Hyden, Kentucky

Hyden is a

The area was first settled around 1800 by the Sizemores, a mixed-blood (Anglo and Native-American) family migrating from North Carolina, with a brief stay in Hawkins County, Tennessee, before making it to Kentucky. John "Rock House" Sizemore and his wife, Nancy (Bowling) Sizemore, lived in a rock house about a hundred yards up from the mouth of the creek which would later bear his name (Rockhouse Creek). John Rock House later sold the land to a Lewis man who then donated the land to the government, which became the town of Hyden. The town was established in 1878 and incorporated in 1882, and was named after John Hyden, a state senator of the time who helped form Leslie County.^[4] The mountainous terrain made the region difficult to access except by river, which was no longer the dominant form of transportation by the late 19th century, hindering growth.

Frontier Nursing University opened in Hyden in 1939.

Hyden briefly came to national attention when the Hurricane Creek mine disaster occurred in late 1970, 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the city.^[5]

In July 1978,

Hyden is located in north-central Leslie County at 37°9′48″N 83°22′30″W / 37.16333°N 83.37500°W / 37.16333; -83.37500 (37.163456, -83.375065),^[8] in the valley of the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River. Most of the city is on the west side of the river, at the confluence of Rockhouse Creek from the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Hyden has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.5 km²), of which 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 2.99%, are water.^[9]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

There were 95 households, out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.7% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 74.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,429, and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $24,792 versus $31,250 for females. The

Education

Hyden has a lending library, the Leslie County Public Library.^[13]

Notable people

• Leila Feltner Begley, secretary of state of Kentucky from 1970 to 1971

• Mary Carson Breckinridge, founder of the first nurse midwifery school in the United States and champion of rural public health
• NFL
  quarterback
• John Hensley, actor
• Ken Keen, lieutenant general, former Military Deputy Commander of United States Southern Command
• C. Wesley Morgan, businessman and Kentucky state legislator
• The Osborne Brothers, bluegrass musicians
• Betty Jean Robinson, gospel singer
• Willie Sandlin, World War I Medal of Honor recipient

References