Corbin is a home rule-class

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Whitley, Knox and

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

counties in the southeastern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,304. Corbin is on

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

, about halfway between

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and Lexington.

History

The first settlement in the Corbin area was known as Lynn Camp Station. The first post office was called Cummins, for community founder Nelson Cummins. It was discovered in 1885 that both Cummins and Lynn Camp were already in use as names for Kentucky post offices, and postmaster James Eaton was asked to select another name. He chose Corbin for the Rev. James Corbin Floyd, a local minister. The town was incorporated under that name in 1905. Corbin has a troubled racial past, including a race riot in late October 1919 in which a white mob forced nearly all the town's 200 black residents onto a freight train out of town and a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminator ...

policy until the late 20th century. The event is the subject of a 1991 documentary, ''Trouble Behind''. In October 2019, city leaders marked the riot's centennial with a proclamation acknowledging the riot and former sundown town policy. For most of its history, the urbanized areas of Corbin in Laurel County were not incorporated into the city limits due to a state law prohibiting cities from being in more than two counties. However, a 2021 change to state law allowed cities to voluntarily annex property in a third county if the city already provides public infrastructure to that property. In March 2022, the Corbin City Commission approved an annexation request for a property in Laurel County.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Corbin has a total area of , with only a tiny fraction of , or 0.56%, consisting of water. Corbin lies in the

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...

region of

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

in southeastern Kentucky, along

and

U.S. Route 25W U.S. Route 25W (US 25W) is the western branch of U.S. Route 25 from Newport, Tennessee, where US 25 splits into U.S. Route 25E, US 25E and US 25W, to North Corbin, Kentucky, where the two highways rejoin. US 25W has been included in the U.S. Hig ...

. I-75 provides access to the city from exit 25, leading north 89 miles (143 km) to Lexington and south 86 miles (138 km) to

. U.S. 25W runs through the center of town, leading north 14 miles (23 km) to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(via

U.S. Route 25 U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Highway that runs for in the southern and midwestern US. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, from where it proceeds mostly due north, passing through the cities of Augusta, Georg ...

) and south 21 miles (34 km) to Williamsburg. The Pine Mountain Overthrust Fault, a

geologic fault In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...

system several miles to the east, produces occasional tremors, the most recent in 2008.

Climate

Corbin exhibits a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, typical of southeastern

. The region experiences four distinct seasons. Winters are cool to cold, with mild periods. Summers are generally hot and humid, with variable spring and fall seasons. Precipitation is common year-round but more prevalent in the summer months—the surrounding mountains somewhat moderate Corbin's climate.

Demographics

Corbin is in the London, Kentucky micropolitan area, whose current boundaries were established in 2013 by the U.S.

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

in coordination with the

. Previously, the London micropolitan area had consisted solely of Laurel County, while the Whitley County portion of Corbin was the principal city of its own micropolitan area that consisted solely of that county. Both entities were in turn the components of a statistical entity officially known as the "Corbin–London, KY

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

". The CSA had a combined population of 94,486 at the 2010 census. The Knox County portion of Corbin was outside the former Corbin–London statistical area but is now included in the redefined London micropolitan area. As of the 2010

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

there were 7,304 people, 3,093 households, and 1,903 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 920.1 people per square mile (355.3/km). There were 3,507 housing units at an average density of 441.8 per square mile (170.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 97.41%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

(96.69% non-Hispanic), 0.26%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.31% Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...

, 0.64%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.26% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.11% from

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...

. No

Pacific Islanders Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

lived in the city in 2010. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.19% of the population. There were 3,093 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27, and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 22.5% under 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.8 males. Income data from the 2010 Census for Kentucky locations have not yet been released. As of the 2000 Census, the median income for a household in the city was $22,203. The median income for a family was $32,784. Males had a median income of $27,323 versus $17,568 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $14,200. About 15.5% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Initially provided by

L&N Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

was the backbone of the local economy in the first half of the 20th century. While the railroad (presently

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

) continues to play an important role, the decline of the rail industry in the latter half of the 20th century, as well as the loss of some manufacturing jobs, has prompted the community to begin diversifying its economy.

Culture

Each year in early August, Corbin hosts a festival called NIBROC (''Corbin'' spelled backward) featuring open-air concerts, carnival attractions, a beauty pageant, parade, and other events. The festival is featured, if anachronistically, in the play ''Last Train to Nibroc'' by

Arlene Hutton Arlene Hutton is an American playwright, theatre artist and teacher. She is best-known for a trio of plays, set during and after the Second World War, known as ''The Nibroc Trilogy''. The initial play of that trilogy, ''Last Train to Nibroc'', was ...

