McCreary County, Kentucky
McCreary County | |
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UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 5th |
Website | www |
McCreary County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,888.[1] Its county seat is Whitley City.[2] The county is named for James B. McCreary, a Confederate war soldier and two-time Governor of Kentucky (1875–1879, 1911–1915). During his second term as governor, McCreary County was created by the Legislature and was named in his honor.
History
McCreary County is the only Kentucky county without an incorporated city. Because of this, county government is the sole local government agency for the entire county. Attractions in McCreary County include the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Cumberland Falls State Park, and the Big South Fork Scenic Railway, which tours several former coal camps. In popular culture, McCreary County is mentioned in the FX drama Justified, for it is home to USP McCreary, near Pine Knot.
The majority of the county is controlled by the federal government. 43% is managed by the Daniel Boone National Forest, and 18% managed by the National Park Service as the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
The area now encompassed by Kentucky's McCreary County was first bounded in 1772, when all of what is now the state of Kentucky was in the frontier county of Fincastle County, Virginia. Fincastle was divided in 1776, with the western portion named Kentucky County, Virginia. In 1780, the Virginia legislature set aside all land in Kentucky County for soldiers who had served in the Revolutionary War. In 1780, Kentucky County was divided into three counties: Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln. In 1784, a portion of Jefferson County was partitioned off to create Nelson County, and in 1792 a portion of Lincoln County was partitioned off to create Green County. In 1798, a further portion of Lincoln County was partitioned off, and combined with parts of Green County, to create Pulaski and Cumberland Counties. The following year yet another portion of Lincoln County was partitioned off to create Knox County, and in 1800 the new Cumberland County was sectioned off to create Wayne County. In 1818, Whitley County was created from a portion of Knox County.
In 1912, the Kentucky Legislature partitioned parts of Pulaski, Wayne, and Whitley Counties, to create McCreary County. Its boundaries have remained unchanged since that time.[3] It is the 120th and final county in order of formation. The present county boundaries contain 427.7 square miles (1,107.7 km2) of land area. The majority of the county was carved out of Wayne and Whitley Counties, with a large center strip following the rail line and roadway from Pulaski County. The early history of the area is that of those counties, and is related in the historic perspectives for them. The map to the left shows the network of roadways that had been established by the 1860s. A dotted blue line and settlement names have been added for reference.
The most significant early feature of the future county was the Jacksboro Road. Running from Jacksboro, Tennessee, to Point Isabel and Somerset, this pioneer road was simply an enlargement of the Tellico Trail, an Indian route that had been used for thousands of years. Several other trails intersected this road, and led to the settlement of villages such as Pine Knot, Dripping Springs/Coolidge, and Flat Rock. Other settlement occurred in sequestered hollows. The economy of the times was based upon small-scale subsistence agriculture, timber products such as railroad ties and barrel staves, and small coal mines.
Beginning in the early 19th century, Cumberland Falls gained attention as a tourism destination. Later development increased visitation, and the Brunsen Inn was a popular destination for seasonal visitors. Until a road was built from Whitley County in 1931, the primary access to the Falls was through McCreary. With a generous contribution from one of the DuPont family heirs, the Falls joined the state park system in 1930.
The completion of the Cincinnati Southern Railway line through the county in 1880 changed its economic characteristics. Access to distant markets for timber and coal caused the emergence of many small mining and logging companies. The greatest impact came from the Justus S. Stearns enterprises. From 1903 through the rest of the century, the territory of McCreary County was dominated and controlled by Stearns company interests.
Attempting to avoid financial losses during the
Government
- Judge Executive — Hon. Jimmie "Bevo" Greene (R)
- Deputy Judge Executive — Hon.Nathan Nevels (R)
- County Magistrates:
- Magistrate Dist. 1 — William "Bill" Hale Jr. (R)
- Magistrate Dist. 2 — Roger Phillips (R)
- Magistrate Dist. 3 — Bobbie Strunk (R)
- Magistrate Dist. 4 — Vacant
- County Clerk— Eric Haynes (R)
- Sheriff — Randy Waters (D)
- Jailer — Jesse Hatfield (R)
- Coroner — Timothy L. Corder (R)
- Tourism Director
- Economic Development Director
- Property Valuation Administrator — Dwight Ross
- McCreary County Attorney — Austin Price
The
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 431 square miles (1,120 km2), of which 427 square miles (1,110 km2) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km2) (1.0%) is water.[6]
Geology
McCreary County lies on the western edge of the
Adjacent counties
- Pulaski County (north)
- Laurel County (northeast)
- Whitley County (east)
- Campbell County, Tennessee (southeast)
- Scott County, Tennessee (south)
- Wayne County (west)
National protected areas
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1920 | 11,676 | — | |
1930 | 14,627 | 25.3% | |
1940 | 16,451 | 12.5% | |
1950 | 16,660 | 1.3% | |
1960 | 12,463 | −25.2% | |
1970 | 12,548 | 0.7% | |
1980 | 15,634 | 24.6% | |
1990 | 15,603 | −0.2% | |
2000 | 17,080 | 9.5% | |
2010 | 18,306 | 7.2% | |
2020 | 16,888 | −7.7% | |
2023 (est.) | 17,050 | [7] | 1.0% |
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1] |
As of the
There were 6,520 households, out of which 35.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.50% were married couples living together, 13.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.03.
