Harlan County, Kentucky

Harlan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1819. As of 2000, the population was 33,202. Its county seat is Harlan.⁶. The state's highest peak, Black Mountain (4145 Ft.) is in Harlan County.

History

Harlan County was formed in 1819 from a part of Knox County. It is named after Silas Harlan, who was killed on August 19, 1782 leading the advance party at the Battle of Blue Licks.

The county has been the site of great labor unrest beginning in the early 20th century, primarily surrounding the coal mining industry.

This town was also the subject of the film Harlan County, USA, which showed the strikes and labor movement which took place in the area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,212 km² (468 mi²). 1,210 km² (467 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it (0.17%) is water.

Notable Landmarks

The headwaters of the Cumberland River are located in Harlan County: Poor Fork (extending from the city of Harlan east past Cumberland, KY and into Letcher County) and Martins Fork (extending through the city of Harlan west).

Black Mountain, located east of Benham, KY is Kentucky's highest point, with an elevation of 4139 feet above sea level.

Adjacent counties

Perry County (north)
Letcher County (northeast)
Wise County, Virginia (east)
Lee County, Virginia (southeast)
Bell County (southwest)
Leslie County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 33,202 people, 13,291 households, and 9,449 families residing in the county. The population density was 27/km² (71/mi²). There were 15,017 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (32/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.56% White, 2.62% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,291 households out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $18,665, and the median income for a family was $23,536. Males had a median income of $29,148 versus $19,288 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,585. About 29.10% of families and 32.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.10% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those age 65 or over.