Martin County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,287. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Inez. The county was founded in 1870 and is named for Congressman John Preston Martin.

History

Martin County was formed in 1870, and named for congressman John Preston Martin. The county seat was initially located in Warfield, but was moved to Inez due to its more central location in the county. The county has long been reliant on the

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

industry. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson visited Inez, where he announced the launch of the War on Poverty.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water. The county's eastern border is formed by the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River.

Adjacent counties

* Lawrence County (northwest) * Wayne County, West Virginia (northeast) * Mingo County, West Virginia (southeast) * Pike County (south) * Floyd County (southwest) * Johnson County (west)

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 12,578 people, 4,776 households, and 3,620 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 5,551 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 99.25%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.03%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.06% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.01% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 4,776 households, out of which 39.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were non-families. 21.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.30% 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 3.05. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.10% under the age of 18; 9.50% from 18 to 24; 29.30% from 25 to 44; 23.30% from 45 to 64; and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $18,279, and the median income for a family was $21,574. Males had a median income of $31,994 versus $18,011 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $10,650. About 33.30% of families and 37.00% 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 45.10% of those under age 18 and 26.90% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Elected officials

Economy

The

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...

U.S. Penitentiary, Big Sandy is located in unincorporated Martin County, near Inez.Institution Supplement
" United States Penitentiary, Big Sandy. 2 (2/18). Retrieved on February 21, 2011. "USP Big Sandy is located at 1197 Airport Rd, Inez, Kentucky." and "Directions from Interstate 64: From the following areas: Ashland, KY, Huntington, WV, and the Ohio area, travel Interstate 64 to Kentucky Exit 191 to Route 23 South. Follow 23 South for approximately 38 miles until you reach Route 645. Turn left onto Route 645 South and travel approximately 11 miles until you reach Route 3. Turn right onto Route 3 and travel for approximately 10 miles until you reach Airport Road. Turn left onto Airport Road and follow signs to the institution." They are 3 industrial parks located in Martin County. They are the Honey Branch Industrial Park, The Calloway Industrial Park and the John Callahan Industrial Park * Honey Branch Industrial Park is an industrial park that is run by 4 different counties in the region. The major tenants are the Big Sandy Regional Airport. The

U.S. Penitentiary, Big Sandy. Core Energy Corporation, Consolidated Pipe and Supply, Boxvayna, Appleatcha Apple Orchard, CZAR Coal and Offices for Booth Energy and subsidies * Calloway Industrial Park is pretty much abandoned. There was a Dirt Race Track and a Machine Shop. Mostly just houses and 1 water tank * John B Callahan Industrial Park is home to C&S Vaults and the Martin County Board of Education Transportation Garage and Maintenance Department.

Coal companies in Martin County

* Alliance Resource PartnersAlliance Resource Partners, L.P. » Central Appalachia
* Excel Coal Corporation * Booth Energy * CZAR Energy

Education

The

Martin County School System The Martin County School System in a United States school district located in Martin County, Kentucky. The superintendent is Larry James. The district headquarters is in Inez, Kentucky, Inez. Schools Secondary schools: *Martin County High Sc ...

operates public schools. * Martin County High School * Martin County Area Technology Center * Martin County Middle School * Eden Elementary School * Inez Elementary School * Warfield Elementary School * Martin County Head Start There is one private Christian school located in Martin County * Sure Foundations Christian Academy There is one Private Vocational School located in Martin County * TEK Center

Communities

Cities

* Inez (county seat) * Warfield

Unincorporated communities

Beauty Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...

* Job * Lovely * Laura *

Pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...

References

External links

The Kentucky Highlands Project

Sandy Valley Transportation Services, Inc.
{{Coord, 37.80, -82.52, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-KY_source:UScensus1990 Kentucky counties 1870 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1870