Lee County | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 37°35′N83°43′W / 37.59°N 83.72°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Kentucky |
Founded | 1870 |
Named for | Robert E. Lee |
Seat | Beattyville |
Largest city | Beattyville |
Area | |
• Total | 211 sq mi (550 km2) |
• Land | 209 sq mi (540 km2) |
• Water | 2.4 sq mi (6 km2) 1.1% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,395 |
• Estimate (2023) | 7,293 |
• Density | 35/sq mi (14/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Congressional district | 5th |
Website | www |
Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,395. [1] Its county seat is Beattyville. [2] The county was formed in 1870 from parts of Breathitt, Estill, Owsley and Wolfe counties. [3] The county was named for Robert E. Lee. [4] The area of Kentucky where Lee County is located was a pro-union region of Kentucky [5] but the legislature that created the county was controlled by former Confederates. The town of Proctor, named for the Rev. Joseph Proctor, was the first county seat. [3] The first court was held on April 25, 1870, in the old Howerton House. The local economy at the time included coal mining, salt gathering, timber operations, and various commercial operations. It had a U.S. post office from 1843 until 1918.
The county seat, Beattyville, was first known as Taylor's Landing, as it was a ferry landing on the Kentucky River. [3] It was renamed to Beatty in 1850 after early settler Samuel Beatty. The town incorporated in 1872 as Beattyville and was chosen as the new county seat due to its location on the river, which aided transportation and trade.
Although Lee County had taverns in the 19th century, [6] it was a prohibition or dry county until 2019 when the county voted to go wet. The City of Beattyville and Lee County Fiscal Court established alcoholic sale rules for their jurisdictions including prohibiting sales of alcohol on Sunday.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 211 square miles (550 km2), of which 209 square miles (540 km2) is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) (1.1%) is water. [7]
Lee County lies within the Eastern Coal Field region of Kentucky. The very rugged terrain essentially defines the area. Roughly half of the county lies within the Daniel Boone National Forest. Timber and coal remain economically significant, as do oil and gas. Harmful effects from unregulated strip mining and clear cut logging practices are still being corrected. The proliferation of kudzu, an invasive vine has proved difficult to address. However, the growing environmental movement and the developing tourism industry have created energy to take more action to control this pest.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 4,254 | — | |
1890 | 6,205 | 45.9% | |
1900 | 7,988 | 28.7% | |
1910 | 9,531 | 19.3% | |
1920 | 11,918 | 25.0% | |
1930 | 9,729 | −18.4% | |
1940 | 10,860 | 11.6% | |
1950 | 8,739 | −19.5% | |
1960 | 7,420 | −15.1% | |
1970 | 6,587 | −11.2% | |
1980 | 7,754 | 17.7% | |
1990 | 7,422 | −4.3% | |
2000 | 7,916 | 6.7% | |
2010 | 7,719 | −2.5% | |
2020 | 7,395 | −4.2% | |
2023 (est.) | 7,293 | [8] | −1.4% |
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790–1960 [10] 1900–1990 [11] 1990–2000 [12] 2010–2021 [13] |
As of the census [14] of 2000, there were 7,916 people, 2,985 households, and 2,122 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 per square mile (15/km2). There were 3,321 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.10% White, 3.79% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,985 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couples living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 109.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $18,544, and the median income for a family was $24,918. Males had a median income of $25,930 versus $19,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,325. About 25.20% of families and 30.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.00% of those under age 18 and 22.90% of those age 65 or over.
