South Williamson is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

of northeastern Pike County,

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, on the border with

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. It is separated from

Williamson, West Virginia Williamson is a city in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mingo County, and is the county's largest and most populous city. Willia ...

by the

Tug Fork River The Tug Fork is a tributary of the Big Sandy River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 13, 2011 in southwestern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia, and eastern ...

. The community is located near

U.S. Route 119 U.S. Route 119 (US 119) is a spur of US 19. It is a north–south route (on a northeast-southwest alignment) that was an original United States highway of 1926. It is Corridor G of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) east of US ...

about east of

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. During the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population within Pikeville's city limits was 7,754. In Kentucky's current city classification sys ...

and southwest of

Logan, West Virginia Logan is a city in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 1,438 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Logan County. History What is now Logan was initially called "Islands of the Guyandot" ...

. The South Williamson area includes the surrounding Kentucky communities of Goody, Forest Hills, Toler, and Belfry. In the early 1990s, residents of the area voted down a proposal to

incorporate Incorporation may refer to: * Incorporation (business), the creation of a corporation * Incorporation of a place, creation of municipal corporation such as a city or county * Incorporation (academic), awarding a degree based on the student having ...

the area. The local economy is largely fueled by coal mining, transportation, health care, and retail.

History

In the late 19th century, Pike County and bordering

Mingo County, West Virginia Mingo County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,568. Its county seat and largest city is Williamson. Created in 1895, Mingo is West Virginia's newest county, named for the historic Iroq ...

provided the setting for the Hatfield-McCoy feud, a bitter feud waged between two feuding families between 1878 and 1891 that has become American history.

Flooding

South Williamson is protected by a floodwall, built by the

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

in response to a devastating flood along the Tug Fork River in 1977. There have only been two uses of the gates thus far; the first occurred in 2002 during a major flood in the region, and the second in 2003, due to anticipation of the rising river getting higher.

Geography

South Williamson is located at (37.67059, -82.28465).

Demographics

Healthcare

South Williamson is the location of Appalachian Regional Healthcare's Tug Valley Regional Medical Center.

Schools

*Belfry Elementary *Belfry Middle *

Belfry High School Belfry High School is a high school in Belfry, Kentucky, United States. The school is located in the northeastern region of Pike County, approximately 22 miles northeast of Pikeville, Kentucky and 1 mile south of Williamson, West Virginia. The sch ...

References

External links

WYMT NEWSAppalachian News ExpressARH HOSPITAL South Williamson
Census-designated places in Pike County, Kentucky Census-designated places in Kentucky {{PikeCountyKY-geo-stub