Eastern Kentucky Coalfield

The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield is a part of the Central Appalachian coal area. It includes all or parts of 30 counties in Kentucky and some nearby areas in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee. This region stretches from the Allegheny Mountains in the east to the Pottsville Escarpment in the west.

Coal mining has been very important here for a long time. Many family farms disappeared after surface mining began in the 1940s and 1950s. The area also has beautiful natural spots, like the Daniel Boone National Forest, which has many places for rock climbing and rappeling. The Red River Gorge is especially famous for rock climbing.

Eastern Kentucky has a rich musical history. Many well-known country music stars, such as Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, and Billy Ray Cyrus, come from this area. During the American Civil War, most people in this region supported the Union, but many also fought for the Confederacy. The area has strong ties to English, Scottish, and Irish heritage.

Geography

The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield covers a large area with 31 counties. This region makes up about one-third of Kentucky's total land. In the year 2000, around 734,194 people lived there, which is about 18% of the state's population. The biggest city is Ashland, with about 21,981 people. Other important cities in the area are Pikeville, London, and Middlesboro. The highest point in the whole state, Black Mountain, is found in the southeastern part of this region, in Harlan County.

Ashland, the region's largest city

The following list shows Eastern Kentucky cities with more than 4,000 people according to the 2020 United States Census:

Rank	City	Population in 2020	County
1	Ashland	21,625	Boyd
2	Middlesboro	9,405	Bell
3	Corbin	7,856	Whitley and Knox
4	Pikeville	7,754	Pike
5	London	7,572	Laurel
6	Mount Sterling	7,558	Montgomery
7	Flatwoods	7,325	Greenup
8	Morehead	7,151	Rowan
9	Williamsburg	5,326	Whitley
10	Hazard	5,263	Perry
11	Paintsville	4,312	Johnson

Protected areas

The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield has many beautiful places to visit and enjoy. Some of these are special historical sites, like Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and the Dr. Thomas Walker State Historic Site.

There are also many state parks where families can relax and have fun. These include Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park, Carter Caves State Resort Park, Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, Natural Bridge State Resort Park, and Pine Mountain State Resort Park.

Natural Bridge State Resort Park

Other great spots for outdoor activities include Carr Creek State Park, Dawkins Line Rail Trail, Fishtrap Lake State Park, Grayson Lake State Park, Kingdom Come State Park, Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park, Paintsville Lake State Park, Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail, and Yatesville Lake State Park.

Additionally, parts of the region include the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Breaks Interstate Park.

Economy

The economy of the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield depends on its natural resources like coal, timber, natural gas, and oil. Recently, tourism has grown because of the region’s cultural history and state parks.

Many counties in this area are known for having ongoing economic challenges. Some have been called “persistent poverty counties,” meaning a large part of their population has lived in poverty for a long time. In 2014, a report named several counties in the region among the most difficult places to live in the United States, due to factors like unemployment, health issues, and lower education levels.

The Appalachian Regional Commission was created in 1965 to help improve the economy in the Appalachian area, which includes all of Kentucky’s Eastern Coalfield. The Commission ranks counties based on unemployment, income, and poverty. From 2012 to 2014, the region had higher unemployment and poverty rates than both Kentucky and the nation as a whole. Many counties were labeled as “distressed,” meaning they faced the most economic difficulties. A few were “at-risk,” and two were “transitional.” No counties in the Eastern Coalfield were considered “competitive” or “attainment.”

