is a city in Ballard County
, United States
. The population was 1,038 at the 2000 census
. It is part of the Paducah
, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area
La Center is located at (37.074782, -88.975091).
It is geographically important because of its proximity to the confluence of the Ohio River and the Mississippi River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.0 km²), all of it land.
It was established in 1903 and originally named Maryville for the daughter of the owner of the land, Margaret Davis. In 1908 the town was declared to be the Center of the Universe
by land developer Stoke T Payne
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,038 people, 419 households, and 261 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,351.0 people per square mile (520.5/km²). There were 492 housing units at an average density of 640.4/sq mi (246.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.40% White
, 9.06% African American
, 0.10% Native American
, 0.29% Asian
, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic
of any race were 0.58% of the population.
There were 419 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 26.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 80.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $32,813 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,317. About 13.9% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.