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Kentucky

Pendleton County

Pendleton County was created from parts of Campbell and Bracken counties in 1798. The county was named after Edmund Pendleton who was a longtime member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the Continental Congress and a former chief justice of Virginia. Falmouth, the future (and current) county seat originally began as a settlement called Forks of Licking in 1776. With a total population count of 14, 877, the county has a total area of 282 square miles.

 

Perry County

Perry County was formed from portions of Floyd and Clay counties in 1824. The county was named after former naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry. Perry County is well known for its logging and coal mining industries in fact, one of the original coal mine sites is the Blue Diamond mining site which is a mile or two down the road from one the areas known as Sandy Hill.  With Perry County having a total area of 343 square miles, there is a population count of almost 29,000.

 

Pike County

Pike County was founded in 1821 and is the states easternmost county. It is also the state’s largest county in terms of land area. Pike County is the 11th largest county in Kentucky in terms of population which is preceded by Bullitt County and then followed by Christian Coutny. Pike County is Kentucky’s third-largest banking center, with financial institutions and holding companies having more than $1 billion in assets. Pike County is the seventy-first Kentucky county in order of creation. The county was also named after a former American Brigadier General, Zebulon Pike who also had Pikes Peak in Colorado named after as well. Mentioning earlier that the county was the state’s largest in terms of land area, it has a total area of 789 square miles with a population count of 65,024.

 

Powell County

The county was formed on January 7, 1852, by former Kentucky Governor, Lazarus W. Powell (whom the county was named after) from parts of Clark, Estill, and Montgomery counties. Powell County is home to Natural Bridge State Resort Park and the Red River Gorge which are two of Kentucky’s most important natural areas and ecotourism destinations. No to mention the third being the Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve. While the county has a total area of 180 square miles, it also has a population count of 12,613.

 

Pulaski County

The county was founded in December 1798 from land given by Lincoln and Green counties and was named for Polish patriot Count Kazimierz Pulaski. Some recent history about the county, in the early 2010s, Lake Cumberland’s water level rose to its normal level after its drastic fall (which caused a drought in Pulaski County’s economy) and Somerset and Burnside went “wet”. Also, the area of downtown Burnside took a dramatic hit in its economy due to a severe drop in tourism percentage, causing businesses like the Seven Gables Motel to close their doors for good. With the county having a total area of 677 square miles, the population count is at 63,063 residents.

 

Robertson County

Robertson County was formed on February 11, 1867, from portions of Bracken, Harrison, Mason and, Nicholas counties. It was named after George Robertson who was a judge and member of Congress. With the county seat being Mt. Olivet, the county has a total area of 100 square miles and the population count being at only 2,282 residents.

 

Rockcastle County

The county was founded in 1810 and was named for the Rockcastle River which runs through it. The river, in turn, is named for its majestic rock cliffs. Rockcastle county is surrounded by Madison, Jackson, Garrard, Lincoln, Pulaski and, Laurel counties and the coutny seat is Mt. Vernon. With the county having a total area of 318 square miles, it has a population count of 17,056.

 

Rowan County

The county was created in 1856 from parts of Fleming and Morgan counties and named after John Rowan, who represented Kentucky in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Its county seat is Morehead. In some interesting history, it is believed that Rowan County was first explored by those of European descent in 1773 by a party of surveyors from Pennsylvania. The first settlement was established in Farmers, which was a town about 10 miles west of Morehead. With a population count of 23,333 residents, the county has a total area of 286 square miles.

 

Map of Kentucky highlighting Rowan County

Russell County

The county was formed on December 14, 1825, from portions of Adair, Cumberland and, Wayne counties and is named for William Russell. Russell was a soldier, pioneer and, resident of both Kentucky and Virginia who was born on March 6, 1758 and passed away on July 3, 1825. Russell county is home to the Wolf Creek Dam which impound both the Cumberland River and Lake Cumberland. The county has a total area of 283 square miles with a population count of 17, 565 residents.

 

Map of Kentucky highlighting Russell County

Scott County

On June 1, 1792, when the state of Kentucky came into existence, an early act of the new state legislature was to divide Woodford County into two counties. One of those counties became Scott County, named after former General Charles Scott in the Revolutionary War, who would later serve as Kentucky’s fourth governor from 1808 to 1812. Its area was taken from the existing Woodford County. With Scott County having a total area of 285 square miles, it has a total count of 47,173 residents calling it home.

 

Map of Kentucky highlighting Scott County