. (Though the play is set in the 1940s, the festival itself only dates to 1952.) NIBROC often features free performances by popular musical acts such as

38 Special 38 Special may refer to: * .38 Special The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, cent ...

Foghat Foghat are an English rock band formed in London in 1971. The band is known for the use of electric slide guitar in its music. The band has achieved eight gold records, one platinum and one double platinum record, and despite several line-up c ...

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

The Marshall Tucker Band The Marshall Tucker Band is an American rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Noted for incorporating blues, country, and jazz into an eclectic sound, the Marshall Tucker Band helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. Whi ...

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 196 ...

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

Starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 188 ...

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

and

The Turtles ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. In episode 10 of the American reality-documentary television series '' On the Road with Austin & Santino'' on

Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...

entitled "We Love a Parade", the fashion designers visit Corbin to custom-design a dress for a local woman participating in the NIBROC parade. Despite being in

dry counties A dry county is a County (United States), county in the United States whose government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages. Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. Dozens of dry c ...

( Knox and Whitley), the city of Corbin allows full retail alcohol sales, following a successful local option election on February 14, 2012. The city had previously voted in 2004 to allow sales of alcohol by the drink in larger restaurants. Corbin has an association with

Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...

, having been the location of the chain's first restaurant, opened in 1930. Corbin appears in the animated cartoon ''South Park''s episode "

Medicinal Fried Chicken "Medicinal Fried Chicken" is the third episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''South Park'', and the 198th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 31 ...

", wherein

Eric Cartman Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his surname Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom '' South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main chara ...

visits the town to meet with Harland Sanders. Corbin is depicted as located in a lush rain forest in a parody of the 1983 film '' Scarface'', wherein

Tony Montana Antonio Montana is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 1983 film ''Scarface''. This character is portrayed by Al Pacino in the film and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours''. Embod ...

and Omar Suarez visit

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

to meet with a drug kingpin.

Government

Corbin is governed by a mayor and

city commission City commission government is a form of local government in the United States. In a city commission government, voters elect a small commission, typically of five to seven members, typically on a plurality-at-large voting basis. These commissione ...

and a city manager who runs the departments' day-to-day operations. Currently, Marlon Sams is the city manager. Since it does not have a mayor/alderman form of government, Corbin is considered home rule-class under Kentucky's city classification system that took effect in 2015. Susie Razmus is the current mayor. Trent Knuckles, David Grigsby Hart, Ed Tye, and Andrew Pennington are its four current commissioners. Corbin is one of the few cities in Kentucky that lie in two counties—Whitley and Knox. Many built-up areas in neighboring Laurel County have a Corbin postal address but lie outside the city limits. This arrangement has created some problems with taxes and census records. The city receives a portion of the occupational tax collected in Whitley County. However, Knox County has refused to give Corbin any tax collected there. On March 10, 2008, the City Commission voted to file a lawsuit against Knox County to receive a portion of the tax collected within city limits. On May 23, 2014, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled that the "Stivers amendment", passed as part of KY HB 499 "Tax Amnesty" legislation in 2012, did not violate the state's constitution. The measure essentially canceled the effect of court rulings that would have enabled Corbin to keep all the revenue from the tax generated inside the city limits. Corbin's mayor, Willard McBurney, vowed to carry the fight to the state Supreme Court. Corbin is in

Kentucky's 5th congressional district Kentucky's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in the heart of Appalachia in Southeastern Kentucky, the rural district is the second most impoverished district in the nation and, as of ...

Education

Corbin, like many communities of its size in southeastern Kentucky, has an independent school system (in Kentucky, a

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

system not affiliated with a county; most such districts are associated with individual cities). The district was officially established in 1916, and the 100th class graduated in 2017. The Corbin Independent School District includes: * Corbin Preschool Center * Corbin Primary (grades K-2) * Corbin Elementary (grades 3–5) (Currently housed by the newest building in the district after a complete remodeling of the former Middle School. * Corbin Middle (grades 6–8) * Corbin High (grades 9–12) (Currently housed by the oldest building in the district) * Corbin Vocational School The community and school system place considerable emphasis on the success of academics and high school athletic teams. Corbin "Redhound" sports are important social events within the community. In 2004,

Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. As a regional comprehensive institution, EKU also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, Lancaster, and Manchester and offers over 40 online un ...

opened an extension campus in Corbin. The annual ''Battle for the Brass Lantern'', a college football rivalry game between the

University of the Cumberlands The University of the Cumberlands is a private Christian university in Williamsburg, Kentucky. About 18,000 students are enrolled at the university. History University of the Cumberlands, first called Williamsburg Institute, was founded on Janu ...

and

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

, was played at Corbin High School's stadium in 2006 and 2007, as a neutral field roughly equidistant from the two campuses. The rivalry dates to 1905. Corbin was formerly home to

Saint Camillus Academy Saint Camillus Academy was a Catholic school located in Corbin, Kentucky, established in 1908 by the Sisters of Divine Providence with the help of the Diocese of Covington. The school originally served students in grades 1-12 and included boarding ...

, a private pre-K-8 Catholic school affiliated with the Diocese of Lexington. Established in 1908 by the Sisters of Divine Providence, the school has been successful as both a boarding school for national and international students and as a

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

school. Its original schoolhouse, built in 1913, was demolished in summer 2008. The new school building is still situated atop a prominent hill overlooking the town, providing a striking backdrop to the streets of downtown Corbin. The school closed in 2012 after 99 years of service. The property and grounds of the school were sold to the Corbin School System to house a new Corbin Middle School due to the rapidly increasing student population and age of the current building. Corbin has a

lending library A lending library is a library from which books and other media are lent out. The major classifications are endowed libraries, institutional libraries (the most diverse), public libraries, and subscription libraries. It may also refer to a librar ...

, the Corbin Public Library.

Transportation

Corbin straddles

and U.S. Highway 25 (which splits into US 25E and US 25W in North Corbin). The town is served by the

rail line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

Sites of interest

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is a park located just southwest of Corbin, Kentucky and is contained entirely within the Daniel Boone National Forest. The park encompasses and is named for its major feature, Cumberland Falls. The falls are ...

, the site of a waterfall, one of the few in the Western Hemisphere that regularly produces a

moonbow A moonbow (also known as a moon rainbow or lunar rainbow) is a rainbow produced by moonlight rather than direct sunlight. Other than the difference in the light source, its formation is the same as for a solar rainbow: It is caused by the refract ...

, is to the southwest. *

Harland Sanders Café and Museum The Harland Sanders Café is a historic restaurant located in North Corbin, Kentucky. Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, operated the restaurant from 1940 to 1956. Sanders also developed the famous KFC secret recipe a ...

, the birthplace of

(though not sold as the KFC/Kentucky Fried Chicken brand at the time), is located in North Corbin. The restaurant and accompanying museum are popular with tour groups traveling along

. * The Arena at the Southeastern Kentucky Ag and Expo Complex, a multi-purpose venue on top of a hill across from the Baptist Regional Medical Center, sits above the Corbin Center. This multi-purpose education center also houses the Corbin Tourism office. * Nearby

Laurel River Lake Laurel River Lake, located west of Corbin, Kentucky, in the U.S., is a reservoir built in 1977 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Laurel River, a tributary of the Cumberland River, in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The lake covers par ...

, created by the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

in 1974, is a popular recreational site for

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

, and

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

. *

Cumberland Gap The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its rol ...

and

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, centered on the Cumberland Gap, a natural break in the Appalachian Mountains. The park lies ...

are about south of Corbin on U.S. Highway 25E at the

border.

Media

Newspapers

* The '' Times-Tribune'', a Tuesday And Thursday newspaper * '' News Journal'', weekly newspaper covering both Corbin (headquarters) and the

Whitley County, Kentucky Whitley County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,712. Its county seat is at Williamsburg, though the largest city is Corbin, and the county's District Court ...

