Eastern Kentucky Coalfield

Counties of the Eastern Mountain Coal Fields of Kentucky^[1][2]

Daniel Boone National Forest

Cumberland Falls

Breaks Interstate Park

The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield is part of the Central Appalachian bituminous coalfield, including all or parts of 30 Kentucky counties and adjoining areas in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee.^[3] It covers an area from the Allegheny Mountains in the east across the Cumberland Plateau to the Pottsville Escarpment in the west. The region is known for its coal mining; most family farms in the region have disappeared since the introduction of surface mining in the 1940s and 1950s.

The Daniel Boone National Forest is located on rough but beautiful^{[citation needed]} terrain along and east of the Pottsville Escarpment. There are many natural arches and sandstone cliffs that are excellent for rock climbing and rappeling.^{[citation needed]} The Red River Gorge, part of the National Forest, is known worldwide in rock climbing circles.^[4]

The Sheltowee Trace Trail runs 260–270 mi (420–430 km) north and south, through the region.

During the American Civil War most of this region leaned toward the Union due to its makeup at the time of mostly small farmers, but more than 2,000 men from this area formed the 5th. Kentucky Vol. Inf., known as the Army of Eastern Kentucky, under Gen. Humphrey Marshall, C.S.A.. During the Great Depression, New Deal programs and the organizing of the United Mine Workers of America made many of the eastern counties Democratic.

Eastern Kentucky has a rich musical heritage. Many nationally acclaimed country music singers and musicians are from the area. These include: Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, The Judds, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Patty Loveless, Dwight Yoakam, Tom T. Hall, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jean Ritchie, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, and George S. Davis.

As of the 1980s, the only counties in the United States where over half of the population cited "English" as their only ancestry group were in the hills of eastern Kentucky (and made up nearly every county in this region).^[5] In the 1980 census, 1,267,079 Kentuckians out of a total population of 2,554,359 cited that they were of English ancestry, making them 49 percent of the state at that time. Large numbers of people of Scottish and Irish ancestry settled the area as well.^[6]

Geography[]

The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield covers 31 counties with a combined land area of 13,370 sq mi (34,628 km²), or about 33.1 percent of the state's land area. Its 2000 census population was 734,194 inhabitants, or about 18.2 percent of the state's population. The largest city, Ashland, has a population of 21,981. Other cities of significance in the region include Pikeville, London, and Middlesboro. The state's highest point, Black Mountain, is located in the southeastern part of the region in Harlan County.

Counties[]

