South Williamson is a

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

of northeastern

Pike County, Kentucky Pike County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 58,669. Its county seat is Pikeville, Kentucky, Pikeville. The county was founded in 1821. It is ...

, United States, on the border with

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. It is separated from Williamson, West Virginia 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 easter ...

. The community is located near U.S. Route 119 about east of

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 7,754 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. Pikeville serves as a regional eco ...

and southwest of

Logan, West Virginia Logan is a city in Logan County, West Virginia, 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 c ...

. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined that community as a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(CDP). The South Williamson area includes the surrounding Kentucky communities of Goody, Forest Hills, Toler, and Belfry. In 1990s, residents of the area voted down a proposal to incorporate the area. Another incorporation attempt was proposed in 2015, and the name ''Johnsonville'' was proposed for the new incorporated town. The local economy is largely fueled by coal mining, transportation, health care, and retail. Southside Mall is located in South Williamson.

History

In the late 19th century, Pike County and bordering Mingo County, West Virginia 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 in response to a devastating flood along the Tug Fork River in 1977. There have only been three uses of the gates thus far; the first occurred in 2002 during a major flood in the region, the second in 2003, due to anticipation of the rising river getting higher, and the third occurring in 2025 when another major flood struck the town causing the Tug Fork to crest at levels not seen since the 1984 flood. Areas just outside of the floodwall in South Williamson were devastated by river water rushing into homes and businesses in and around the South Williamson area. The area's regional hospital, ARH Regional Medical Center was 4 feet shy of being devastated by the flood due to water getting dangerously close to overtopping the floodwall around the hospital.

Healthcare

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

Schools

*Belfry Elementary *Belfry Middle * Belfry High School

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