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Whitesburg is a home rule-class city in and the
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 ...
of Letcher County,
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 ...
, United States. The population was at the 2020 census and an estimated 1,711 in 2022. It was named for John D. White, a state politician and Speaker of the United States House.


History

Whitesburg was founded in 1842 on land offered by Stephen Hiram Hogg to build the county seat. Previously called Summit city, it was renamed for John D. White who had introduced Letcher county's enactment bill in the
State legislature A state legislature is a Legislature, legislative branch or body of a State (country subdivision), political subdivision in a Federalism, federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of ...
.


Geography

Whitesburg is located in central Letcher County at (37.117867, -82.821068) in the valley of the North Fork of the
Kentucky River The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River in Kentucky, United States. The river and its tributaries drain much of eastern and central Kentucky, passing through the Eastern Coalfield, the Cumberland Mountains, and the Bluegrass re ...
, west of the border of Kentucky and
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. Kentucky Route 15 passes through the city, leading northwest to
Hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...
. It has its eastern terminus in the east part of Whitesburg at U.S. Route 119. US 119 leads northeast to U.S. Route 23 at Jenkins and southwest over Pine Mountain to
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
. 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 ...
, Whitesburg has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.23%, are water.


Climate

Whitesburg is located within a climatic transition zone between the
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
and the
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
zones. Summers are hot, humid and wet. July is the warmest month, with an average high of and an average low of . Winters are generally cool to cold, with occasional snowfall. January is the coldest month, with an average high of and an average low of . May receives the most precipitation with an average of . The highest recorded temperature was in 1998, and the lowest recorded temperature was in 1996.


Demographics

According to 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 1,600 people, 642 households, and 412 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 733 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.19%
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 ...
, 0.62%
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 ...
, 2.62% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.50% 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 0.56% of the population. There were 642 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% 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, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males. As a result of a survey taken subsequent to the census it was established that the city's population was made up of 3,100 residents. 1,241 households were left out of the census because neither the residents of Whitesburg's Housing Project nor residents of the Letcher Manor Nursing Home were counted in the census. When these facilities are included in the population count the number of city residents climbs to 3,100. The median income for a household in the city was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $35,714. Males had a median income of $31,339 versus $25,478 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 city was $20,202. About 22.0% of families and 23.1% 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 27.2% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Whitesburg 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 Letcher County Library. Letcher County Public Schools is based in Whitesburg. The district operates seven schools, one high school, one alternative education center, and an area technology center. Whitesburg has two schools located within the city limits, Whitesburg Elementary and Whitesburg Middle, as well as Letcher County Central High School, which is located just outside the city limits in the neighboring community of Ermine.


Media

Whitesburg's major newspaper is ''
The Mountain Eagle ''The Mountain Eagle'' is a 1926 silent film, and Alfred Hitchcock's second as director, following '' The Pleasure Garden''. The film, a romantic drama set in Kentucky, is about a widower ( Bernhard Goetzke) who jealously competes with his cri ...
''. Founded by Nehemiah Webb in 1907, the weekly paper has been owned by the Gish family of Letcher County since 1956. The ''Eagle'' has won numerous awards for its coverage of
strip mining Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which ...
and its environmental effects, as well as
education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
, and
political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...
.E. Ky. newsman Tom Gish dead at 82
''
Lexington Herald-Leader The ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' is a newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the ''1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook'', the paid circulation of the ''Herald-Leader'' is the second larg ...
''. Retrieved on November 21, 2008.
Whitesburg's oldest continuously operating radio station, WTCW-AM/ WXKQ-FM, is located outside the city near the community of Mayking. The license holder is T.C.W. Broadcasting, Inc. and is one of 18 radio stations owned and operated by Forcht Broadcasting, a Forcht Group of Kentucky company. The public radio station licensed for Whitesburg, WMMT, is located at Appalshop in downtown Whitesburg.


Arts and culture

Whitesburg is the home of Appalshop, a nonprofit aimed at helping people tell stories and educate others about Appalachia. * Country Music Highway Road Rally - This antique car rally begins at Greenup, Kentucky, traverses the length of U.S. 23 in Kentucky, and ends at Whitesburg. Held during the peak color season in October, the rally draws sightseers from around the nation. Every county along the route is the home of at least one country music artist. * Cowan Creek Mountain Music School - A set of week-long intensive classes in banjo, guitar, fiddle, square dance, storytelling and singing. The school is held in late June at the community of Cowan and in Whitesburg. It is open to children and adults. * Letcher County Marching Invitational - On the last Saturday of October, the Letcher County Central High School Marching Band hosts a day of competition for marching bands from southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and northeast Tennessee. The contest has brought in groups from five states. * Riverside Days, formally Jenkins Days, is a three-day event held at Riverside Park in Whitesburg, next to the hospital. The festival includes country headliners, sponsored by Jenkins Festival Committee, Inc. and Coca-Cola; Mountain Outreach Idol; local performers; bluegrass; Gospel; Rock; Country; food and craft booths; rides; a mechanical bull; bungee jump; prizes and fun. * The Mountain Heritage Festival - Fall festival held annually the last weekend of September. The festival features talent shows, concerts, arts and crafts, food booths, a parade, and window display competition.


Notable people

* Margaret Katherine Banks, 26th president of
Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
and the former dean of the College of Engineering *
Harry M. Caudill Harry Monroe Caudill (May 3, 1922 – November 29, 1990) was an American author, historian, lawyer, legislator, and environmentalist from Whitesburg, Kentucky, in the Central Appalachian coalfield. Biography Caudill served in World War I ...
, author, historian, professor, lawyer, legislator, and environmentalist, 1922–1990 * Jessamyn Duke, Former martial arts fighter and Former professional wrestler who competed in
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
from 2018 to 2021 * Emery L. Frazier, mayor, state representative, Chief Clerk of the
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
, Secretary of the U.S. Senate, 1896–1973 * Tom Gish, publisher of ''The Mountain Eagle'' * Goebel Ritter, player for the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
(1948–1951), and assistant superintendent of Whitesburg schools * Lee Sexton, traditional Appalachian banjo musician * Robb Webb, voice artist


References


External links


City of Whitesburg official website

Letcher County Public Schools

''The Kentuckian News'' (Letcher County Edition)

''The Mountain Eagle''
{{authority control * Cities in Letcher County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky Appalachian culture in Kentucky Cities in Kentucky