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Murray is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Calloway County, in the Jackson Purchase region of southwestern Kentucky.

With 17,307 residents at the 2020 census, Murray is the 19th-largest city in Kentucky, and its micropolitan area has a population of 37,191.

The town began in the early 1820s as a post office and trading center and was called, in turn, Williston, Pooltown, and Pleasant Springs.

Murray was incorporated on January 17, 1844, taking its present name in honor of U.S. Representative John L. Murray.

Murray became the Calloway County seat in 1842, chosen for its central location after Marshall County was split off from Calloway County.

Murray is a college town, home to Murray State University, founded in 1922 as the Murray Normal School and now enrolling more than 10,000 students.

The Wrather West Kentucky Museum, housed in the first building constructed on the Murray State campus and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is free to the public.

Murray State's Racers men's basketball program is one of the winningest in NCAA history and has produced NBA players including Ja Morant; its home arena is the CFSB Center.

The 2020 census counted 6,759 households and 7,872 housing units in Murray, and the city's median age of 28.3 years reflects its large university population.

Public schooling in Murray is provided by the Murray Independent School District, which dates to 1872, and the city is home to the Calloway County Public Library.