Harlan County, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Harlan County is a county located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

. It was formed in 1819. As of 2000, the population was 33,200. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Harlan
Harlan, Kentucky
Harlan is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,081 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 1,880 in 2007. It is the county seat of Harlan County.-History:...

. The state's highest natural point, Black Mountain
Black Mountain (Kentucky)
Black Mountain is the highest natural point in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, USA, with a summit elevation of above mean sea level and a top to bottom height of over . The summit is located at in Harlan County, Kentucky near the Virginia border, just above the towns of Lynch, Kentucky and...

 (4145 feet (1,263.4 m)), is in Harlan County.

With regard to the sale of alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...

, it is classified as a moist county
Moist county
In the United States, a moist county is a county on the "middle ground" between a dry county and a wet county . The term is typically used as a generalization for a county that allows alcohol to be sold in certain situations, but has limitations on alcohol sales that a normal wet county wouldn't...

—a county in which alcohol sales are prohibited (a dry county
Dry county
A dry county is a county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, almost all of them in the South...

), but containing a "wet" city, in this case Cumberland
Cumberland, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,611 people, 1,076 households, and 723 families residing in the city. The population density was 570.5 people per square mile . There were 1,288 housing units at an average density of 281.4 per square mile...

, where package alcohol sales are allowed.

History

Harlan County was formed in 1819 from a part of Knox County
Knox County, Kentucky
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 31,795. Its county seat is Barbourville. The county is named for General Henry Knox...

. It is named after Silas Harlan.

Silas Harlan, a pioneer, was born on March 17, 1753 in Berkeley County, West Virginia
Berkeley County, West Virginia
Berkeley County is a county located in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population is 104,169, making it the second-most populous county in West Virginia, behind Kanawha...

, the son of George and Ann (Hurst) Harlan. Journeying to Kentucky with James Harrod
James Harrod
James Harrod was a pioneer, soldier, and hunter who helped explore and settle the area west of the Allegheny Mountains. Little is known about Harrod's early life, including the exact date of his birth. He was possibly underage when he served in the French and Indian War, and later participated in...

 in 1774, Harlan served as scout, hunter, and held the rank of Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...

 in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

. Harlan assisted Harrod's party in Harrodsburg
Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Harrodsburg is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,014 at the 2000 census. It is the oldest city in Kentucky.-History:...

 to deliver gunpowder to settlers in Kentucky, and to assist them against the British in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

.

Harlan built a log stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...

 with the help of his uncle Jacob and his brother James near Danville
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....

 known as "Harlan's Station". He served under George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...

 in the Illinois campaign of 1778–79 against the British. He also commanded a company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...

 in John Bowman
John Bowman (pioneer)
John Jacob Bowman was an 18th century American pioneer, colonial militia officer and sheriff, the first appointed in Lincoln County, Kentucky. In 1781 he also presided as a justice of the peace over the first county court held in Kentucky...

's raid on Old Chillicothe
Chalahgawtha
Chalahgawtha was the name of one of the five divisions of the Shawnee, a Native American people, during the 18th century, as well as the name of the principal village of the division. The other four divisions were the Mekoche, Kispoko, Pekowi, and Hathawekela...

 in 1779, and assisted Clark in establishing Fort Jefferson
Fort Jefferson (Kentucky)
Fort Jefferson was a town on the Mississippi River about one mile south of Wickliffe, Kentucky in southwestern Ballard County. The formal town was founded in 1858; however, in 1779, George Rogers Clark built a stronghold of the same name at the intersection of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers in...

 at the mouth of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 in 1780.

Silas Harlan died leading the advance party at the Battle of Blue Licks
Battle of Blue Licks
The Battle of Blue Licks, fought on August 19, 1782, was one of the last battles of the American Revolutionary War. The battle occurred ten months after Lord Cornwallis's famous surrender at Yorktown, which had effectively ended the war in the east...

 on August 19, 1782. At the time of his death, Harlan was engaged to Sarah Caldwell, who later married his brother James and was the grandmother of U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

 John Marshall Harlan
John Marshall Harlan
John Marshall Harlan was a Kentucky lawyer and politician who served as an associate justice on the Supreme Court. He is most notable as the lone dissenter in the Civil Rights Cases , and Plessy v...

