Jessamine County was established in 1798 from land given by Fayette County. Jessamine was the 36th Kentucky county in order of formation. The county was named for Jessamine Douglass, the daughter of a pioneer settler. Most of the early pioneers were from Virginia, who came through the mountains after the American Revolutionary War. In the late 18th century, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a bill to establish a commercial vineyard and winery, based in Nicholasville and the first in the United States, known as First Vineyard. Wine making based on European grapes became widespread in the United States. After the Prohibition era, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, the county voted to prohibit alcohol sales. As it allowed an exception for the "wet" city of Nicholasville, where package alcohol sales are allowed, it is classified as "dry." The Chrisman Mill Vineyards is authorized to operate and sell its product in the dry portion of the county.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. In 2000, nearly of the county's total area was dedicated to agriculture. The county's entire southern border is formed by the Kentucky River. Jessamine County's river bank extends roughly long due to meandering, and the river's scenic Palisades feature heavily along this border.
As of the census of 2000, there were 39,041 people, 13,867 households, and 10,663 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 14,646 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 94.44% White, 3.13% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 1.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 13,867 households out of which 38.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couplesliving together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.10% were non-families. 18.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.05. The age distribution was 26.40% under the age of 18, 11.60% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,096, and the median income for a family was $46,152. Males had a median income of $32,340 versus $23,771 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,842. About 8.40% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 9.90% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The Lexington Area MPO is responsible for transportation planning for Fayette and Jessamine counties. This includes activities such as carpool matching, administering a commuter vanpool program, air quality forecasting, bicycle and pedestrian planning, congestion management, and developing transportation plans and documents.
