Glasgow is a small town of about 15,000 people just 32 miles east of Bowling Green. Established as a city in 1799, Glasgow has a rich history with many buildings dating back to the early 1800s. Each year, Barren County residents celebrate Glasgow's Scottish heritage with the Southern Kentucky Highland Games while U.S. history buffs enjoy exploring the area’s historic Civil War sites like Fort Williams. Glasgow is also home to a robust auto manufacturing industry; and other top employers include the T.J. Samson Community Hospital, Walmart and Glasgow Independent Schools. Realtor Anthony Spires says many people moving to Glasgow from larger cities are often looking for a more relaxed lifestyle or to buy some land for lower price tags than in other parts of the country. “It’s funny what people from larger cities have in mind when they come here,” he says. “For whatever reason, they’ve decided at some point in their life they want a chicken, so they decide this is the place they’re going to do that. It’s a great place to live. Just about anything you’re looking for in a community, you can find here, whether it’s a neighborhood or outside the city limits, with some acreage and flexibility to do different things.”
Glasgow was founded in 1799 and is a home rule-class city in Kentucky.
Glasgow Square hosts many community events and free concerts throughout the year.
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Glasgow’s subdivisions, acreage homes and more
Glasgow’s median sales price is about $230,000, which is nearly $180,000 below the national median. Bungalows, ranch-styles and New Traditional homes are typical in Glasgow, and almost half of all listings offer at least an acre of land. Large lots provide flexibility for Glasgow buyers, many of whom use the land to build their dream estates. “There’s one family I sold a house to that’s enjoyed their property more than anyone else I’ve ever sold to,” Spires says. “Theirs is what is called a barn-dominium. It’s built to look like a barn on the outside with the modern amenities of a traditional home inside. There’s typically a lot of storage space or workspace attached to it. For instance, this gentleman likes his cars, so it allows him a place to store his cars. His wife does detailing, so it offers a business for her to do that in.” With the extra land, the couple was able to build stables for their horses and a go-kart track for their kids. Buyers looking for more traditional listings can find those in Glasgow too. “There are big subdivisions that have beautiful homes,” Spires says. “If you go down South Green Street, you’ll see some big yards with big older homes that have been well-maintained. It’s like driving back in time a little bit. There are some very big, very expensive homes in Glasgow.”
Bungalows are a prominent architectural style in the city of Glasgow.
Large plots of land on the outskirts of Glasgow offer more privacy.
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Parks, Barren River Lake and Fort Williams
Barren County is also known for its robust parks program which sponsors youth sports leagues, including baseball, softball, soccer and football. Glasgow also has a mix of public and private golf courses, including Fox Hollow Golf Club and Willow Oaks Golf Club. In 2024, Glasgow won an Outstanding Program Award from the Kentucky Recreation and Parks Society for its Helicopter Egg Drop Event, where a helicopter was used to disperse 50,000 eggs for an Easter egg hunt in Beaver’s Creek Park. About 20 miles south, Barren River Lake provides fishing, swimming and boating opportunities. “That brings a lot of people to the area,” Spires says. Glasgow also has a rich Civil War history — including Fort Williams, which is a historic fort, and battleground with a cemetery that visitors can explore. “I’ve got a good friend who looks for Civil War relics, and he hunts the Glasgow area quite a bit,” Spires says.
Gorin Park's basketball courts are painted with a beautiful mural.
Fort Williams was built in 1863 to maintain Union control during the Civil War in Glasgow.
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Glasgow Independent Schools, Western Kentucky University Glasgow and SKYCTC
Glasgow Independent Schools gets an A-minus rating from Niche and is also ranked as Kentucky’s 19th-best school district by the site. The district’s highest-rated school is South Green Elementary, which earns an A-minus. Western Kentucky University has a campus in Glasgow with in-person and online classes, and Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College has its health and technology campuses in Glasgow.
Glasgow High School enrolls over 500 students every year.
Western Kentucky University Glasgow campus serves over 3,400 students.
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Restaurants on U.S. Route 31E
“Most of the restaurants here are on [U.S. Route] 31E,” Spires says. “That’s their main strip for the most part. You’ll find most of the restaurants right there in that general vicinity. That’s where a lot of the businesses are now. They’ve got Scottish restaurants, Indian restaurants, Mexican and Italian and Japanese.”
Friends love to hang out at Los Mariachis with margaritas in Glasgow.
Big Man BBQ is a local favorite lunch spot in Glasgow.
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Glasgow’s humid subtropical climate
Glasgow has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters. Crime statistics for Glasgow are not readily available.
Proximity to Bowling Green and the Nashville International Airport
U.S. Routes 31E and 68 run through Glasgow. Bowling Green is 32 miles west. The nearest major airport is the Nashville International Airport, 94 miles south. Glasgow Transit provides weekday bus service.
Southern Kentucky Highland Games
For over 30 years, Glasgow has hosted the annual Glasgow Highland Games. “They’d do a variety of Scottish games because of the Scottish heritage of the area, like a hammer toss and axe-throwing,” Spires says. “You’d see a lot of kilts in the area during that week.” Due to COVID, the last Glasgow Highland Games was held in 2019, but Barren County plans to host its first Scottish games in the summer of 2025. The Southern Kentucky Highland Games will be held 13 miles north in Park City.
Written By
Ellen Daly
Photography Contributed By
Chase Brock
Video By
Matt Pangman
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Chris Howard,
an experienced agent in this area.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
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On average, homes in Glasgow, KY sell after 67 days on the market compared to the national average of 50 days. The median sale price for homes in Glasgow, KY over the last 12 months is $234,900, up 11% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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