A post office called "Wilmore" was established in 1877. It was named for John R. Wilmore, a local landowner and former slave owner. In 1882, the Southern Railway established a line through the county and located a flag stop at Wilmore which was briefly called "Scott's Station". It was named for John D. Scott, the owner of the site. The station's name was soon changed to Wilmore. By the 1890s, Wilmore was a prosperous settlement with a population of about 600. Wilmore was an important shipping point for cattle, hogs, grain and other produce, and the settlement had a blacksmith, carriage repair shops, two drug stores, three doctors, three large stores, a hardware store, two butcher shops, a livery stable, a school, several churches, a glass mill, and a grist mill. Asbury University was founded in 1890. Wilmore was incorporated in 1918. From 1970 to 2012, Wilmore was the original location of the Ichthus Music Festival, a gathering of Christian musical artists and speakers. The city is home to the , a showcase for locally produced films. Several locations in Wilmore are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Asbury University Administration Building, the East Main Street Historic District, the Kenyon Avenue Historic District, the Lexington and Main Historic District, the Morrison-Kenyon Library, and the North Lexington Avenue Historic District.
Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 5,905 people, 1,638 households, and 1,215 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 1,740 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 94.53% White, 1.93% African American, 0.14% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30%. Of the 1,638 households 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couplesliving together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 21.2% of households were one person and 7.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.14. The age distribution was 22.2% under the age of 18, 26.6% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 12.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% 65 or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median household income was $31,500 and the median family income was $40,000. Males had a median income of $26,192 versus $25,362 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,602. About 9.1% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