, area including Williamsburg

Radio

* WCTT AM 680 (Great 68; Oldies) * WKDP AM 1330 * WEKF FM 88.5 (Eastern Ky Univ. affiliate) * WVCT FM 91.5 (Gospel Eagle; Southern Gospel) * WKDP FM 99.5 (Country) * WCTT FM 107.3 (T-107; Adult Contemporary) * WRHR-LPFM 95.3 (also known as Corbin's Own Red 95.3; broadcast by Corbin High School)

TV

* WVTN (Channel 22 Time Warner Cable) - religious; broadcast from Corbin with local and regional churches and religious syndicated programs part of the radio station WVCT 91.5 * RBS (Channel 18 Time Warner Cable) - Corbin school district information broadcasting the WRHR radio station Red 95.3 * YHC (Channel 21 on Time Warner Cable) - broadcasts local and regional business infomercials and runs on-screen ads playing Contemporary Christian Music

Notable people

Rodger Bird Rodger Paul Bird (July 2, 1943 – May 16, 2020) was an American professional American football, football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL). He was with the Raiders from 1966 through 1968 and played defensive b ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player * Ensley A. Carpenter, doctor, once lived in Corbin, for whom the town of Carpenter, Kentucky was named * Ted Cremer, football player *

Debbie Dean Debra "Debbie" Dean is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Jodi Albert. She first appeared in 2002, before Albert quit the role in 2004. She made her final appearance during 2005, before making a ...

, pop singer, first white solo artist signed to

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

Roy Kidd Roy Kidd (born December 4, 1931) is a former collegiate football league player and coach. He served as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University from 1964 to 2002, compiling a record of 314–124–8. Kidd's Eastern Kentucky Colonels won N ...

, retired football coach, member of the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

, former head coach of

football; was born, raised, and currently resides here * Arthur Lake, actor who played Dagwood Bumstead in the ''Blondie'' movies *

Ronni Lundy Ronni Lundy (born 1949) is an author and editor in the U.S. whose work focuses on traditional American foods and music. Her books include ''Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken: The Heart and Soul of Southern Country Kitchens'' (Atla ...

, food and music writer, cookbook author, and Southern Foodways Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award winner *

George McAfee George Anderson McAfee (March 13, 1918 – March 4, 2009) was an American professional football player who was a back for the Chicago Bears from 1940 to 1941 and 1945 to 1950 in the National Football League (NFL). As an undergraduate at Du ...

, WW2 Veteran, football player, NFL Hall of Fame inductee. *

Dan Neal Dan Neal (born August 30, 1949) is a former American Football player who played offensive line for eleven seasons between 1973 and 1983 for the Baltimore Colts and the Chicago Bears. He was named offensive line coach in 2007 for Texas vs. Th ...

, football player *

Colonel Harland Sanders Colonel Harland David Sanders (September 9, 1890 December 16, 1980) was an American businessman, best known for founding fast food chicken restaurant chain KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken (also known as KFC) and later acting as the company's brand ...

, entrepreneur and founder of

restaurant chain *

Frank Selvy Franklin Delano Selvy (born November 9, 1932) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player who is best known for holding the record for the most points (100) in a Division I college basketball game. Born in Corbin, Kentucky ...

, basketball player *

B. F. Shelton Benjamin Frank Shelton (January 1, 1902 – February 28, 1963) was an American singer and banjoist who recorded a number of songs for Victor Records at the Bristol sessions in Bristol, Tennessee on July 29, 1927. Shelton traveled from Corbin, K ...

, old-timey banjo player *

Jarrett Stidham Jarrett Ryan Stidham (born August 8, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). After transferring from Baylor, he played college football at Auburn and was selected by the New Engl ...

, quarterback for

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

and the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. *

Trent Taylor Trent Nelson Taylor (born April 30, 1994) is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana Tech and was drafted by the San Francisco 49e ...

, NFL wide receiver for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

and

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, in

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

for

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

, lived in Corbin as a child, from age 2 through the end of

second grade Second grade (also called grade two, corresponding to Year 3 in the United Kingdom) is a year of primary education in Canada and the United States. Second grade is the second year of primary school. Children are usually aged 7–8 at this grade ...

Mabel Martin Wyrick Mabel Martin Wyrick (9 March 1913 – 12 October 2003) was an American writer. Her published books include ''If Quilts Could Talk... I'd Listen'', ''Tales of the Rails'', ''How to Bury a Drifter'', ''The Ultimate Irony'', ''Factual Folklore'', ...

, writer

References

External links

City of Corbin

Corbin Economic Development Agency

Corbin Independent School District
* ;Historical

"Kentucky Town Re-Examines Its Racial History"
''

Weekend Edition Saturday ''Weekend Edition'' is a set of American radio news magazine programs produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR). It is the weekend counterpart to the NPR radio program ''Morning Edition''. It consists of ''Weekend Edition Saturday'' ...

'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, March 10, 2007 {{authority control Cities in Kentucky Cities in Knox County, Kentucky Cities in Whitley County, Kentucky Sundown towns in Kentucky