With its unique combination of small-town charm, engaging history, quirky attractions and outdoor adventure Barren County offers the kind of entertaining destinations that leave visitors with a sense of satisfaction - and residents a sense of pride. Our community moves at a comfortable pace, its the kind of place where you can spend your time walking the historic districts and visit locally owned shops, or just sit on a bench and watch the people around you. Scenic drives on back roads lead to fascinating sights, from Dinosaur World to one-of-a-kind shops or the world's largest known cave system. But don't just take our word for - Let's discover why "Life is Better in the Barrens".
Working in Barren County
Barren County has a very diverse economy which offers employment opportunities in just about everything. The largest employment sector in Barren County is Retail Trade, the next largest is Health Care, followed by Manufacturing. Barren Counties largest employers are TJ Samson Regional Health, the Barren County School System, Walmart, Akebono, Nemak, NCH Healthcare and Barren River Resort. There are many resources available to assist in locating work in Barren County, for more information on job openings and resources visit www.southcentralworkforce.com.
Living in Barren County
HousingBarren County has a variety of housing to meet any budget, from multi-tenant apartment complexes, duplex, neighborhood, lake side living to grand homes like Maplewood Estate. Most residential areas of Glasgow have sidewalks, for easy walkability and biking to local amenities including restaurants and shops. On average, the monthly costs of running a home in Barren County is 38% less than the national average, rents are 10.6% lower than the Kentucky average and the median list price for a home in 2021 was $175,000. Please visit our business directory to locate one of our fine real estate agents that can help you find what you are looking for in the perfect home. Health Care Health and wellness in our community helps to give people a higher quality of life. TJ Samson is fully accredited with 70 physicians and 250+ associated, they have 510 nurses and offer 14 types of care and 19 specialties. 92% of Barren County residents are covered by health insurance, helping to transform our community to a place where healthy choice is easy. Healthy living is vital in our community but so is taking care of our elderly and those in need of special care. We have several assisted living facilities, Hospice Care and Long-term care facilities. Barren County offers many spa and wellness services you would be surprised to find in a smaller community, multiple fitness centers with state-of-the-art equipment and community healthy living events. Entertainment Whether you enjoy outdoor activities, arts & live entertainment or shopping, Barren County has something for everyone. Yancey's Gatstro Pub and Brewery is a nighttime favorite with live music, rooftop service and locally brewed beer. Concerts in the park during the summertime are a draw to the downtown square. Another great spot for local live entertainment is Rib Licker's, where patrons can enjoy outdoor seating, along with the monthly summer series of concerts at Barren River Lake. The Plaza Theater provides live entertainment all year long with concerts and productions, as well as the local movie theater. Ralphie's fun center is the perfect place for bowling, indoor mini-golf, roller skating and laser tag with friends and family of all ages. Barren County has a wide array of local restaurants, American staples, and international flavor and franchise favorites. Some of the most well known locally owned favorites are Little Taste of Texas, Rib Lickers BBQ, The Watermill, Esters Farm Cafe, Yancey's Gastropub & Brewery, Kanha Kafe, Annie's Country Cooking, Fine Arts Bistro, Big Man BBQ and Paradise Point Marketplace. With 75 restaurants in Barren County there is something that everyone will fall in love with. There are 10 parks within the county, but we also have playground equipment and "park" setups in areas like Jellystone. Glasgow has 5 public parks totaling in over 130 acres, and offers baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, and a public swimming pool. There is also a local YMCA offering an Olympic size swimming pool, community programs and childcare. Mammoth Cave National Park is our biggest tourism attraction, with 53,000 acres and over 400 miles of cave system mapped. More than 2 million people visit Mammoth Cave each year and it is recognized as the 2nd oldest natural tourist attraction in the United States. Education Barren County has 3 School Districts, 11 schools and 8,258 students K-12. With a teacher student ratio of 17:3, students receive the attention and personalized approaches needed to be successful. With key success factors of advanced placement, attendance rate and graduation rate, high accomplishment for the youth of Barren County is certain. The education offered is within the top 6% in the nation. Barren County High school offers a prestigious STEM program through "Project Lead the Way" in engineering and biomedicine. Glasgow High School has SAT scores above state and national averages. Our local high schools offer career pathway classes such as welding, tourism, diesel mechanics, carpentry, machine & tool, computer science & coding, culinary arts, business & marketing, engineering and career pathways & industry certifications. Higher education such as SKYCTC offers programs such as air conditioning technology, automotive technology & collision tech, computerized manufacturing and machining, culinary art, diesel technology, electrical technology, engineering & electronics, industrial maintenance, nursing & radiography, welding and surgical technology & respiratory care. The educational opportunities in Barren County are certain to build important skills in the youth of our community. Transportation The average commute time in Barren County is 20 minutes. Barren County is a regional economic center with only 52.6% of workers living and working in Barren County. Over 7,600 workers commute into Barren County each day from 37 counties. Uber and Lyft are available in Glasgow 24/7. Dave's Transportation, Shockley Transportation and Chariots-Class Limo Service provide additional alternative for transportation to and from appointments, the airport and day to day transportation needs. Central between two international airports, Louisville and Nashville, there are direct flights available to transport you to any location. The Glasgow Airport houses 35 aircrafts and is primarily used for recreation, industry and medical transport. Environment Sustainable Glasgow seeks to provide ideas, information, education, infrastructure, and political will, that inspires and facilitates community members to bring about systemic changes that are necessary to create a sustainable economy. Barren County is an attainment community with a good air quality ranking, where air pollution poses little to no risk. The GWC Treatment plant was awarded the Area-wide Optimization Program Champion Award for the second year in a row by the KY Energy & Environment Cabinet. This recognizes GWC as Kentucky's Top Drinking Water Treatment Plant for microbial removal, as 1 of only 11 treatment plants that achieved exceptional drinking water treatment performance for 10 consecutive years. There are zoning regulations in place that protect the use and related recreational, religious and educational facilities and to provide basic elements of balanced, orderly and attractive residential areas. Safety A safe community is a place that is attractive to live, work and visit. A safe community is a livable community, where people can go about their daily activities in an environment without fear, risk of harm or injury. The Sheriff's Office has 18 officers with 2 detectives who are trained professionals in keeping our community safe. There is a Drug Task Force Partnership between 5 departments. Barren County has 8 volunteer fire departments and one paid department in Glasgow with 36 firefighters. Our crime rate is 1.2x lower than the national average, making our community a safe place for all.