County	FIPS code[7]	County seat[8]	Established[8]	Origin	Etymology	Population[8]	Area[8]	Map
Bell County	013	Pineville	1867	Harlan County and Knox County	Joshua Fry Bell, Kentucky legislator (1862–1867)	30,060	361 sq mi (935 km2)
Boyd County	019	Catlettsburg	1860	Greenup County, Carter County and Lawrence County	Linn Boyd, United States Congressman (1835–1837; 1839–1855) and Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky (1859)	49,752	160 sq mi (414 km2)
Breathitt County	025	Jackson	1839	Clay County, Perry County and Estill County	John Breathitt, Governor of Kentucky (1832–1834)	16,100	495 sq mi (1,282 km2)
Carter County	043	Grayson	1838	Greenup County and Lawrence County	William Grayson Carter, Kentucky state senator (1834–1838)	26,889	411 sq mi (1,064 km2)
Clay County	051	Manchester	1807	Madison County, Floyd County, and Knox County	Green Clay (1757–1828), military general and surveyor	24,556	471 sq mi (1,220 km2)
Elliott County	063	Sandy Hook	1869	Morgan County, Lawrence County, and Carter County	or John Milton Elliott (1820–1885), legislators	6,748	234 sq mi (606 km2)
Floyd County	071	Prestonsburg	1800	Fleming County, Montgomery County, and Mason County	John Floyd (1750–1783), surveyor and pioneer	42,441	394 sq mi (1,020 km2)
Greenup County	089	Greenup	1803	Mason County	Christopher Greenup, Governor of Kentucky (1804–1808)	36,891	346 sq mi (896 km2)
Harlan County	095	Harlan	1819	Knox County	Silas Harlan (1753–1782), soldier in the Battle of Blue Licks	33,202	467 sq mi (1,210 km2)
Jackson County	109	McKee	1858	Madison County, Estill County, Owsley County, Clay County, Laurel County, and Rockcastle County	Andrew Jackson, President of the United States (1829–1837)	13,495	346 sq mi (896 km2)
Johnson County	115	Paintsville	1843	Floyd County, Lawrence County, and Morgan County	Richard Mentor Johnson, Vice President of the United States (1837–1841)	23,445	262 sq mi (679 km2)
Knott County	119	Hindman	1884	Perry County, Letcher County, Floyd County, and Breathitt County	James Proctor Knott, Governor of Kentucky (1883–1887)	17,649	352 sq mi (912 km2)
Knox County	121	Barbourville	1799	Lincoln County	Henry Knox, United States Secretary of War (1785–1794)	31,795	388 sq mi (1,005 km2)
Laurel County	125	London	1825	Rockcastle County, Clay County, Knox County and Whitley County	Mountain laurel trees that are prominent in the area	52,715	436 sq mi (1,129 km2)
Lawrence County	127	Louisa	1821	Greenup County and Floyd County	James Lawrence (1781–1813), naval commander during the War of 1812	15,569	419 sq mi (1,085 km2)
Lee County	129	Beattyville	1870	Breathitt County, Estill County, Owsley County, and Wolfe County	Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), Confederate general or Lee County, Virginia	7,916	210 sq mi (544 km2)
Leslie County	131	Hyden	1878	Clay County, Harlan County and Perry County	Preston Leslie, Governor of Kentucky (1871–1875)	12,401	404 sq mi (1,046 km2)
Letcher County	133	Whitesburg	1842	Perry County and Harlan County	Robert P. Letcher, Governor of Kentucky (1840–1844)	25,277	339 sq mi (878 km2)
Magoffin County	153	Salyersville	1860	Floyd County, Johnson County and Morgan County	Beriah Magoffin, Governor of Kentucky (1859–1862)	13,332	310 sq mi (803 km2)
Martin County	159	Inez	1870	Floyd County, Johnson County, Pike County, and Lawrence County	John P. Martin, United States Congressman (1845–1847)	12,578	231 sq mi (598 km2)
McCreary County	147	Whitley City	1912	Pulaski County, Wayne County and Whitley County	James McCreary, Governor of Kentucky (1912–1916)	17,080	428 sq mi (1,109 km2)
Morgan County	175	West Liberty	1822	Bath County and Floyd County	Daniel Morgan (1736–1802), Revolutionary War general	13,948	381 sq mi (987 km2)
Owsley County	189	Booneville	1843	Breathitt County, Clay County, and Estill County	William Owsley, Governor of Kentucky (1844–1848)	4,858	198 sq mi (513 km2)
Perry County	193	Hazard	1820	Floyd County and Clay County	Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819), Admiral in the War of 1812	29,390	342 sq mi (886 km2)
Pike County	195	Pikeville	1821	Floyd County	Zebulon Pike (1779–1813), discoverer of Pike's Peak	68,736	788 sq mi (2,041 km2)
Whitley County	235	Williamsburg	1818	Knox County	William Whitley (1749–1813), Kentucky pioneer	35,865	440 sq mi (1,140 km2)
Wolfe County	237	Campton	1860	Breathitt County, Owsley County, and Powell County	(1808–1865), member of the Kentucky General Assembly	7,065	223 sq mi (578 km2)

Major cities[]

Ashland, the region's largest city

The following list consists of Eastern Kentucky cities with populations over 4,000 according to the U.S. Census estimates released in 2016:^[9]

Protected areas[]

Natural Bridge State Resort Park

Historical parks[]

• Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (part)
• Dr. Thomas Walker State Historic Site

State resort parks[]

• Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park
• Carter Caves State Resort Park
• Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
• Greenbo Lake State Resort Park
• Jenny Wiley State Resort Park
• Natural Bridge State Resort Park
• Pine Mountain State Resort Park

State recreational parks[]

Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park

• Carr Creek State Park
• Dawkins Line Rail Trail
• Fishtrap Lake State Park
• Grayson Lake State Park
• Kingdom Come State Park
• Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park
• Paintsville Lake State Park
• Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail
• Yatesville Lake State Park

Other[]

• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (part)
• Breaks Interstate Park (part)

Economy[]

The region's economy is centered around the natural resources available, which includes coal, timber, natural gas, and oil. Recently, tourism has become a leading industry in the region, due to the region's cultural history and the creation of state parks.