The age distribution was 27.70% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $19,348, and the median income for a family was $22,261. Males had a median income of $20,823 versus $15,575 for females. The
Politics
McCreary County has only once voted for a non-Republican for president, in the year of its formation, when it voted for
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 5,664 | 87.98% | 725 | 11.26% | 49 | 0.76% |
2016 | 5,012 | 86.77% | 664 | 11.50% | 100 | 1.73% |
2012 | 4,564 | 79.97% | 1,069 | 18.73% | 74 | 1.30% |
2008 | 4,078 | 75.42% | 1,258 | 23.27% | 71 | 1.31% |
2004 | 4,121 | 72.39% | 1,530 | 26.88% | 42 | 0.74% |
2000 | 3,321 | 69.20% | 1,418 | 29.55% | 60 | 1.25% |
1996 | 2,527 | 52.70% | 1,710 | 35.66% | 558 | 11.64% |
1992 | 3,588 | 57.78% | 1,934 | 31.14% | 688 | 11.08% |
1988 | 3,477 | 66.96% | 1,644 | 31.66% | 72 | 1.39% |
1984 | 4,028 | 70.58% | 1,609 | 28.19% | 70 | 1.23% |
1980 | 3,786 | 71.27% | 1,377 | 25.92% | 149 | 2.80% |
1976 | 3,272 | 63.63% | 1,827 | 35.53% | 43 | 0.84% |
1972 | 3,203 | 80.56% | 684 | 17.20% | 89 | 2.24% |
1968 | 2,670 | 67.61% | 759 | 19.22% | 520 | 13.17% |
1964 | 2,230 | 60.55% | 1,428 | 38.77% | 25 | 0.68% |
1960 | 3,671 | 79.89% | 924 | 20.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 3,812 | 82.33% | 814 | 17.58% | 4 | 0.09% |
1952 | 3,360 | 77.98% | 937 | 21.75% | 12 | 0.28% |
1948 | 3,031 | 75.93% | 933 | 23.37% | 28 | 0.70% |
1944 | 3,419 | 79.49% | 880 | 20.46% | 2 | 0.05% |
1940 | 3,172 | 71.62% | 1,248 | 28.18% | 9 | 0.20% |
1936 | 2,953 | 72.57% | 1,105 | 27.16% | 11 | 0.27% |
1932 | 3,360 | 73.43% | 1,194 | 26.09% | 22 | 0.48% |
1928 | 3,622 | 89.10% | 435 | 10.70% | 8 | 0.20% |
1924 | 2,317 | 74.98% | 533 | 17.25% | 240 | 7.77% |
1920 | 2,889 | 84.01% | 525 | 15.27% | 25 | 0.73% |
1916 | 1,630 | 82.28% | 324 | 16.36% | 27 | 1.36% |
1912 | 411 | 33.36% | 225 | 18.26% | 596 | 48.38% |
Economy
The economic history of McCreary County has been one of boom and bust, based upon the extractive resources of coal mining and timber. The Stearns interests sold the last of their mining operations to Blue Diamond Coal in the 1980s, and the county's last operating mine closed in 1994. A resurgence of the coal industry does not seem possible, as the local coal is high in sulfur, and drainage from coal mining would adversely affect a number of outstanding and special waters in the county.
The county is poor. McCreary is one of the U.S. counties most dependent upon federal government assistance programs such as SNAP, SSI, SSDI, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and other government assistance programs. 52.46 percent of the income of the residents of the county is derived from government assistance. The average resident received $11,022 in government assistance in 2009.[14]
Industrial development began in the 1970s, with new manufacturing concerns in the
Agriculture has never played a significant role in the county's economy. In 2002, 5% of the county was in farmland. Top products were
The
The Big South Fork NRRA represents 196 square miles (508 km2) of land, of which approximately one-third is located in McCreary County. The largest section of the park and its main Bandy Creek visitor center are located in Tennessee. In 2004, the park received 901,425 visitors, down 23% from 2002. Due to a lack of organized activities, events, and recreational tourism opportunities, visitation on the Kentucky side does not fare well. Similar issues exist for visitation in the Stearns district of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Transportation
McCreary County Airport is near Pine Knot.[4]
Communities
McCreary is the last remaining county in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that does not have any
- Pine Knot
- Stearns
- Whitley City (county seat)
Attractions
Notable people
- Wilburn K. Ross
- Allie Leggett
- Will Lavender[15]
See also
- McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union
- National Register of Historic Places listings in McCreary County, Kentucky
References
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Steven A. Channing, Encyclopedia of Kentucky (3d.ed.) Somerset Publishers. (1999) p. 222
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ USP McCreary Contact Information Archived December 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved February 22, 2011. "USP MCCREARY U.S. PENITENTIARY 330 FEDERAL WAY PINE KNOT, KY 42635."
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- ^ "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 17, 2014.
- ^ The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1913, Vol. 29. Chicago: Chicago Daily News. 1913.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ "The Geography of Government Dependence," The New York Times, [1], accessed September 8, 2019
- ^ "Best-selling author Will Lavender credits his Whitley City roots | Lexington Herald Leader". Archived from the original on November 6, 2019.