.
The county has been the site of great labor unrest
Labor unrest
Labor unrest is a term used by employers or those generally in the business community to describe organizing and strike actions undertaken by labor unions, especially where labor disputes become violent or where industrial actions in which members of a workforce obstruct the normal process of...

 beginning in the early 20th century, primarily surrounding the coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...

 industry. Labor unrest in the form of violent confrontations between strikers, strikebreakers, mine company security forces and law enforcement in the 1930s led to the county being referred to as "Bloody Harlan County" for several years. After the Battle of Evarts
Battle of Evarts
The Battle of Evarts is the name given to a mining strike and ensuing violence that occurred in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1931. In February 1931, The Harlan County Coal company cut wages for their employees. The United Mine Workers union responded by holding a rally in Pineville, drawing over...

, May 5, 1931, the governor of Kentucky called in the National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...

 to restore order. The county was the subject of the film Harlan County, USA
Harlan County, USA
Harlan County, USA is an Oscar-winning 1976 documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike" or "Bloody Harlan", an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973...

, which documented strikes and organizing during a second major period of labor unrest in the 1970s.

The county is the site of a criminal case in which a man, Condy Dabney, was convicted in 1924 of murdering a person who was later found alive.

Harlan County was the home to many displaced persons of mixed Native American heritage during Harlan's early years. These groups, sometimes known as Melungeons, have documented the racial heritage of Harlan's early settlers through 19th century photographs, DNA analysis and other forms of documentation.
Harlan County has had some recent fame from the current FX television series Justified
Justified (TV series)
Justified is an American television drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky...

, created by Graham Yost
Graham Yost
Graham John Yost is a Canadian film and television screenwriter. His most famous works are the hit 1994 film Speed, Broken Arrow, and Hard Rain....

 and based on an Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...

 story, which takes place in and around Harlan County. Harlan is also mentioned in the Aaron Watson
Aaron Watson
Aaron Watson is an Texas country music singer.Watson was born in Amarillo, Texas and attended Abilene Christian University, where he began learning guitar, after playing junior college baseball in New Mexico. He gigged around Texas before releasing his debut album, A Texas Cafe; the follow-up,...

 song, "Kentucky Coal Miner's Prayer", and is the subject of the Darrell Scott
Darrell Scott
James Darrell Scott known as Darrell Scott , the son of musician Wayne Scott with whom he has collaborated, is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He moved as a child to East Gary, Indiana. He was playing professionally by his teens in Southern California, later living in...

 song, "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive", which has been covered by Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....

, Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea
Kathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...

, and Patti Loveless, among others. Dierks Bentley
Dierks Bentley
Dierks Bentley is an American country music artist who has been signed to Capitol Records Nashville since 2003. That year, he released his self-titled debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's Modern Day Drifter, are certified platinum in the United States. A third album, 2006's Long Trip...

 also has a song called "Down in the Mine" on his Up on the Ridge album mentioning Harlan. The famous labor song, Which Side Are You On?
Which Side Are You On?
"Which Side Are You On?" is a song written by Florence Reece in 1931. Reece was the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky. In 1931, the miners of that region were locked in a bitter and violent struggle with the mine owners. In an attempt to...

, was written in 1931 in and about Harlan County, and since its composition has been covered by many artists from Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...

 and the Almanac Singers to the Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....

 and Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant
Natalie Anne Merchant is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She joined the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and left it to begin her solo career in 1993.-Early life:...

.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 467.97 square miles (1,212 km²), of which 467.2 square miles (1,210 km²) (or 99.84%) is land and 0.78 square miles (2 km²) (or 0.17%) is water.

Geographic features

The headwaters of the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...

 are located in Harlan County: Poor Fork (extending from the city of Harlan east past the city of Cumberland and into Letcher County
Letcher County, Kentucky
Letcher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 25,277. Its county seat is Whitesburg. The county is named for Robert P...

), Clover Fork extending East from above Evarts, and Martins Fork (extending through the city of Harlan west). The confluence is located in Baxter.

Black Mountain
Black Mountain (Kentucky)
Black Mountain is the highest natural point in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, USA, with a summit elevation of above mean sea level and a top to bottom height of over . The summit is located at in Harlan County, Kentucky near the Virginia border, just above the towns of Lynch, Kentucky and...

, located east of Lynch
Lynch, Kentucky
There were 408 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone...

 is Kentucky's highest point, with an elevation of 4145 feet (1,263.4 m) above sea level.

Adjacent counties

  • Perry County
    Perry County, Kentucky
    Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 29,390. Its county seat is Hazard. The county is named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a naval hero in the War of 1812.- Geography :...

      (north)
  • Letcher County
    Letcher County, Kentucky
    Letcher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 25,277. Its county seat is Whitesburg. The county is named for Robert P...

      (northeast)
  • Wise County, Virginia
    Wise County, Virginia
    Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. In 1856, the county was formed from land taken from Lee, Scott, and Russell Counties. It was named after Henry A. Wise, who was the Governor of Virginia at the time. As of 2010, the population was 41,452, making it the largest...

