Murray is a home rule-class city[4] in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States.

The name was changed again to “Pleasant Springs” before its incorporation on January 17, 1844, when the present name was adopted to honor Rep. John Murray.

It was felt that a more centrally located county seat was needed, and as the village of Murray was at the geographic center, it was chosen.

A new courthouse was built along with a jail, and the town Murray was laid out on an 80-acre (320,000 m2) plot subdivided into 137 business and residential lots divided by eight streets.

[9][10] Kentucky did not officially secede from the Union at the start during the Civil War, instead declaring its neutrality, but both Murray and Calloway County were strongly pro-Confederate.

In the spring of 1862, a Union force stationed in Paducah marched across the county to the Tennessee River, taking anything it wanted from the inhabitants without paying.

Once, part of the town was burned by the Union Army in retaliation for its presumed support for the Confederate guerrillas.

[9][10] An estimated 800 men from the area joined in the Confederate Army, either as infantry in the Kentucky Orphan Brigade or in the cavalry.

Calloway County's Confederate veterans are honored by a monument on the northeast side of the court house square.

The Confederate Monument was donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and has been subject to calls for removal most recently in 2020.

[7] Murray is situated 15 miles (24 km) west of the 170,000 acres (690 km2) of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, which offers hiking, elk and bison viewing, birding, 1850s historic buildings, a planetarium, a nature center, off-highway vehicle riding, fishing, boating, swimming, camping, and a large wildlife population.

On June 30, 2009, a violent storm with winds of up to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) ravaged trees and damaged buildings.

On July 4, 2009, another tornado outbreak in Western Kentucky interrupted Independence Day celebrations throughout the region.

The parks feature 17 soccer fields, two basketball courts, five playgrounds, nine baseball and softball fields, four-bay batting cages, Lions Club Skate Park, and a three-mile (5 km) nature walking trail.

The theatre is located in Murray's Central Park and is housed in a 1907 train and freight depot.

The playhouse is open year-round and produces original works, comedies, dramas, children's theatre, and musicals.

[24] The men's basketball program has produced a number of NBA players, most notably Ja Morant, Jeff Martin, Popeye Jones, Isaiah Canaan, Cameron Payne, and Joe Fulks, who is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and has been credited with being one of the pioneers of the jump shot.

The Murray State football program has won eight Ohio Valley Conference titles and has produced 17 NFL players.

Ralph Friedgen, Frank Beamer, Mike Gottfried, Houston Nutt, and Ron Zook have all had their coaching careers run through the Murray State football program.

The program is run through the department of modern languages at Murray State and is open, free of charge, to students and the public.

The school system also covers numerous extracurricular activities, from band, arts, social clubs, and an academic team.

[29] The Calloway County Lakers participate in KHSAA sports such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, wrestling, cross-country, track and field, bass fishing, and trap shooting.

Additionally, Calloway County students participate in several extracurricular activities, including state-renowned chapters of academic team, Future Business Leaders of America, FFA, and Robotics.

In 2022, Calloway County High School won the state competition in Future Problem Solving, while in 2023, Calloway County Middle School placed second in the state in Quick Recall, a buzzer-style competition within academic team.

The university today offers 11 associate, 64 bachelor, and 42 master's programs, and has an enrollment of over 10,000 students.

[38] There are also a downtown loop and four-lane bypass in the works to help relieve traffic congestion within the city.

The electric system is locally owned and governed and gets all of its energy from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Natural gas and water service falls under the city of Murray's Public Works department.