Pike County, Kentucky

Pike County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 58,669.[1] Its county seat is Pikeville.[2] The county was founded in 1821.[3] With regard to the sale of alcohol, it is classified as a moist county–– a county in which alcohol sales are prohibited (a dry county), but containing a "wet" city. There are three cities in the county, Pikeville, Elkhorn City, and Coal Run Village, where package alcohol sales are legal.[4]

Pike County
County
Pike County courthouse in Pikeville
Pike County courthouse in Pikeville
Official seal of Pike County
Seal
Map of Kentucky highlighting Pike County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°28′08″N 82°23′45″W
Country United States
State Kentucky
FoundedDecember 19, 1821
Named forZebulon Pike
SeatPikeville
Largest cityPikeville
Government
 • Judge/ExecutiveRay S. Jones III
Area
 • Total789 sq mi (2,040 km2)
 • Land787 sq mi (2,040 km2)
 • Water1.8 sq mi (5 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total58,669
 • Estimate 
(2022)
56,286 Decrease
 • Density74/sq mi (29/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district5th
Websitewww.pikecountyky.gov

History

Pike is Kentucky's easternmost county and the commonwealth's largest county by land area. Pike County is the 11th most populous county in Kentucky, immediately preceded by Bullitt County and followed by Christian County. Pike County is Kentucky's third largest banking center, with financial institutions and holding companies with more than $1 billion in assets.[5] In the five years spanning 1995–2000, personal income increased by 28%, and the county's per capita income exceeded the national and state average growth rates of the past decade.[6] Pike County is the seventy-first Kentucky county in order of creation.

Pike County was founded on December 19, 1821, from a portion of Floyd County.[7] The county was named for General Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered Pikes Peak.[8] Between 1860 and 1891 the Hatfield-McCoy feud raged in Pike and in bordering Mingo County, West Virginia. On May 6, 1893, Pikeville officially became a city and the county seat.

Pike County is also home to Paul E. Patton, former governor of Kentucky.

The Appalachian News Express, published in Pikeville, is preserved on microfilm by the University of Kentucky Libraries. The microfilm holdings are listed in a master negative database on the university's Libraries Preservation and Digital Programs website.[9]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 789 square miles (2,040 km2), of which 787 square miles (2,040 km2) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2) (0.2%) is water.[10] It is the largest county by area in Kentucky.

The main population areas of the county include the city of Pikeville and surrounding suburbs, Elkhorn City, and the unincorporated town of South Williamson.

Major highways
U.S. Route 23 passes through the Pikeville Cut-Through, the second largest earthmoving project in the Western Hemisphere.

Pike County has a total of 486.285 miles of classified roads.[11]

Adjacent counties

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18302,677—
18403,56733.2%
18505,36550.4%
18607,38437.6%
18709,56229.5%
188013,00136.0%
189017,37833.7%
190022,68630.5%
191031,67939.6%
192049,47756.2%
193063,26727.9%
194071,12212.4%
195081,15414.1%
196068,264−15.9%
197061,059−10.6%
198081,12332.9%
199072,583−10.5%
200068,736−5.3%
201065,024−5.4%
202058,669−9.8%
2022 (est.)56,286[12]−4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15]
1990–2000[16] 2010–2020[1]

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 68,736 people, 27,612 households, and 20,377 families residing in the county. The population density was 87 per square mile (34/km2). There were 30,923 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile (15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.35% White, 0.45% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Pike County, Kentucky are:[17]

There were 27,612 households, out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.90.

The age distribution was 23.70% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,930, and the median income for a family was $29,302. Males had a median income of $32,332 versus $19,229 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,005. About 20.60% of families and 23.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.20% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over. The zip codes 41502 (Pikeville), 41503 (South Williamson), and 41527 (Forest Hills) are the wealthiest portions of the county. 41502 is the 50th wealthiest zip code in Kentucky, 41503 is the 61st wealthiest, and 41527 is the 63rd wealthiest. South Williamson and Forest Hills are located on the Northeast side of the county. These three areas combine to 2,129 residents and make up around 3% of the county's population. The average income for these areas are $51,962 (41502), $49,345 (41503), and $48,484 (41527).[18]

Politics

Historically, Pike County was a solidly Republican county in presidential voting from 1896 to 1928 under the Fourth Party System, then a solidly Democratic county in presidential elections from 1932 until 2004. Since 2008, it has shifted back towards the Republican party in presidential voting.[19]