      (east)
  • Lee County, Virginia
    Lee County, Virginia
    According to the census 2009 estimates, there were 25001 people, 11,587 households, and 6,852 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 11,587 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...

      (southeast)
  • Bell County
    Bell County, Kentucky
    Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed August 1, 1867, from parts of Knox and Harlan Counties and augmented from Knox County in 1872. As of 2010 the population was 69,060. Its county seat is Pineville...

      (southwest)
  • Leslie County
    Leslie County, Kentucky
    Leslie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 12,401. Its county seat is Hyden. The county is named for Preston H. Leslie, Governor of Kentucky...

      (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 33,202 people, 13,291 households, and 9,449 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 71 /sqmi. There were 15,017 housing units at an average density of 32 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 95.56% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...

, 2.62% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

, 0.48% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

, 0.29% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...

, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander American
Pacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...

, 0.08% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...

 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 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.

The age distribution was 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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 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. During Harlan County's early history a large number of Native Americans of mixed heritage, or commonly called Melungeons, settled the area.

Cities

  • Benham
    Benham, Kentucky
    As of the census of 2000, there were 599 people, 248 households, and 181 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,519.2 people per square mile . There were 288 housing units at an average density of 730.4 per square mile...

  • Cumberland
    Cumberland, Kentucky
    As of the census of 2000, there were 2,611 people, 1,076 households, and 723 families residing in the city. The population density was 570.5 people per square mile . There were 1,288 housing units at an average density of 281.4 per square mile...

  • Evarts
    Evarts, Kentucky
    As of the census of 2000, there were 1,101 people, 428 households, and 299 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,828.0 people per square mile . There were 490 housing units at an average density of 813.6 per square mile...

  • Harlan
    Harlan, Kentucky
    Harlan is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,081 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 1,880 in 2007. It is the county seat of Harlan County.-History:...

  • Loyall
    Loyall, Kentucky
    As of the census of 2000, there were 766 people, 339 households, and 227 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,246.5 people per square mile . There were 368 housing units at an average density of 1,079.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 97.91% White, 0.78%...

  • Lynch
    Lynch, Kentucky
    There were 408 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone...

  • Wallins Creek
    Wallins Creek, Kentucky
    Wallins Creek is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 257 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 235 in 2007.- History :...


  • Unincorporated communities

    • Ages-Brookside
    • Baxter
    • Bledsoe
    • Cawood
    • Coldiron
    • Cranks
      Cranks, Kentucky
      Cranks is an unincorporated community in southeastern Harlan County, Kentucky, United States, near the Virginia state line. Elevation ranges form a minimum 1683 feet to a maximum 2933 feet. U.S. Route 421 is the main route of travel through this community....

    • Dayhoit
      Dayhoit, Kentucky
      Dayhoit is an unincorporated community in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 40824. The population of the ZCTA for 40824 was 458 at the 2000 census....

    • Elcomb
    • Fresh Meadows
    • Grays Knob
    • Gulston
  • Highsplint
    Highsplint, Kentucky
    Highsplint is a former coal mining town with extinct post office in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. It was named for the High Splint Coal Company which operated a mine in the town. Highsplint's first post office was established on February 7, 1918, with John D. Casey as postmaster.-External...

  • Holmes Mill
  • Kenvir
  • Pathfork
    Pathfork, Kentucky
    Pathfork is an unincorporated community in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States, located to the south of Wallins Creek. The only roads connected to the town is an old gravel road that leads south of Harlan, Kentucky, and U.S...

  • Putney
  • Pine Mountain
  • Rosspoint
  • South Wallins
    South Wallins, Kentucky
    South Wallins is a census-designated place in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 996 at the 2000 census.-Geography:South Wallins is located at ....

  • Smith
  • Tacky Town
  • Teetersville
  • Totz
  • Verda

  • Higher education

    The county's only higher education institution is Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College
    Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College
    Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College , located in Cumberland, Kentucky, USA, is one of 16 two-year, open-admissions colleges of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System . It was founded in 1960 as the Southeast Center of the University of Kentucky...

     (formerly known as Southeast Community College), a part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, which has its main campus in Cumberland.

    Harlan County Public Schools

    Harlan County Public Schools covers all of Harlan County, except for the city of Harlan and some small unincorporated communities adjacent to the city. The district operates one high school, Harlan County High School, which opened in August 2008. The school mascot is the Black Bears, reflecting the area's increasing black bear
    American black bear
    The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...

     population. The new high school, located in the rural community of Rosspoint east of Harlan, replaced three other high schools:
    • Cumberland High School, Cumberland
      Cumberland, Kentucky
      As of the census of 2000, there were 2,611 people, 1,076 households, and 723 families residing in the city. The population density was 570.5 people per square mile . There were 1,288 housing units at an average density of 281.4 per square mile...