Of 3,142 counties in the United States in 2013, Lee County ranked no. 3,111 for the life expectancy of males and 2,989 for longevity of females. Males in Lee County lived an average of 68.5 years and females lived an average of 76.7 years compared to the national average for life expectancy of 76.5 for males and 81.2 for females. Moreover, the average life expectancy in Lee Country was stable for males and declined by 1.5 years for females between 1985 and 2013, compared to a national average for the same period of an increased life span of 5.5 years for men and 3.1 years for women. High rates of smoking and obesity, and a low level of physical activity appear to be contributing factors to the low life expectancy for both sexes. [15]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 2,273 | 81.15% | 481 | 17.17% | 47 | 1.68% |
2016 | 2,151 | 80.65% | 444 | 16.65% | 72 | 2.70% |
2012 | 1,977 | 75.37% | 595 | 22.68% | 51 | 1.94% |
2008 | 1,978 | 71.33% | 752 | 27.12% | 43 | 1.55% |
2004 | 2,018 | 69.11% | 878 | 30.07% | 24 | 0.82% |
2000 | 1,893 | 68.49% | 836 | 30.25% | 35 | 1.27% |
1996 | 1,302 | 51.63% | 1,023 | 40.56% | 197 | 7.81% |
1992 | 1,617 | 51.20% | 1,170 | 37.05% | 371 | 11.75% |
1988 | 1,588 | 61.31% | 984 | 37.99% | 18 | 0.69% |
1984 | 1,862 | 70.53% | 768 | 29.09% | 10 | 0.38% |
1980 | 1,650 | 60.53% | 1,017 | 37.31% | 59 | 2.16% |
1976 | 1,449 | 56.54% | 1,091 | 42.57% | 23 | 0.90% |
1972 | 1,629 | 68.22% | 744 | 31.16% | 15 | 0.63% |
1968 | 1,339 | 58.27% | 674 | 29.33% | 285 | 12.40% |
1964 | 1,162 | 45.69% | 1,376 | 54.11% | 5 | 0.20% |
1960 | 2,012 | 67.74% | 958 | 32.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 1,774 | 65.32% | 938 | 34.54% | 4 | 0.15% |
1952 | 1,572 | 58.70% | 1,100 | 41.08% | 6 | 0.22% |
1948 | 1,233 | 52.62% | 1,058 | 45.16% | 52 | 2.22% |
1944 | 1,468 | 57.57% | 1,072 | 42.04% | 10 | 0.39% |
1940 | 1,866 | 53.39% | 1,622 | 46.41% | 7 | 0.20% |
1936 | 1,812 | 55.69% | 1,440 | 44.25% | 2 | 0.06% |
1932 | 1,628 | 45.17% | 1,970 | 54.66% | 6 | 0.17% |
1928 | 2,005 | 63.91% | 1,131 | 36.05% | 1 | 0.03% |
1924 | 1,348 | 49.25% | 1,348 | 49.25% | 41 | 1.50% |
1920 | 1,856 | 59.56% | 1,246 | 39.99% | 14 | 0.45% |
1916 | 1,135 | 58.48% | 793 | 40.86% | 13 | 0.67% |
1912 | 570 | 33.37% | 728 | 42.62% | 410 | 24.00% |
1908 | 1,171 | 59.47% | 783 | 39.77% | 15 | 0.76% |
1904 | 879 | 61.68% | 527 | 36.98% | 19 | 1.33% |
1900 | 857 | 56.79% | 637 | 42.21% | 15 | 0.99% |
1896 | 881 | 59.09% | 587 | 39.37% | 23 | 1.54% |
1892 | 565 | 51.98% | 507 | 46.64% | 15 | 1.38% |
1888 | 514 | 54.22% | 432 | 45.57% | 2 | 0.21% |
1884 | 410 | 51.57% | 385 | 48.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
1880 | 418 | 51.41% | 394 | 48.46% | 1 | 0.12% |
Lee County, Kentucky is often listed as one of the poorest counties in the United States. In 2014, 35 percent of its population lived in poverty and the median family income was $23,968 compared to 14.8 percent poor and a $53,482 median family income for the United States as a whole. [17]
Wetzel County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,442. Its county seat is New Martinsville. The county, founded in 1846, is named for Lewis Wetzel, a famous frontiersman and Indian fighter. Its northern border aligns with the Mason-Dixon line, but is to the west of the line's western terminus.
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Beattyville is a home rule class city in, and the county seat of, Lee County, Kentucky, United States. The city was formally established by the state assembly as "Beatty" in 1851 and incorporated in 1872. It was named for Samuel Beatty, a pioneer settler. The population was 1,307 at the 2010 census and an estimated 1,206 in 2018.
Raywick is a home rule-class city in Marion County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 155 at the 2020 census.
Camargo is a home rule-class city in Montgomery County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,020 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Mount Sterling Micropolitan Statistical Area.
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Proctor is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. Established in 1894, the town was named after former Kentucky Governor J. Proctor Knott. It is part of the Duluth Metropolitan Area. The population was 3,120 at the 2020 census.
St. Charles is a census-designated place and former town in Lee County, Virginia, United States. The population was 72 at the 2020 census, down from 159 at the 2000 census.