Pikeville () is a city in and the

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 st ...

Pike County, Kentucky Pike County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 58,669. Its county seat is Pikeville. The county was founded in 1821. With regard to the sale of alcohol, it is classified as a moist county–– ...

, United States. During the

2020 U.S. Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the population within Pikeville's city limits was 7,754. In Kentucky's current city classification system, Pikeville is a home rule-class city, a category that includes all of the state's more than 400 cities except for the two largest,

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

and Lexington.

History

On March 25, 1822, state officials decided to build a new county seat named "

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

", below the mouth of the

Russell Fork River The Russell Fork, 1975 Board on Geographic Names decision is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 13, 2011 tributary of the Levisa Fork in southwestern Virginia and south ...

. Public disapproval of the site led a new decision on December 24, 1823, to establish the county seat on land donated by local farmer Elijah Adkins. This settlement was established as the town of Pike after the

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

in 1824. This was changed in 1829 to Piketon and the town was incorporated under that name in 1848. In 1850, this was changed to the present Pikeville. Pikeville was host to a part of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, and patriarch

Randall McCoy Randolph "Randall" or "Ole Ran'l" McCoy (October 30, 1825 – March 28, 1914) was the patriarch of the McCoy clan involved in the infamous American Hatfield–McCoy feud. He was born the fourth of thirteen children to Daniel McCoy (1790–1885) a ...

as well as his wife and daughter are buried on a hillside overlooking the town.Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names''
p. 233
University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Retrieved September 27, 2013. The

National Civic League The National Civic League is an American nonpartisan, non-profit organization founded in 1894 with a mission to advance civic engagement to create equitable, thriving communities. The League envisions a country where the full diversity of communi ...

designated Pikeville as an

All-American City The All-America City Award is a community recognition program in the United States given by the National Civic League. The award recognizes the work of communities in using inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stronge ...

in 1965. From 1973 to 1987, the

Pikeville Cut-Through The Pikeville Cut-Through is a rock cut in Pikeville, Kentucky, Pikeville, Kentucky, United States, created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through which passes a four-lane divided highway (Corridor B, numbered as U.S. Route 23 in Kentucky, ...

was constructed immediately west of downtown. The massive

rock cut Drilling and blasting is the controlled use of explosives and other methods, such as gas pressure blasting pyrotechnics, to break rock for excavation. It is practiced most often in mining, quarrying and civil engineering such as dam, tunnel o ...

is one of the largest civil engineering projects in the

western hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...

, moving nearly of soil and rock.Maddox, Connie. The Pikeville Cut-Through Project (brochure). Pikeville-Pike County Tourism. Retrieved May 19, 2014 The project alleviated traffic congestion in downtown and eliminated flooding by rerouting the

Levisa Fork River The Levisa Fork (also known as the Levisa Fork River or the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River) is a tributary of the Big Sandy River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nati ...

. From 1982 to 1984, Pikeville was home to the

Pikeville Cubs The Pikeville Cubs was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Pikeville, Kentucky. From 1982 to 1984, Pikeville teams played as a member of the Rookie level Appalachian League, hosting home games at the Pikeville Athletic ...

and Pikeville Brewers. Pikeville played as a member of the Rookie level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

. Pikeville was an affiliate of the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

(1982) and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

(1983–1984).

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Greg Maddux Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Maddux is best known for his accomplishments while playing for the Atlanta Braves ...

played for the 1984 Pikeville Cubs in his first professional season. The city has been a center of rapid development in

Eastern Kentucky Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

since the 1990s. Pikeville College (now the

University of Pikeville The University of Pikeville (UPIKE) is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Pikeville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1889 by the Presbyterian Church and is located on a campus on a hillside overlooking ...

) opened the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1997.History of Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine
Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine. Retrieved May 20, 2014. The university also opened the Kentucky College of Optometry, the first optometry school in Central Appalachia, in the fall of 2016. In October 2005, the 7,000 seat, multi-purpose Appalachian Wireless Arena opened in downtown.About
Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center. Retrieved May 20, 2014.

Pikeville Medical Center Pikeville Medical Center (formerly known as Pikeville Methodist Hospital) is a 340-bed medical facility located in Pikeville, Kentucky. History Pikeville Medical Center treated its first patient on December 25, 1924. The original facility had 50 ...

has established itself as a regional healthcare center. In 2014, a new 11-story clinic and a 10-story parking structure was completed at a cost of $150 million. The hospital has also become a member of the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

Care Network. In 2013, construction began on a shopping center known as Pikeville Commons. The first stores opened in the shopping center in October 2014. Late 2017 saw several announcements regarding tenants for the recently opened Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park. Following an announcement on October 27, 2017, construction has begun on a 60,000 square foot manufacturing facility to be owned and operated by SilverLiner, whose primary business is expected to be the manufacture and assembly of tanks for tanker trucks. In September 2018, Pikeville's City government was named 2018 KLC City Government of the Year by the Kentucky League of Cities. This was the inaugural year for the award and was intended to recognize "a city that has done something transformational and our first ever recipient certainly demonstrates a city making a huge impact on its region."