      , served students from the cities of Cumberland, Benham, Lynch, and near the Letcher County border.
    • Evarts High School, Evarts
      Evarts, Kentucky
      As of the census of 2000, there were 1,101 people, 428 households, and 299 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,828.0 people per square mile . There were 490 housing units at an average density of 813.6 per square mile...

      , served a wide geographical area reaching from the Harlan City limits to the Virginia border.
    • James A. Cawood High School, Harlan
      Harlan, Kentucky
      Harlan is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,081 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 1,880 in 2007. It is the county seat of Harlan County.-History:...

      , served students in central Harlan County.


    The district also operates the following K-8 schools:
    • Evarts Elementary
    • Black Mountain Elementary
    • Cawood Elementary
    • Green Hills Elementary
    • Cumberland Elementary
    • James A. Cawood Elementary
    • Wallins Elementary
    • Rosspoint Elementary

    Harlan Independent Schools

    Harlan Independent Schools is a separate district covering the city of Harlan and operating the following schools:
    • Harlan High School
    Mascot: Green Dragons http://www.harlan-ind.k12.ky.us/
    • Harlan Middle School
    • Harlan Elementary School

    K-12 private schools

    There are two private schools in the county:

    Notable residents

    • Bernie Bickerstaff
      Bernie Bickerstaff
      Bernard Tyrone "Bernie" Bickerstaff is an assistant coach for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to the Trail Blazers, Bickerstaff was an assistant for the Chicago Bulls and Executive Vice President of the Charlotte Bobcats...

      —Current assistant coach with the NBA
      National Basketball Association
      The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

      's Chicago Bulls
      Chicago Bulls
      The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

      ; formerly head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics
      Seattle SuperSonics
      The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

      , Denver Nuggets
      Denver Nuggets
      The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

      , and Washington Bullets/Wizards
      Washington Wizards
      The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

      , and also the first head coach and general manager of the Charlotte Bobcats
      Charlotte Bobcats
      The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...

      . Born in Benham.
    • Rebecca Caudill
      Rebecca Caudill
      Rebecca Caudill Ayars was an American author of children's literature, publishing over twenty books. Caudill's book, Tree of Freedom , was a Newbery Honor Book in 1950...

      —Newberry-honored author of children's books. Died in 1985.
    • Maxine Cheshire—Journalist for the Knoxville News Sentinel
      Knoxville News Sentinel
      The Knoxville News Sentinel is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. It operates , an award-winning news website....

      , The Washington Post
      The Washington Post
      The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...

      , and Time
      Time (magazine)
      Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

      magazine
    • Wah Wah Jones—Retired NBA
      National Basketball Association
      The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

       player
    • Nick Lachey
      Nick Lachey
      Nicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...

      Boy band
      Boy band
      A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...

      er from the group 98 Degrees
      98 Degrees
      98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....

    • Cawood Ledford
      Cawood Ledford
      Cawood Ledford was a longtime radio play-by-play announcer for the University of Kentucky basketball and football teams...

      University of Kentucky
      University of Kentucky
      The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...

       basketball and football announcer, died in 2001.
    • George Ella Lyon
      George Ella Lyon
      George Ella Lyon is a Kentucky author who has published in many genres, including picture books, poetry, juvenile novels, and articles.-Biography:...

      —Author and poet of over 30 books for children and adults
    • Florence Reece
      Florence Reece
      Florence Reece was an American social activist, poet, and folksong writer. Born in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, the daughter and wife of coal miners, she is best known for the song, "Which Side Are You On?" written in 1931 during a strike by the United Mine Workers of America in which her husband,...

      —Songwriter of the union anthem "Which Side Are You On?
      Which Side Are You On?
      "Which Side Are You On?" is a song written by Florence Reece in 1931. Reece was the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky. In 1931, the miners of that region were locked in a bitter and violent struggle with the mine owners. In an attempt to...

      ", made famous by The Almanac Singers and covered by several artists, most recently including Natalie Merchant
      Natalie Merchant
      Natalie Anne Merchant is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She joined the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and left it to begin her solo career in 1993.-Early life:...

       on the album The House Carpenter's Daughter
      The House Carpenter's Daughter
      The House Carpenter's Daughter is an acoustic album by Natalie Merchant. It consists of both traditional songs and cover versions of contemporary folk music. It was released on August 12, 2003 via her web-site and on September 16, 2003 in stores...