United States presidential election results for Pike County, Kentucky[20]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 20,284 79.87% 4,866 19.16% 245 0.96%
2016 19,747 80.06% 4,280 17.35% 638 2.59%
2012 17,590 74.42% 5,646 23.89% 400 1.69%
2008 12,655 55.89% 9,525 42.07% 463 2.04%
2004 12,611 47.11% 14,002 52.30% 157 0.59%
2000 11,005 44.13% 13,611 54.59% 319 1.28%
1996 7,160 30.47% 14,126 60.12% 2,209 9.40%
1992 8,212 29.24% 17,358 61.81% 2,512 8.95%
1988 9,976 37.76% 16,339 61.85% 101 0.38%
1984 11,869 42.68% 15,817 56.87% 126 0.45%
1980 10,550 41.02% 14,878 57.85% 292 1.14%
1976 9,178 38.74% 14,320 60.44% 193 0.81%
1972 12,535 56.46% 9,513 42.85% 152 0.68%
1968 8,911 39.56% 11,663 51.78% 1,952 8.67%
1964 7,078 33.30% 14,140 66.53% 35 0.16%
1960 9,956 43.30% 13,039 56.70% 0 0.00%
1956 11,678 50.37% 11,466 49.45% 41 0.18%
1952 9,778 43.31% 12,761 56.52% 37 0.16%
1948 8,097 40.97% 11,423 57.80% 244 1.23%
1944 8,092 45.21% 9,757 54.52% 48 0.27%
1940 8,985 42.46% 12,160 57.46% 16 0.08%
1936 8,210 41.88% 11,382 58.06% 11 0.06%
1932 7,914 38.28% 12,686 61.36% 74 0.36%
1928 9,386 54.14% 7,930 45.75% 19 0.11%
1924 7,059 52.13% 5,835 43.09% 646 4.77%
1920 7,911 58.08% 5,619 41.25% 92 0.68%
1916 4,212 54.71% 3,414 44.34% 73 0.95%
1912 2,777 44.85% 2,583 41.72% 832 13.44%

Local politics have been dominated by the Democratic Party throughout its history, while the county has been carried by Republicans in presidential races since 2008, most local offices, including judge-executive, sheriff, and several representatives in the Kentucky House of Representatives remain Democratic – there were no Republicans running in the last races for judge-executive and sheriff.[21][22] In the 2022 midterm elections Pike County saw a “red wave” in which every incumbent County Commissioner was ousted along with Democratic incumbent County Clerk Rhonda Taylor, Democratic Incumbent County Attorney Kevin Keene, along with Democratic incumbent State Representative Angie Hatton.[23]

Economy
A coal breaker in Pike County in 1938
A mountaintop removal mine just off of U.S. Route 23 in 2010

Pike County has vast fossil fuel, (coal and natural gas) reserves. Pike County is one of the nation's leading coal and natural gas producers. In April 2007, Pike County announced the first-in-the-nation comprehensive energy strategy which was developed in partnership with the Southern States Energy Board.[24]

Pike County is the second-largest coal producing county as reported in 2013 next to Union County in the western part of the state. Adding that to the counties of Harlan County, Perry County, and Martin County, Eastern Kentucky produces nearly 3/4 of all coal produced in the entire state.[25] Over 150 million tons are produced annually throughout the state.[26]

The poverty level of counties in the Appalachian region of Kentucky is 24.4% compared to the United States Poverty Level of 12.4%.[27] Of the top eight coal-producing counties in eastern Kentucky, Pike County is the only county that does not have a higher poverty rate than Appalachian Kentucky as a whole.

Poverty Rate in Kentucky's Appalachian Region

Coal companies in Pike County

Economic growth
Tourism is also a major component of the economy in Pike County. In 2012, nearly 300,000 people visited the Breaks Interstate Park on the Kentucky-Virginia border.[34]

Over 1,400 businesses exist in Pikeville. From 2005 to 2011, downtown Pikeville experienced major growth. The Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center was constructed in 2005 and seats 7,000.[35] It features numerous events including concerts and shows. The county is also home to the Pikeville Concert Association, which secures events that usually take place at Booth Auditorium on the campus of the University of Pikeville.

The Pikeville Medical Center received a $44 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program in 2010 to construct an eleven-story office building and adjacent parking garage in downtown. Construction was completed in 2014.[36]

The University of Pikeville broke ground on a nine-story building (the Coal Building) on Hambley Boulevard in downtown Pikeville in early 2011 to house the University of Pikeville's School of Osteopathic Medicine.[37]

In the summer of 2011, Jenny Wiley Theatre group announced their collaboration with the city of Pikeville to construct a 200-seat indoor professional theater in downtown Pikeville. The theatre opened in May 2014.[38]

Government

The office of Pike County Judge Executive served as a launching pad for the governorship of Paul E. Patton (1995–2003).[39]

On November 8, 2016, Pike County voted to switch from a magisterial form of government to a commissioner form of government. As of 2019, the Pike County Fiscal Court is composed of three county commissioners and the county judge/executive. This effort was a bi-partisan effort led by a citizens' group, Pike Countians Against Government Waste, that garnered signature petitions in 2015–2016 to place the question on the ballot. The voters of the 2016 election supported changing to a commissioner form of government with nearly 12,000 votes in favor, which was nearly 70% of the popular vote. In March 2016, the fiscal court which is composed of six magistrates and a judge-executive voted unanimously to sue the judge-executive (who voted to sue himself) to overturn the results of the ballot question to change the form of government. The fiscal court, composed of magistrates Jeff Anderson, Vernon "Chick" Johnson, Leo Murphy, Hilman Dotson, and Bobby Varney; and, Judge Bill Deskins, was first represented by John Doug Hays, Assistant County Attorney, and then by County Attorney Howard Keith Hall. The citizens' group was represented by State Senator Ray S. Jones, II, who filed a motion to intervene on behalf of the citizens of Pike County. In October 2017, Special Judge Rebecca Phillips of Morgan County dismissed the fiscal court lawsuit in a 23-page decision, which effectively ended the effort to overturn the voters decision. The commissioner form of government replaced the prior magistrate form of government in 2019.

