CLARK COUNTY
County Offices
34 South Main Street
Winchester 859-745-0280
http://www.clarkcoky.com/
Chamber of Commerce
2 South Maple Street
Winchester 859-744-6420
https://winchesterkychamber.com/
Steeped in historic significance and a strong agricultural heritage, picturesque Clark County preserves and showcases architectural treasures, ancient stone fences, and other remnants from its long and storied past. Nearly 20 pioneering stations or settlements were established in this area in the 1700s, and the stately 1850 Clark County Courthouse still houses the Circuit and Family Courtrooms. Residents and businesses enjoy a strategic location in Central Kentucky within 100 miles of Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati as well as three international airports. Traversed by Interstate 64, Clark County is situated just 10 miles from Interstate 75 and a 30-minute drive from the urban attractions and amenities of metropolitan Lexington—including major airline service at Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport. The Mountain Parkway offers a convenient commute to Eastern Kentucky.
Today, Clark County is characterized as a friendly rural-suburban community that blends significant agricultural activity with residential development and a growing business and industrial center. Residents and businesses alike appreciate the dedication to traditional values, quality services, and attention to future needs. For the past two decades, planners have poured millions of dollars into infrastructure improvements and upgrades as well as expanded services to ensure support for continued development. The Clark County campus for Bluegrass Community College opened in 2008. By 2012, Clark Regional Medical Center had completed construction on a new $70 million campus and added a 45,000 square-foot expansion to Clark Clinic in 2017. Local employment opportunities continue to expand, although many residents take advantage of the quick and easy commute to the wealth of job opportunities in the Lexington metropolitan area.
Services
Quality healthcare begins close to home at Clark Regional Medical Center, serving the Winchester-Clark County region since 1917. With nearly 490 employees and a strong volunteer staff, Clark Regional is home to more than 75 physicians in every major specialty. The hospital’s acquisition by LifePoint Health in 2010 signaled a major milestone in its history, resulting in an all-new campus that offers state-of-the-art technology, expanded services, and increased emergency room capacity. Advantages include home-like labor and delivery suites, all private patient rooms, advanced diagnostics, and a skilled nursing facility. An additional Medical Plaza now houses Clark Clinic for primary, specialty, and urgent care needs along with the Diagnostic Center for Women, Center for Rehabilitation, Specialty Clinic, and Anticoagulation Clinic. Other services include cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation, sleep clinic, wound care clinic, Coumadin clinic, congestive heart failure clinic, and physician suites. Should more advanced care be needed, nearby Lexington is a well-known hub of highly respected regional health systems including UK Health, CHI Saint Joseph Health, and Baptist Health Lexington. Home to the only Level I Trauma Center for both adult and pediatric patients in Central and Eastern Kentucky, UK Chandler Hospital joins Kentucky Children’s Hospital and UK Good Samaritan Hospital in providing Kentucky’s most advanced subspeciality care.
Students of all ages have access to outstanding educational opportunities in and near Clark County, including options for private and parochial school education. Locally, St. Agatha Academy serves students from preschool through eighth grade. Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) maintains an auxiliary campus on a 20-acre site in Clark County. Providing two-year degrees and comprehensive career programs, BCTC forms strong partnerships that support economic vitality and workforce training for companies throughout the region. Enriching the community in surprising ways, BCTC offers Moonlight Movie Nights, the Green Trail and Amphitheater, and Bluegrass Children’s Academy for onsite childcare. Those seeking bachelor’s through professional degrees enjoy a quick commute to the University of Kentucky in Lexington. With more than 200 academic programs across 16 degree-granting colleges, UK programs are nationally ranked for excellence in academics, research, healthcare, and economic development. Lexington is also home to the private college of American National University and Transylvania University.
Lifestyle
Newcomers to Clark County will discover a rare quality of life in a picturesque region of natural beauty and rural charm. Cultural enrichment is available close to home in venues like Leeds Center for Arts, a 1925 movie house that has been restored to its former glory to host musical and drama performances, live music, films, and sell-out events. The downtown Winchester Art Guild Gallery showcases the work of local artisans, while Winchester Opera House provides a truly elegant setting for cultural and community events, weddings, and holiday fairs. In nearby Lexington, Rupp Arena hosts the brightest stars in the music industry. With its elegant 19th-century setting, Lexington Opera House welcomes 85,000 visitors each year to performances for opera, dance, music, theater, comedy, and family shows. Lexington Philharmonic orchestra serves the entire region by providing more than 200 annual concerts, education, and community programs. Clark County abounds in historical treasures and sites, highlighted by displays and events at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum with its circa 1893 Romanesque Revival architecture. History buffs will also want to visit the Civil War Fort at Boonesboro and explore the Daniel Boone Heritage Trail.
Recreational opportunities in and near Clark County combine outdoor adventures with developed amenities and organized programs. The calendar is filled with gatherings and events that bring friends, families and even visitors together for extravaganzas like the Annual Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival and the Beer Cheese Festival. A summer favorite is the Clark County Fair with livestock shows, rodeo thrills, tractor pulls, horse shows, great food, and live entertainment. The Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation Department operates the amenity-rich College Park Fitness Center, swimming pools, classes and activities, organized sports, and well-kept parks. Visitors to Fort Boonesborough State Park enjoy a blend of historic attractions and recreation including an RV and tent campground, a sandy riverfront beach, and a boat ramp. Nearby destinations include picturesque Natural Bridge State Resort Park, where Daniel Boone National Forest offers a 54-acre lake for fishing and boating, nature trails, playgrounds, and lodging. Red River Gorge is a short drive from home for hiking, camping, rock climbing, and rappelling. One of the most popular destinations is the farmers market in Winchester, offering the finest local fruits and vegetables, eggs, baked goods, sauces, honey, flowers, and beer cheese baskets. With its premier location near major metropolitan advantages, few places can rival Clark County for historic charm, rural beauty, and old-fashioned friendliness.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
Winchester
Municipal Offices
859-744-2821
http://www.winchesterky.com
Chamber of Commerce
859-744-6420
https://winchesterkychamber.com/
Serving as the educational, healthcare, economic, and government hub for Clark County, the city of Winchester invites newcomers to a friendly hometown atmosphere with an open suburban feeling. Good schools, a state-of-the-art community hospital, an active arts community, a charming downtown district, architectural grandeur, and historic preservation combine to make the city an ideal hometown. Designated as a multi-block National Historic District, the heart of downtown features the “high side” of Main Street—one of the only elevated sidewalks in the Commonwealth. Among the highlights of the city’s rich heritage are two original concoctions: Ale-8-One, dubbed “Kentucky’s Official Soft Drink” and Beer Cheese. In celebration of the uniqueness of this tangy, creamy delight, Winchester hosts the nation’s first and only Beer Cheese Trail. The city has also taken a leading position in reviving the commercial hemp industry—one of the legacy crops in its centuries-old agricultural history. Winchester’s charming historic downtown district is a focal point of community life, where lampposts light the way from the past into the future and local shop owners excel in displaying off-the-beaten-path wares and products. Newcomers will be able to choose from a wide range of housing choices, from affordable older homes to vibrant new construction on generous lots.