      . Died in 1986.
    • Jerry Chestnut- Songwriter Nashville songwriter hall of fameOfficial site

    Area attractions

    • Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Area
      Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Area
      Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Area is a 7,000-acre off-road trail system in Harlan County, Kentucky. The trail system is open to All-Terrain Vehicles and all types of Off-Highway Vehicles. The trail system is managed by the Harlan County Outdoor Recreation Board Authority , a 501c4 non-profit...

      : This off-road park has been voted number one all-terrain vehicle
      All-terrain vehicle
      An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...

       (ATV) destination by ATV Pathfinder http://www.atvpathfinder.com for two years running. It consists of more than 7000 acres (28.3 km²) set aside for quads and 4WD vehicle recreation. The park attracts several thousand visitors and is considered by many to be the best riding area in the eastern United States. Harlan county also holds the Guinness world record for the largest ATV parade.
    • Kingdom Come State Park
      Kingdom Come State Park
      Kingdom Come State Park is in Kentucky's state park system. It is located in Harlan County near the city of Cumberland and is situated atop Pine Mountain, and boasts both Raven Rock and Log Rock.-Natural Formations:...

      ; Elevation: 2700 feet (823 m); Size: 1283 acres (5.2 km²); Location: On the outskirts of the city of Cumberland, and is connected to the Little Shepherd Trail. This state park was named after the popular Civil War novel, The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, by Kentucky author John Fox, Jr.
      John Fox, Jr.
      John Fox, Jr. was an American journalist, novelist, and short story writer.-Biography:Born in Stony Point, Bourbon County, Kentucky, to John William Fox, Sr., and Minerva Worth Carr, Fox studied English at Harvard University. He graduated in 1883 before becoming a reporter in New York City...

       The park contains a picnic area, hiking trails, a fishing lake, a cave amphitheater, several lookouts and contains many natural rock formations, including Log Rock and Raven Rock. It is also the site of the annual Kentucky Black Bear Festival.
    • Martins Fork Lake
      Martins Fork Lake
      Martins Fork Lake is a reservoir in Harlan County, Kentucky. The lake was impounded from a branch of the Cumberland River in 1979 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. It is named for James Martin, an early pioneer in the area.-External links:*...

    • Cranks Creek Lake
      Cranks Creek Lake
      Cranks Creek Lake is a reservoir in Harlan County, Kentucky. It was created in 1963....

    • Pine Mountain Settlement School
      Pine Mountain Settlement School
      Pine Mountain Settlement School is located on Pine Mountain in Harlan County, Kentucky. The settlement school focuses on Appalachian and environmental education.-Founding:...

       http://www.pinemountainsettlementschool.com
    • Benham School House Inn
    • Kentucky Coal Mining Museum
      Kentucky Coal Mining Museum
      The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum is heritage center located in Benham, Kentucky. Its focus is the history of the coal industry in Eastern Kentucky, featuring specific exhibits on the company towns of Benham and neighboring Lynch. It is housed in a former company store that was built by International...

    • Hensley Settlement
      Hensley Settlement (Kentucky)
      Hensley Settlement is an Appalachian living history museum on Brush Mountain, Bell County, Kentucky in the United States. The settlement is part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. It is located approximately north of the park visitor center on Ridge Trail, and contains twelve...

        South of Kentucky Route 987 on Hensley Settlement Road

    Films

    • Harlan County, USA
      Harlan County, USA
      Harlan County, USA is an Oscar-winning 1976 documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike" or "Bloody Harlan", an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973...

      (1976). Documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple
      Barbara Kopple
      Barbara Kopple is an American film director, primarily known for her work in documentary film.-Biography:She grew up in Scarsdale, New York, the daughter of a textile executive and studied psychology at Northeastern University, after which she worked with the Maysles Brothers.Kopple has won two...

       depicting the Eastover/Brookside strike.
    • Harlan County War
      Harlan County War (film)
      Harlan County War is a television film directed by Tony Bill and written by Peter Silverman.-Plot:A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike.-Principal cast:*Holly...

      (2000). Dramatic film based on the Eastover/Brookside strike. Directed by Tony Bill
      Tony Bill
      Gerard Anthony "Tony" Bill is an American actor, producer, and director. He produced the 1973 movie The Sting, for which he shared the Academy Award for Best Picture with Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips...

       and starring Holly Hunter
      Holly Hunter
      Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...

      .

    See also

    • Justified
      Justified (TV series)
      Justified is an American television drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky...

      , a TV series set in and around Harlan County.
    • National Register of Historic Places listings in Harlan County, Kentucky

    External links

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