Magoffin County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in 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 sove ...

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 Virgini ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,333. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Salyersville Salyersville () is a home rule-class city on the Licking River in Magoffin County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. According to the 2010 census, the population was 1,883. History Early history After an attempt a ...

. The county was formed in 1860 from adjacent portions of Floyd,

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

, and

Morgan Morgan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend * Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin * Morgan (singer), ...

Counties. It was named for

Beriah Magoffin Beriah Magoffin (April 18, 1815 – February 28, 1885) was the 21st Governor of Kentucky, serving during the early part of the Civil War. Personally, Magoffin adhered to a states' rights position, including the right of a state to secede from t ...

who was

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...

(1859–62).

History

The area now encompassed by Kentucky's Magoffin County was first bounded in 1772, when all of what is now the state of Kentucky was in the frontier county of Fincastle County, Virginia. Fincastle was divided in 1776, with the western portion named Kentucky County, Virginia. In 1780, the Virginia legislature set aside all land in Kentucky County for soldiers who had served in the Revolutionary War. In 1780, Kentucky County was divided into 3 counties, Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln. Fayette County was divided in 1785, with part becoming Bourbon County. In 1792, the lower part of Bourbon County was partitioned off to form Clark County. The area was further divided in 1796 to form

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Mon ...

, with Fleming County being partitioned from the area in 1798. In 1800, Floyd County was created from portions of Fleming, Mason, and Montgomery Counties. In 1843, Johnson County was carved out of the previous Bath County area, which was created in 1811 from Montgomery County, and which lost a portion of its territory in 1843 for the creation of Johnson County. In 1860, the Kentucky Legislature partitioned parts of Johnson, Floyd, and Morgan Counties, to create Magoffin County. Its boundaries have remained unchanged since that time.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. It is watered by Licking River.

Adjacent counties

* Morgan County (northwest) * Johnson County (northeast) * Floyd County (southeast) * Knott County (south) * Breathitt County (southwest) * Wolfe County (west)

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 13,333 people living in the county. 98.6% were

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 0.7% of two or more races. 0.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). As of the

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 13,332 people, 5,024 households, and 3,858 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was . There were 5,447 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 99.29%

, 0.15%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.02% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races. 0.42% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There is a significant

Melungeon Melungeons ( ) are an ethnicity from the Southeastern United States who descend from Europeans, Native American, and sub-Saharan Africans brought to America as indentured servants and later as slaves. Historically, the Melungeons were associate ...

or mixed race group of

Carmel Indians The Carmel Indians (pronounced ''Car'-mul'') are a group of Melungeons who moved from Magoffin County, Kentucky and lived in Highland County in Ohio. Bryson Gibson and Valentine Collins are ancestors to most of the group. Paternal line descenda ...

in Magoffin County. In a 2007 study by the U.S. Census Bureau, Magoffin County, along with Mitchell County in Iowa, was cited as the U.S. county having the largest percentage of individuals in the demographic category of "Non-Hispanic white alone." There were 5,024 households, out of which 37.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% 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, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.20% were non-families. 21.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $19,421, and the median income for a family was $24,031. Males had a median income of $27,745 versus $18,354 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 county was $10,685. About 31.20% of families and 36.60% 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 ...

, including 45.90% of those under age 18 and 29.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Between 1932 and 2004, Magoffin County generally voted Democratic in presidential elections, however it has voted Republican since then. It voted for Democrat

Andy Beshear Andrew Graham Beshear (born November 29, 1977) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 63rd governor of Kentucky since December 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of the 61st governor of Kentucky, Steve Be ...

for Governor in the 2019 election, but Republican for all other statewide offices.

Economy

The last active coal mine in Magoffin County closed in 2015. In 2022, the TipTop Coal Mine in Magoffin County reopened, making the total of coal mines in the county to 1. Major employers now include several coal truck businesses.

Communities

* Elsie *

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

* Foraker * Fredville * Gunlock * Hendricks * Ivyton * Logville * Royalton *

(county seat) * Sublett * Swampton * Wheelersburg * Wonnie

Notable people

Jimmy Flynt Jimmy Ray Flynt (; born June 20, 1948) is the co-founder of '' Hustler''. Flynt has been tried alongside his brother Larry Flynt (1942–2021) in many battles involving the First Amendment − most notably in 1977 for obscenity charges in Cincinn ...

, co-founder of '' Hustler'' magazine *

Larry Flynt Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as ''Hustler (magazine), Hustler'', pornographic v ...

, publisher of ''Hustler'' magazine

References

External links

Magoffin County Schools

The Magoffin County Historical Society

Sandy Valley Transportation Services, Inc.

Magoffin History & Ancestry
{{Coord, 37.70, -83.06, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-KY_source:UScensus1990 Kentucky counties Counties of Appalachia 1860 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1860