Lee County, Kentucky

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,395.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Beattyville.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was formed in 1870 from parts of Breathitt, Estill, Owsley and Wolfe counties.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was named for Robert E. Lee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The area of Kentucky where Lee County is located was a pro-union region of Kentucky<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but the legislature that created the county was controlled by former Confederates. The town of Proctor, named for the Rev. Joseph Proctor, was the first county seat.<ref name=":0" /> The first court was held on April 25, 1870, in the old Howerton House. The local economy at the time included coal mining, salt gathering, timber operations, and various commercial operations. It had a U.S. post office from 1843 until 1918.

The county seat, Beattyville, was first known as Taylor's Landing, as it was a ferry landing on the Kentucky River.<ref name=":0" /> It was renamed to Beatty in 1850 after early settler Samuel Beatty. The town incorporated in 1872 as Beattyville and was chosen as the new county seat due to its location on the river, which aided transportation and trade.

Although Lee County had taverns in the 19th century,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> it was a prohibition or dry county until 2019 when the county voted to go wet. The City of Beattyville and Lee County Fiscal Court established alcoholic sale rules for their jurisdictions including prohibiting sales of alcohol on Sunday.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Eastern Kentucky Coal Field

Lee County lies within the Eastern Coal Field region of Kentucky. The very rugged terrain essentially defines the area. Roughly half of the county lies within the Daniel Boone National Forest. Timber and coal remain economically significant, as do oil and gas. Harmful effects from unregulated strip mining and clear cut logging practices are still being corrected. The proliferation of kudzu, an invasive vine has proved difficult to address. However, the growing environmental movement and the developing tourism industry have created energy to take more action to control this pest.

Adjacent counties

• Powell County (north)
• Wolfe County (northeast)
• Breathitt County (southeast)
• Owsley County (south)
• Jackson County (southwest)
• Estill County (northwest)

National protected area

• Daniel Boone National Forest (part)

Demographics

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 7,916 people, 2,985 households, and 2,122 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,321 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 95.10% White, 3.79% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,985 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couples living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 109.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $18,544, and the median income for a family was $24,918. Males had a median income of $25,930 versus $19,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,325. About 25.20% of families and 30.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.00% of those under age 18 and 22.90% of those age 65 or over.

Life expectancy

Of 3,142 counties in the United States in 2013, Lee County ranked no. 3,111 for the life expectancy of males and 2,989 for longevity of females. Males in Lee County lived an average of 68.5 years and females lived an average of 76.7 years compared to the national average for life expectancy of 76.5 for males and 81.2 for females. Moreover, the average life expectancy in Lee Country was stable for males and declined by 1.5 years for females between 1985 and 2013, compared to a national average for the same period of an increased life span of 5.5 years for men and 3.1 years for women. High rates of smoking and obesity, and a low level of physical activity appear to be contributing factors to the low life expectancy for both sexes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Politics

Elected officials

Elected officials as of January 3, 2025<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
U.S. House	Template:Party shading/Republican|Hal Rogers (R)	Template:Party shading/Republican|Template:Ushr
Ky. Senate	Template:Party shading/Republican|Brandon Smith (R)	Template:Party shading/Republican|30
Ky. House	Template:Party shading/Republican|Timmy Truett (R)	Template:Party shading/Republican|89

Economy

Lee County, Kentucky is often listed as one of the poorest counties in the United States. In 2014, 35 percent of its population lived in poverty and the median family income was $23,968 compared to 14.8 percent poor and a $53,482 median family income for the United States as a whole.<ref>"Lee County, Kentucky," https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045213/21129/embed/accessible; "United States" https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/INC110214/00, accessed August 6, 2016</ref>

Communities

City

• Beattyville (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Airedale
• Athol
• Bear Track
• Belle Point
• Canyon Falls
• Congleton
• Cressmont
• Crystal
• Delvinta
• Earnestville
• Enoch
• Evelyn
• Fillmore
• Fincastle
• Fixer
• Greeley
• Heidelberg
• Idamay
• Leeco
• Lower Buffalo
• Maloney
• Monica
• Mount Olive
• Old Landing
• Primrose
• Proctor
• Saint Helens
• Standing Rock
• Tallega
• White Ash
• Williba
• Willow Shoals
• Yellow Rock
• Zacharia
• Zoe

See also

• List of memorials to Robert E. Lee
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lee County, Kentucky