 feet on New Years Eve. Flood stage there is 23 feet. Several county roads were closed. Kentucky Highway 85 near Island was closed, along with West Second Street in Rumsey. A couple of streets in Livermore were closed. In Livermore, the water levels came within a couple feet of shutting down the water plant that provides water to the city. A riverfront park in Calhoun was submerged. The Army Corps of Engineers Lock and Dam structure in Calhoun ceased operations after it went under water. Thousands of acres were flooded in the Island, Rumsey, and Jewel City areas. The acreage was mostly dormant cropland, woods, and fields.
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Calhoun	$15,000	Four power poles were down on Highway 138 West on the outskirts of Rumsey.
December 2015	Flood	Calhoun	$10,000	Moderate flooding occurred on the Green River. At the Calhoun river gage, the river crested at 28.10 feet on New Years Eve. Flood stage there is 23 feet. Several county roads were closed. Kentucky Highway 85 near Island was closed, along with West Second Street in Rumsey. A couple of streets in Livermore were closed. In Livermore, the water levels came within a couple feet of shutting down the water plant that provides water to the city. A riverfront park in Calhoun was submerged. The Army Corps of Engineers Lock and Dam structure in Calhoun ceased operations after it went under water. Thousands of acres were flooded in the Island, Rumsey, and Jewel City areas. The acreage was mostly dormant cropland, woods, and fields. The flooding continued into January.
May 2010	Flood	Calhoun	$10,000	Moderate flooding of the Green River occurred in the Calhoun and Rumsey areas. Lower parts of Calhoun began flooding. A large portion of Rumsey was flooded. No mandatory evacuations were ordered, but firefighters went door-to-door in flood-prone neighborhoods in lower Calhoun, Rumsey, and the west side of Livermore. Around 60,000 acres of cropland were flooded in the Island, Rumsey, and Jewel City areas. About half of that land was planted, mostly with corn.
July 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Calhoun	$10,000	no account filed
June 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Calhoun	$8,000	Widespread tree damage and downed power lines were reported throughout Calhoun and in the Sacramento area.
May 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Calhoun	$5,000	Several large tree limbs were down in Livermore and Calhoun, along with some power lines.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Calhoun	$4,000	Trees and power lines were blown down in Calhoun and Island.
November 2005	Tornado (F1)	Calhoun	$3,000	The front porch of a house was blown off. An outbuilding behind the house was moved slightly. Peak winds in this short-lived tornado were estimated near 75 MPH. This tornado was spawned by a supercell thunderstorm with a history of long-track tornadoes across western Kentucky, including the F-4 in neighboring Hopkins County.
December 2011	Flood	Calhoun	$1,000	Minor flooding of low-lying fields occurred along the Green River. Some river access roads were flooded.
January 2022	Flood	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding occurred on the Green River. Low-lying farmland and fields were flooded, as well as some river access roads and public recreational land.
February 2022	Flood	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding occurred on the Green River, inundating low-lying woods and fields near the river. The river remained above flood stage into March.
March 2020	Flood	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding occurred on the Green River. The impact was mostly on low-lying fields and woods near the river.
February 2018	Flood	Calhoun	-	Moderate flooding developed on the Green River. Flooding began in lower Calhoun. A large portion of Rumsey was flooded. Evacuation of homes became necessary. Thousands of acres were flooded in the Island, Rumsey, and Jewel City areas. The river continued rising into March.
February 2016	Flood	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding occurred along the Green River. Some low-lying fields and woods near the river were underwater.
July 2016	Flood	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding occurred on the Green River. Mainly agricultural bottomland and low-lying areas were affected.
August 2015	Heavy Rain	Calhoun	-	The mesonet site on the Green River near Calhoun measured 1.86 inches within three hours.
April 2014	Flood	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding occurred along the Green River. Low-lying fields and woodlands were underwater.
October 2014	Hail	Calhoun	-	Large hailstones slightly larger than golf balls fell in Calhoun. The hailstones were photographed by at least two weather enthusiasts.
February 2014	Flood	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding occurred along the Green River. Some low-lying fields and woodlands near the river were underwater.
August 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Calhoun	-	A Kentucky mesonet site measured a wind gust to 58 mph.
April 2011	Heavy Rain	Calhoun	-	A total of 2.20 inches was recorded over the past four hours.
April 2011	Flood	Calhoun	-	Green River floodwaters began to approach a lot of homes and roads. Farmers moved equipment to higher ground.
May 2009	Flood	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding of the Green River occurred. At the Calhoun Lock and Dam gage, where flood stage is 23 feet, the river crested at 24.51 feet on the 13th. Agricultural bottomland and low-lying areas were flooded.
March 2009	Hail	Calhoun	-	Quarter size hail and wind gusts to 55 mph were reported just north of Calhoun. Nickel size hail was reported west of town.
May 2009	Flash Flood	Calhoun	-	Water was over many roads, including Highway 136.
February 2008	Flood	Calhoun	-	At Calhoun, the Green River crested at 24.75 feet on the 14th. Minor flooding of low-lying fields and bottomlands occurred.
March 2008	Flood	Calhoun	-	Moderate flooding of the Green River occurred. At the Calhoun gage, the river crested at 27.50 feet on March 24. Flood stage there is 23 feet, and moderate flooding begins at 26 feet. Thousands of acres were flooded in the Rumsey, Island, and Jewel City areas. Spring planting was not yet underway, so crop losses were negligible.
April 2008	Flood	Calhoun	-	Moderate flooding of the Green River occurred. At the Calhoun gage, the river crested at 28.99 feet on the 10th. Flood stage at Calhoun is 23 feet. Thousands of acres were flooded in the Island, Rumsey, and Jewel City areas. The acreage was primarily farm fields. Since planting season was not underway when flooding began, there was little if any crop damage.
April 2006	Heavy Rain	Calhoun	-	Minor flooding of Highway 136 occurred due to an overflowing creek nearby.
June 2006	Flash Flood	Calhoun	-	Major street flooding occurred throughout Calhoun due to heavy thunderstorm rains. A trained spotter in Sacramento measured 2 inches of rain within an hour.
June 2023	Hail	Calhoun	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Calhoun	-	no account filed
January 2022	Flood	Calhoun	-	no account filed
March 2022	Flood	Calhoun	-	no account filed
February 2020	Flood	Calhoun	-	no account filed
April 2019	Flood	Calhoun	-	no account filed
February 2011	Flood	Calhoun	-	no account filed
March 2011	Flood	Calhoun	-	no account filed
February 2008	Hail	Calhoun	-	no account filed
March 2007	Hail	Calhoun	-	no account filed
June 2006	Hail	Calhoun	-	no account filed
June 2004	Hail	Calhoun	-	no account filed
June 2004	Funnel Cloud	Calhoun	-	no account filed
May 2002	Hail	Calhoun	-	no account filed
September 1998	Hail	Calhoun	-	no account filed
March 1997	Flash Flood	Calhoun	-	no account filed
April 1996	Flash Flood	Calhoun	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in McLean County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Rumsey	0.5 miles	13
Mayo Hills (historical)	2.4 miles	13
Brooks (historical)	3.5 miles	13
Shutts (historical)	3.8 miles	13
Poverty	4.0 miles	13
Johnson Island	4.5 miles	13
Buel	4.5 miles	13
Guffie	4.5 miles	13

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Calhoun	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2281064	The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 488604. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.