Grand Rivers may have originally been known as Narrows from its position between the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. The local post office was established in 1879 as Otisville; changed its name in 1882 to Bernard; and was then changed again to Nickells the next year after the name of a new Illinois Central station. The settlement was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1890 as Grand Rivers. This newly expanded community was part of local businessman Thomas W. Lawson's attempt to develop local iron deposits into a major steel industry. The name refers the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers which previously met near the site, prior to the TVA's creation of Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. The Tennessee's confluence with the Ohio is located within 40 miles of the town as well.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 343 people, 165 households, and 103 families residing in the city. The population density was 186.1 people per square mile. There were 201 housing units at an average density of 109.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 97.08% White, 0.29% Native American, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 1.17% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population. There were 165 households, out of which 17.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couplesliving together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.63. In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 35.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,250, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $15,521 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,642. About 8.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
