History :

The history of Central City is rich and varied. The community now known as Central City was first established in 1826 as Morehead's Horse Mill. The original 200 acre village, carved out of "Kentucky County," was later incorporated into Stroud City in 1873. After the arrival of the Owensboro and Russellville Railroad the town's name became Owensboro Junction. In 1882 the town became Central City and was incorporated as a 5th class city. In 1902, Central City's growth required it to move to a 4th class city, where it stands today.

Central City, Muhlenberg County's large city at 5,000 people, is governed by a Mayor and eight person City Council. Central City also employs a full time City Administrator. The city's $2.8 million dollar budget includes, 12 member Police Department, Fire Department with six full time and 30 volunteer fire fighters, Street, Sanitation, Water and Sewer Departments. Central City enjoys a new $4.5 million dollar waste water treatment plant capable of treating 4 million gallons per day. Partly because of the many infrastructure improvements made by Central City, she has been certified as Kentucky Hall of Fame City and a Gold award winner in the Kentucky Certified Cities Program. Central City is also one of the twenty-nine cities that is participating in the Kentucky Main Street Program.

Much of Central City's growth is due to her favorable location. Located on the Green River, Central City is served by the ultra modern four lane Western Kentucky Parkway along with two federal highways, U.S. 62 and U.S. 431. Several state highways also serve Central City, among them include state routes 70, 277, 189, 2103, 603, 604, and other minor roads. The junction of these several roads has allowed Central City to experience considerable growth of her local shopping areas and industrial development.