Healthcare

Hospitals

Education
University of Pikeville

Pike County colleges

Pike County Schools

The Pike County School System consists of 25 high, middle, and elementary schools.[40]

High schools

Middle and elementary schools

The following lists of middle and elementary schools is categorized by the high school they feed:

Shelby Valley Day Treatment Center, Phelps Day Treatment Center, are all discipline facilities. Northpoint Academy is a high school drop out prevention program that focuses on the individual needs of the student. All students at Northpoint are there on a voluntary basis.

Pikeville Independent Schools

Private schools

Sports

Baseball

Pike County has had several minor league teams based out of Pikeville. In 1982 the Pikeville Brewers were located in the city. They were part of the Appalachian League and affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1983 the team changed to become affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, thus changing its name to the Pikeville Cubs. In 2010 Pikeville Independent's baseball team finished in the final four at the KHSAA Baseball State Tournament. In 2012 and in 2013 Pikeville Junior High baseball finished runner up in the Kentucky Middle School State Tournament both years.

Basketball

In 2007, the East Kentucky Miners came to Pike County after the opening of the Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center. The team played in Pikeville from 2007 to 2010. In 2010, the American Basketball Association opened an expansion franchise in Pikeville called the East Kentucky Energy. In 2010 Shelby Valley High School won the KHSAA Men's Basketball State Championship. In 2011, UPike Men's Basketball won the National Championship defeating Mountain State University.

Football

In 2010, the Pike County Crusaders, an Indoor Arena Football team, was announced as coming to the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, but the initiative soon failed. In 2011, The East Kentucky Drillers, an Indoor Arena Football franchise came to the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville. In 2012, the team changed its name to the Kentucky Drillers.

Club Sport Years Active League Venue
East Kentucky Drillers Indoor Arena Football 2011–2012 UIFL Eastern Kentucky Expo Center
East Kentucky Energy Basketball 2010–2012 ABA Eastern Kentucky Expo Center
East Kentucky Miners Basketball 2007–2010 ABA Eastern Kentucky Expo Center
Kentucky Drillers Indoor Arena Football 2012–2013 CIFL Eastern Kentucky Expo Center
Pikeville Brewers Baseball 1982 Appalachian League Davis Park
Pikeville Cubs Baseball 1983-1984 Appalachian League Davis Park

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated places

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Kleber, John E. (April 4, 2018). "The Kentucky Encyclopedia". kyenc.org. The University Press of Kentucky. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  4. "Wet & Dry Counties in Kentucky" (PDF). Kentucky Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2007.
  5. "Pikeville: Mayberry, with muscle" (PDF). Kentucky Monthly. March 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  6. "Pike County, Kentucky". Pike County Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  7. Capace, Nancy (1999). Encyclopedia of Kentucky. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 242. ISBN 9780403097401.
  8. The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society, Volume 1. Kentucky State Historical Society. 1903. pp. 36.
  9. "UK Libraries Master Negative Microfilm Database". Archived from the original on December 28, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  10. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  11. "Commonwealth of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet" (PDF). Commonwealth of Kentucky. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2007.
  12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  13. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  15. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  17. Bureau, U.S. Census. "American FactFinder - Results". factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  18. "Highest Income Zip Codes". IRS. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  19. Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "The Political Graveyard: Pike County, Ky". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  21. "Pike voters replace state lawmaker, judge-executive and Kentucky's longest-serving sheriff". kentucky.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  22. "Kentucky 94th District State House Results: Angie Hatton Wins". August 1, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  23. "Election Results". www.wymt.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  24. "Pike noted as 'Energy Capital' at state summit". The Medical Leader. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  25. "KY Coal Facts". Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing Annual Report, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  26. "About Kentucky Coal". Roger Philpot. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  27. "Economic Status of Coal-Producing Counties". Mountain Association for Community Economic Development. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  28. Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. » Central Appalachia Archived July 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  29. [Alpha Natural Resources - 2012 Kentucky Operations]
  30. "James River Coal Company – McCoy Elkhorn complex". jamesrivercoal.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  31. "Central Appalachia". rhinolp.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  32. "Clintwood - TECO Coal". tecocoal.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  33. "Premier - TECO Coal". tecocoal.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  34. Virginia State Parks 2012 Attendance and Economic Impact Archived January 31, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  35. About Archived June 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  36. "Pikeville Medical opens new clinic, parking". The Herald-Dispatch. April 11, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  37. Coal Building Ground Breaking coalminingourfuture.net. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  38. Jenny Wiley Theatre opens second location in Pikeville Archived June 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine WKYT-TV. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  39. Pike County Judge/Executives Since 1965 Office of the Pike County Judge Executive. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  40. "Schools". Pike County Board of Education. Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
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