County	Population (2010)	Unemployment Rate (2012–14)	Per Capita Market Income (2014)	Poverty Rate (2010–14)	Status (2017)
Bell	28,691	11.9%	$14,644	32.7%	Distressed
Boyd	49,542	8.6%	$24,337	19.1%	Transitional
Breathitt	13,878	13.7%	$14,386	31.5%	Distressed
Carter	27,720	12.0%	$18,014	18.7%	Distressed
Clay	21,730	13.3%	$11,531	35.7%	Distressed
Elliott	7,852	13.5%	$10,529	39.6%	Distressed
Floyd	39,451	11.7%	$18,473	29.5%	Distressed
Greenup	36,910	9.3%	$23,879	18.0%	Transitional
Harlan	29,278	15.4%	$13,620	32.1%	Distressed
Jackson	13,494	15.4%	$13,496	31.7%	Distressed
Johnson	23,356	10.1%	$19,008	25.3%	Distressed
Knott	16,346	13.5%	$14,271	26.5%	Distressed
Knox	31,883	11.9%	$15,549	33.8%	Distressed
Laurel	58,849	9.2%	$21,051	23.3%	At-Risk
Lawrence	15,860	10.5%	$15,399	23.5%	Distressed
Lee	7,887	11.7%	$11,750	33.4%	Distressed
Leslie	11,310	15.0%	$15,357	23.9%	Distressed
Letcher	24,519	14.2%	$15,955	24.5%	Distressed
Magoffin	13,333	16.3%	$11,139	26.8%	Distressed
Martin	12,929	9.4%	$14,826	33.9%	Distressed
McCreary	18,306	12.4%	$9,763	37.7%	Distressed
Menifee	6,306	11.2%	$15,656	28.8%	Distressed
Montgomery	26,499	8.2%	$23,093	25.2%	At-Risk
Morgan	13,923	10.3%	$13,451	29.7%	Distressed
Owsley	4,755	11.9%	$10,528	39.2%	Distressed
Perry	28,712	12.3%	$20,131	26.6%	Distressed
Pike	68,736	10.6%	$21,285	24.1%	At-Risk
Powell	12,613	10.1%	$18,403	27.5%	Distressed
Rowan	23,333	7.8%	$18,642	26.0%	At-Risk
Whitley	35,637	10.0%	$17,321	24.1%	Distressed
Wolfe	7,355	13.3%	$10,532	44.3%	Distressed

Health

Many counties in the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield have shorter average life spans compared to the rest of the United States. Both men and women often live several years less than the national average. Some areas have seen life expectancy drop since 1985, with averages as low as 70 years in certain places, while other U.S. counties average over 80 years. Smoking, obesity, and low levels of physical activity are key reasons for these health differences.

Post-secondary education

The Coal Building, University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine

Public universities

Morehead State University

Contrary to what its name suggests, Eastern Kentucky University is actually located outside of the Eastern Coalfield, in the Bluegrass-region city of Richmond.

Morehead State University

Private colleges and universities

Community and technical colleges

Political climate

East Kentucky used to strongly support the Democratic party, like much of Central Appalachia. Only two counties in the state, Wolfe and Elliott Counties, never voted for Mitch McConnell in his many campaigns.

However, in recent years, the area has shifted strongly toward the Republican party. In 2004, eleven counties in East Kentucky voted for Democrat John Kerry. By 2008, only four counties did, and by 2012, only one county supported Democrat Barack Obama. Since then, every county in East Kentucky has voted for Republican Donald Trump with at least half of the votes. Some counties even gave less than one-tenth of their votes to the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Elliott County, Kentucky shows this change well. It used to vote Democratic for a very long time but switched to strongly support Donald Trump. Even so, local elections still often favor Democrats, and the area is represented by long-time congressman Hal Rogers in Kentucky's 5th congressional district.

Notable people

The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield has been home to many famous people. Hylo Brown, a bluegrass and country music singer, was born in River. June Buchanan, an educator who helped start Alice Lloyd College, lived in Knott County. Tyler Childers, a country, bluegrass, and folk musician, comes from Paintsville, Kentucky. Earle Combs, a baseball player for the New York Yankees, was born in Pebworth in Owsley County. Tim Couch, a former NFL quarterback, was born and raised in Hyden. Billy Ray Cyrus, a well-known country music singer and actor, was born in Flatwoods.

Richie Farmer played basketball for the University of Kentucky and later became a politician. Jim Ford was a singer-songwriter from Johnson County. Mary Elliott Flanery was the first woman elected to a state legislature south of the Mason–Dixon line. Crystal Gayle and Loretta Lynn, both famous country singers, grew up in Van Lear. Eula Hall started the Mud Creek Clinic. Roscoe Holcomb was a musician who lived in Daisy. Silas House, an author, was born and raised in Laurel County. The country music duo The Judds, consisting of Naomi and Wynonna, were born in Ashland. Alice Spencer Geddes Lloyd was a social reformer who founded many schools and a college named after her in Knott County. Patty Loveless and Loretta Lynn are celebrated country singers from the region. John Pelphrey was a basketball player and coach born in Paintsville. Venus Ramey was Miss America in 1944, also from Ashland. Sturgill Simpson, an outlaw country singer-songwriter, was born in Jackson. Benjamin F. Stapleton served as Mayor of Denver and was born in Paintsville. Gary Stewart was a country music singer born in Jenkins. Jesse Stuart was an author and poet laureate of Kentucky. JD Vance, the 50th vice president of the United States, was raised mainly in Breathitt County. Dwight Yoakam, a singer, songwriter, actor, and film director, was born in Pikeville.