Geography

Pikeville is located at (37.477094, −82.530111). According to the

U.S. 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 ...

, the city covers a total land area of , all land. As of March 2009, Pikeville set its new

city limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate limi ...

to be 0.3-mile from its

county line Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

. This significantly affected the city of Coal Run Village, which was previously on the city limit of Pikeville. The city is located 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 ...

, along the

Levisa Fork The Levisa Fork (also known as the Levisa Fork River or the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River) is a tributary of the Big Sandy River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nati ...

of the Big Sandy River. The downtown area is built in a narrow valley in a bend of the Levisa Fork that was bypassed in 1987 with the completion of the

, while places such as Weddington Square Plaza are built in a broader part of the river valley.

Climate

Pikeville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 7,754 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 93.8% White, 2.9% Black, 0.5% Native American, 1.3% Asian alone, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from two or more races, and 2.2% Hispanic or Latino. As of the census of 2000, there were 6,295 people, 2,705 households, and 1,563 families living in the city. The population density was 408.0 people per square mile (157.5/km²). There were 2,981 housing units at an average density of 193.2 per square mile (74.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.58%

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 ...

, 2.64%

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 ...

, 0.17% Native American, 1.25%

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 ...

, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 0.25% 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 1.05% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.40% of the population. There were 2,763 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 39.0% 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 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,026, and the median income for a family was $36,792. Males had a median income of $42,298 versus $19,306 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,426. About 21.2% of families and 25.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.7% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Those schools located within the Pikeville city limits include an asterisk. The remainder are located within Pike County and are part of the Pike County Public School System, but outside of the city limits.

Elementary schools

* *Pikeville Elementary School * *St. Francis of Assisi School * Christ Central School * Myra Christian Academy * Mullins Elementary School * Millard Elementary School * Dorton Elementary School * Johns Creek Elementary School * Elkhorn City Elementary School * Kimper Elementary School * Bevins Elementary School * Feds Creek Elementary School * Northpoint Academy * Phelps Day Treatment Center * Phelps Elementary School * Shelby Valley Day Treatment Center * Belfry Elementary School * Valley Elementary School

Middle schools

* *Pikeville Jr. High School * Belfry Middle School * Valley Middles School * Dorton Middle School * Phelps Middle School * Johns Creek School * Mullins Middle School * Elkhorn City Middle School * Feds Creek Middle School * Millard Middle School * Kimper Middle School

High schools

Five high schools are served by the Pikeville post office, but only Pikeville High is located within the city limits. * *Pikeville High School — part of the Pikeville Independent Schools, whose district covers the city proper *

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 ...

— part of the Pike County Public School System *

Pike County Central High School Pike County Central High School (PCCHS) is a public high school located in Pikeville, Kentucky, United States. The school mascot is a hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on a ...

— part of the Pike County Public School System *

Phelps High School Phelps may refer to: Places in the United States * Phelps, Kentucky * Phelps, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Phelps, New York ** Phelps (village), New York * Phelps, Wisconsin, a town ** Phelps (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated ...

— part of the Pike County Public School System * Shelby Valley High School — part of the Pike County Public School System * East Ridge High School — part of the Pike County Public School System

Colleges

, a private 4-year institution affiliated with the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

, is located in Pikeville. The college is one of the smallest in the nation to have an

osteopathic medicine Osteopathy () is a type of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. Practitioners of osteopathy are referred to as osteopaths. Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques in ...

program as part of its curriculum. Founded in May 1996, the

University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine The University of Pikeville - Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (UP-KYCOM) is the medical school of University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Kentucky. UP-KYCOM was established in 1997, grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. It is a ...

is one of three medical schools in the state of

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 ...

. * National College *

Big Sandy Community and Technical College Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) is a public community college with its headquarters in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. It was created in 2003 from the consolidation o ...

Library

A pack horse library was established for library services in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Pikeville 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 ...

, a branch of the Pike County Public Library.

