Growth Trends for Towns in Kentucky - Planning Study No 15

The main purpose for this research is to identify 1950 to 2000 growth trends for population, households and employment of rural communities, depending on their geographic vicinity to interstate highways. The original idea was to use four selected towns for case studies, two connected to the interstate system, Paducah and Richmond, and two without interstate access, Columbia and Hopkinsville. The level of analysis was intended to be census blocks, where population growth rates were to be modeled for 10-year periods as a function of distance from town centers (remember: different growth rates for the two groups of communities). Furthermore, correlations to Statewide Model Zones needed to be established.