The county has four incorporated cities: Calhoun, population 837, sits on the north bank of Green River in the central area of the county and is the seat of government. The largest community in McLean County is the city of Livermore, population 1,482, which lies in the eastern part of the county at the scenic confluence of Rough and Green Rivers.
Livermore's bridge is noteworthy, as it begins in McLean County, crosses the Rough River, passes over and has a pylon on a sliver of Ohio County territory, crosses Green River, then ends back in McLean County. The two remaining cities, Sacramento and Island, are situated in the south of the county.
Sacramento is home to the annual Battle of Sacramento Civil War Reenactment, the largest tourist event in the county, and has a population of 517. Island is noted for its annual Wooden Bridge Festival and has a population of 435. McLean County has two other sizable, but unincorporated, towns. The larger of the two, Beech Grove, is situated in the hills of the county panhandle.
The other, Rumsey, is an historic community that lies across from Calhoun on the south bank on Green River. Other notable hamlets in the county include Comer, Congleton, Wrightsburg, Elba, Poverty, Cleopatra, Lemon, Wyman, Pack, Semiway, Poplar Grove, Guffie, Buel, Nuckols, Livia, Glenville and Buttonsberry.
(Click on communities on map to the right for more information)
Claim to Fame
- Most planes per capita of anywhere in Kentucky. (Sacramento)
- Longest Bridge - crosses two rivers and two counties and ends up back in the same county. (Livermore)
- First American killed in WWI. (Beech Grove)
- First battle of Nathan Bedford Forrest. (Sacramento)
- James Rumsey, navigation pioneer had the first boat successfully operated by steam to carry both freight and passengers. (Rumsey)
Historical Links
- Glover H Cary served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky from 1885 to 1936.
- Politicians who lived in McLean County.
- Timeline of Kentucky during the Civil War.
- Senator Gates F. Young, download a Word file about.