Calgon Carbon constructed the Big Sandy Plant near Ashland in 1961 and it has since become the world's largest producer of granular activated carbon. The facility produces over 100 million pounds of granular activated carbon annually.^[10]

Persistent poverty[]

Most of the counties in the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield are classified as "persistent poverty counties". The definition of a persistent poverty county by the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture is that 20 percent or more of the total county population has been living in poverty since the 1980 census.^[11]

A June 2014 article in The New York Times identified six counties in the Kentucky Coal Field as among the "hardest places to live in the United States." The lowest-ranking counties were Breathitt, Clay, Jackson, Lee, Leslie, and Magoffin. They ranked among the bottom ten counties nationwide. The factors which accounted for the low ranking of those six counties were unemployment, prevalence of disabilities, obesity, income, and education.^[12] The Times declared Clay County the hardest place to live in the U.S.^[13]

Appalachian Regional Commission[]

The Appalachian Regional Commission was formed in 1965 to aid economic development in the Appalachian region, which was lagging far behind the rest of the nation on most economic indicators. The Appalachian region currently defined by the Commission includes 420 counties in 13 states, including all counties in Kentucky's Eastern Coalfield. The Commission gives each county one of five possible economic designations—distressed, at-risk, transitional, competitive, or attainment—with "distressed" counties being the most economically endangered and "attainment" counties being the most economically prosperous. These designations are based primarily on three indicators—three-year average unemployment rate, market income per capita, and poverty rate.^[14]

From 2012 to 2014, "Appalachian" Kentucky—which includes all of the Eastern Coalfield and several counties in South Central Kentucky and a few in the eastern part of the Bluegrass region—had a three-year average unemployment rate of 9.8%, compared with 7.6% statewide and 7.2% nationwide.^[14] In 2014, Appalachian Kentucky had a per capita market income of $18,889, compared with $28,332 statewide and $38,117 nationwide. From 2010 to 2014, Appalachian Kentucky had an average poverty rate of 25.4%—the highest of any of the ARC regions—, compared to 18.9% statewide and 15.6% nationwide. Twenty-five Eastern Mountain Coal Field counties—Bell, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Morgan, Owsley, Powell, Rowan, Whitley, and Wolfe—were designated "distressed," while four – Laurel, Montgomery, Perry, and Pike – were designated "at-risk." Two Eastern Coalfield counties were designated "transitional" — Boyd and Greenup. No counties in the Eastern Coalfields region were given the "attainment" designation or were designated "competitive."

The following table illustrates the economic status of each county.

Health[]

Most of the counties in the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield rank in the lowest ten percent of U.S. counties in average life expectancy. Both men and women have average life spans that are several years less than the average life span in the United States. Moreover, many counties have seen a decline in the life expectancy of men and/or women since 1985. Factors influencing the health of residents include a high prevalence of smoking and obesity and a low level of physical activity.^[15]

Post-secondary education[]

The Coal Building, University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine

Morehead State University

Public universities[]

• Morehead State University

Private colleges and universities[]

• Alice Lloyd College
• Clear Creek Baptist Bible College
• Frontier Nursing University
• Kentucky Christian University
• Kentucky Mountain Bible College
• University of Pikeville
• Union College
• University of the Cumberlands

Community and technical colleges[]

• Ashland Community and Technical College
• Big Sandy Community and Technical College
• Hazard Community and Technical College
• Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College

Political climate[]

