Westwood is a census-designated place in

Boyd County, Kentucky Boyd County is a County (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 48,261. The county seat is Catlettsburg, Kentucky, Cat ...

, United States. The population was 4,387 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Ashland, the two areas are closely affiliated, sharing a ZIP code and bus system. Westwood is located on a flat to hilly elevation just west of the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. The flat hilltop is unusual to eastern Kentucky and was created by the preglacial Teays River which existed in ancient times and flowed in the opposite direction of the Ohio River. Westwood is part of the

Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area The Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area is a metropolitan area in the Appalachian Plateau region of the United States. Referred to locally as the "Tri-state area, Tri-State area," and colloquially as "Kyova" (Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia), ...

History

Westwood was developed after 1920 as a planned residential addition to the city of Ashland, but due to its residents' independence,

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

into the city of Ashland has never occurred. Employees of nearby Armco Steel American Rolling Mill Company, now AK Steel employed the majority of homeowners in Westwood. Development took place from 1920 to 1950, although some additions have been made after that period. As the population of Westwood grew, the community was never incorporated as a city. According to U.S. Census Data, it is one of the largest unincorporated communities in the state of Kentucky.

Geography

Westwood is located at (38.482422, -82.678028). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.48%, is water. Westwood is located mostly on a flat ridge west of the

. The southern boundary is the Ashland city limits, and the northern boundary is Hood's Creek. The flat elevation in which Westwood is located was created by the ancient Teays River. The course of the river was altered due to glacial formations around two million years ago. It resulted in many flat hill tops that are commonly found in Boyd and Greenup counties which are evident on aerial satellite imagery. Outside of this ancient river bed, the terrain is "ridge and valley" as is typical in most of

Eastern Kentucky Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *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 192 ...

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 4,888 people, 2,004 households, and 1,468 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,191 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.20%

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 ...

, 0.47%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races.

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 were 0.49% of the population. There were 2,004 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% 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, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.84. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $29,394, and the median income for a family was $36,094. Males had a median income of $30,196 versus $19,938 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 CDP was $18,455. About 9.1% of families and 14.2% 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 20.0% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Westwood has its own school district, the Fairview Independent School District.

References

External links

Ashland Alliance
regional chamber of commerce {{authority control Census-designated places in Boyd County, Kentucky Census-designated places in Kentucky