Whitley County, Kentucky

Whitley County is a located in the  of. 2005 census projections list its population at 38,029. The is at, though the largest city is. Whitley County is a limited, meaning that sale of alcohol in the county is prohibited except in certain areas as voted on by the residents of the area. In the case of Whitley County, by the drink alcohol sales is permitted only in restaurants in the city of Corbin seating at least 100 diners and derive at least 70% of their total sales from food.

History
Whitley County was created on January 17, 1818 from adjacent. In the years prior to its establishment as an independent county, many skirmishes were fought between native Indians and hunters and trappers in the area. The namesake of the county, Colonel, is famous locally for fighting many of these battles within area, eventually driving them out of southeastern Kentucky and safeguarding the , as well as for his service in the , where he died at the. The county seat was situated in Williamsburg (also named for Colonel Whitley, in 1882) from the beginning, with the first court held at the home of the town's first resident, Samuel Cox.

Its rugged terrain, densely forested woodlands, and a history of conflict with local all combined to make for a very slow rate of growth in Whitley County. The development of the industry in the area towards the late 1800s spurred on population growth as poor families from neighboring states rushed in to the county and led to the formation of Corbin, still the largest city in Whitley County.

Law and Government


The current elected officials of Whitley County are listed as follows:
 * County Judge/Executive: Pat White, Jr.
 * County Magistrate: Roger Wells
 * County Magistrate: David Myers
 * County Magistrate: Joe Moses
 * County Magistrate: Mike Baird
 * County Attorney: Paul Winchester
 * County Coroner: Andy Croley
 * County Treasurer: Jeffrey Gray
 * Sheriff: Lawrence Hodge
 * County Surveyor: Robert Moses
 * Property Valuation Administrator: Ronnie Moses
 * County Clerk: Kay Schwartz
 * Circuit Clerk: Gary Barton

Geography


According to the, the county has a total area of 1,153 (445 ). 1,140 km² (440 sq mi) of it is land and 13 km² (5 sq mi) of it (1.12%) is water.

Whitley County is located within the of southeastern Kentucky, which is greatly overlapped by the broad Eastern Coal Field region of the state. Because of its location in the midst of, elevations in the county range from 723 to 2220 feet (220 to 677 m) above sea level. 38,000 acres (150 km²) of western Whitley County are preserved within the. , located in, is the site of the largest waterfall in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Both Daniel Boone Forest and Cumberland Falls State Park are operated by the Kentucky State Parks system, also located in the county. Two regionally significant waterways meander through the county, namely the  and  river.

Major Highways





 * Kentucky Highway 11
 * Kentucky Highway 26
 * Kentucky Highway 90
 * Kentucky Highway 92
 * Kentucky Highway 312
 * Kentucky Highway 904
 * Kentucky Highway 1193
 * Kentucky Highway 1193

Adjacent counties

 * - north
 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - south
 * - west

Economy
Whitley County's economy has always relied heavily on its natural resources, particularly coal and timber, as the area's heavily forested, mountainous terrain contains abundant sources of such material. Other resources worked in the area include iron, oil, and very small amounts of silver. Due to the rough territory created by the, agriculture in the county has historically been quite stunted, although tobacco and corn are grown in some areas.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 35,865 people, 13,780 households, and 9,894 families residing in the county. The was 31/km² (82/sq mi). There were 15,288 housing units at an average density of 13/km² (35/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 98.37%, 0.34% or , 0.23% , 0.20% , 0.01% , 0.09% from , and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 13,780 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,075, and the median income for a family was $27,871. Males had a median income of $26,518 versus $17,001 for females. The for the county was $12,777. About 21.60% of families and 26.40% of the population were below the, including 34.10% of those under age 18 and 19.00% of those age 65 or over.

Incorporated

 * - (Partly in )

Colleges and universities
The (formerly known as Cumberland College), located in Williamsburg, is the largest private university in Kentucky, and the only private university in Whitley County. (Eastern Kentucky University has a branch campus in Corbin). The school's sports teams play on the level and provide college level sporting events for the local community.

Airport

 * W38, Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport

External link

 * The Kentucky Highlands Project