As a whole, East Kentucky was long a Democratic stronghold. The only two counties in the state to vote against Mitch McConnell in each of his six senatorial campaigns through 2020 have been Wolfe and Elliott Counties, both in East Kentucky. However, the region has swung dramatically to the right recently. In 2004, eleven counties in East Kentucky supported Democratic candidate John F. Kerry, and in 2008, even as the nation as a whole shifted Democratic, the number of East Kentucky counties supporting Democratic candidate Barack Obama fell to just four, and in 2012 fell to just one.^[16] Every county in East Kentucky supported Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020 with at least 50% of the vote. In fact, each of the three most Republican counties in Kentucky (in terms of vote proportion) were all in East Kentucky (namely Leslie, Jackson and Martin Counties). Each gave less than a tenth of their vote to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate. Elliott County, Kentucky, serves as a good representation of the political transformation throughout the region. It had the longest streak in the nation of any county to vote Democratic.^[16] It has in recent years, however, shifted hard to the right, just like the rest of East Kentucky. In 2008 Elliott County was the most Democratic county in the state, giving over 60% of the vote to Barack Obama. In 2012, however, it supported him by a margin of just three percentage points (the lowest percentage for a Democrat in county history) and lost the title of most Democratic in the state to Jefferson County, home to Louisville, the most populous city in the state. And by 2016, it supported Donald Trump with over 70% of the county vote, and 75% four years later. In local elections (like East Kentucky), though it has trended more Republican, it still remains a Democratic stronghold. In the State Senate election, it gave Democrat Rocky Adkins 86% of the vote. As of November 2012, just 4.2% of registered voters were Republicans, the lowest proportion for any county in the state. By October 2016, this proportion had more than doubled (to 8.2%), and by April 2019 it stood at 10.6%. Indeed, Elliott County voters, just like most East Kentucky voters, are socially conservative and economically more liberal.^{[citation needed]}

Notable residents[]

• Hylo Brown, bluegrass and country music singer, born in River.
• June Buchanan (1887–1988), educator who worked with Alice Spencer Geddes Lloyd (see below). Co-founder of Caney Junior College, now Alice Lloyd College. Lived in Knott County from 1919 until her death.
• Tyler Childers, a country, bluegrass, and folk musician from Paintsville, Kentucky.
• Earle Combs (1899–1976), Hall of Fame MLB center fielder for the New York Yankees. Born in Pebworth, a community in Owsley County.^[17]
• Tim Couch, former NFL quarterback. Born and raised in Hyden.
• Billy Ray Cyrus (born 1961), American country music singer, songwriter and actor. Born in Flatwoods.
• Richie Farmer (born 1969), basketball standout for the University of Kentucky and politician (Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture, 2003–2011). Born and raised in Manchester.
• Jim Ford, singer-songwriter, born in Johnson County.
• Mary Elliott Flanery, first woman elected to a state legislature south of the Mason–Dixon line.
• Crystal Gayle, country singer and younger sister of Loretta Lynn; both raised in Van Lear.
• Eula Hall, Founder of the .
• Roscoe Holcomb, American musician who lived the majority of his life in Daisy.
• Silas House (born 1971), author. Born and raised in Laurel County; also lived in Leslie County during his childhood.
• The Judds, a country music duo of mother Naomi (born 1946) and daughter Wynonna (born 1964). Born in Ashland.
• Ashley Judd (born 1968), actress; daughter of Naomi Judd and half-sister of Wynonna Judd. Born in Ashland.
• Alice Spencer Geddes Lloyd (1876–1962), social reformer who founded 100 elementary schools in the region as well as co-founding the college that now bears her name. Lived in Knott County from 1915 until her death.
• Patty Loveless, country music singer. Born in Pikeville.
• Loretta Lynn, country singer, raised in Van Lear.
• John Pelphrey (born 1968), basketball standout for the University of Kentucky (and teammate of Farmer); former head basketball coach at the University of Arkansas, and current assistant at the University of Florida. Born in Paintsville.
• Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 – August 1, 1977) was an American pilot whose CIA U-2 spy plane was shot down while over the Soviet Union, causing the 1960 U-2 incident. Born in Jenkins.
• Venus Ramey, Miss America, 1944. Born in Ashland.
• Jeff Sheppard (born 1974), University of Kentucky basketball star (1998 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player) and former player in the NBA and several European leagues. Has lived in London since he retired from play.
• Benjamin F. Stapleton, Mayor of Denver, Colorado between (1923–1931) and (1935–1947). Born in Paintsville.
• Gary Stewart, Country music singer and musician, 1944–2003, born in Jenkins.
• Jesse Stuart, author and former poet laureate of Kentucky
• Dwight Yoakam (born 1956), singer-songwriter, actor and film director. Born in Pikeville.
• Sturgill Simpson, born in Jackson in 1978

See also[]

• Huntington-Ashland-Ironton metropolitan area
• Coal mining in Kentucky

References[]

External links[]

• Visit Eastern Kentucky
• Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR)

Coordinates: 37°45′N 83°05′W / 37.750°N 83.083°W / 37.750; -83.083