Arts and culture

Hillbilly Days Hillbilly Days is an annual festival that takes place in Pikeville, Kentucky. The festival is hosted by Pikeville it can be as early as the 11th of April and as late as the 21st of April. Each year it brings in over 100,000 people, from all acros ...

is an annual festival held in mid-April in Pikeville, Kentucky celebrating the best of Appalachian culture. The event began by local Shriners as a fundraiser to support the Shriners Children's Hospital. It has grown since its beginning in 1976 and now is the second largest festival held in the state of Kentucky. Artists and craftspeople showcase their talents and sell their works on display. Nationally renowned musicians as well as the best of the regional mountain musicians share six different stages located throughout the downtown area of Pikeville. Want-to-be hillbillies from across the nation compete to come up with the wildest Hillbilly outfit. Fans of "mountain music" come from around the United States to hear this annual concentrated gathering of talent. The festival embraces the area's culture and past through company, music, and costume. The proceeds from the festival go to

Shriners Hospitals for Children Shriners Children's is a network of non-profit medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-center ...

. The festival serves to honor and recognize the heritage of Appalachia, while poking fun at the stereotype associated with the region. In the fall of 2005 the Appalachian Wireless Arena opened in downtown Pikeville. The center, which seats 7,000, features numerous events including world-renowned concerts and shows. The city is also home to the Pikeville Concert Association which secures renowned cultural events for the area. These events usually take place at Booth Auditorium on the campus of the

. The Appalachian Center for the Arts is a 200-seat indoor professional theater located in downtown Pikeville. The Hatfield and McCoy River Trails, located on the Levisa Fork River, opened on April 26, 2014.

Alltech Alltech is an American company, headquartered in Nicholasville, Kentucky, with operations in animal feed, meat, brewing, and distilling. Alltech develops agricultural products for use in both livestock and crop farming, as well as products for the ...

of Lexington completed construction of a distillery, brewery and visitors center known as Dueling Barrels Brewery & Distillery which opened in downtown in 2018. The name was inspired by the Hatfield-McCoy Feud, and the tour includes story tellers describing those events in addition to an explanation of the brewing and distilling processes.

Sister cities

Ankang Ankang () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shaanxi Province in the People's Republic of China, bordering Hubei province to the east, Chongqing municipality to the south, and Sichuan province to the southwest. History The settl ...

, Shaanxi, ChinaInteractive City Directory
Sister Cities International. Retrieved May 20, 2014. *

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

, Ireland *

Doylestown, Pennsylvania Doylestown is a borough and the county seat of Bucks County in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Trenton, north of Center City, Philadelphia, southeast of Allentown, and southwest of New York City. As of the 2020 cen ...

Notable people

Woody Blackburn Woody T. Blackburn (born July 26, 1951) is an American former professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s. Blackburn was born in Pikeville, Kentucky. He attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where ...

, professional golfer *

Robert Damron Robert Douglas Damron (born October 27, 1972) is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour. He is a studio analyst for the Golf Channel. Damron was born in Pikeville, Kentucky and raised there and later in Orlando, Florida ...

, professional golfer *

Murray Garvin Murray Garvin is an American college basketball coach, formerly the head coach for South Carolina State University. He became head coach when previous head coach Tim Carter (basketball), Tim Carter resigned midway through the 2012–2013 season. ...

, basketball head coach,

South Carolina State University South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a mem ...

men's basketball * Ryan Hall, American YouTuber, and Internet personality *

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

, country music singer * John W. Langley, American politician *

Katherine G. Langley Katherine Emeline Langley (née Gudger; February 14, 1888 – August 15, 1948) was an American politician. Langley was a member of United States House of Representatives from Kentucky during the 70th United States Congress, Seventieth and 71st ...

, American politician *

Jerry Layne Jerry Blake Layne (born September 28, 1958) is an American umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the National League between 1989 and 1999, and throughout both major leagues since 2000. He wore uniform number 24 in the NL, but when M ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

umpire * Randolph (Randall) McCoy, Patriarch of McCoy family during the Hatfield-McCoy Feud * Mark Reynolds, baseball player for

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

John Paul Riddle John Paul Riddle (May 19, 1901 – April 6, 1989) was an American pilot and aviation pioneer, best known for training Allied air crews in WW2 and co-founding what later became Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). Personal life Born on ...

, self taught aviator and co-founder of Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University * Jack Smith, baseball player for

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Effie Waller Smith Effie Waller Smith (January 6, 1879 – January 2, 1960) was an African-American poet of the early twentieth century. Her published output consisted of three volumes of poetry: ''Songs of the Month'' (1904), ''Rhymes From the Cumberland'' (1904 ...

, poet * Preston Spradlin, basketball head coach, Morehead State *

Jonny Venters Jonathan William Venters (born March 20, 1985) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals. Career Minor leagues Venters was ...

, baseball player for

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album '' Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerab ...

, country singer-songwriter, actor, and film director

References

External links

City websiteCity Tourism websiteCity Economic Development websiteUniversity of PikevilleAppalachian News-ExpressPikeville Independent Schools
{{authority control * 1823 establishments in Kentucky Cities in Kentucky Cities in Pike County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Eastern Kentucky Coalfield Populated places established in 1823