Floyd County, Kentucky

Floyd County, Kentucky
Floyd County courthouse in Prestonburg, Kentucky
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	1800
Named for	John Floyd (1750–1783), surveyor and pioneer.
Seat	Prestonburg
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	395.46 sq mi (1,024 km²) 394.29 sq mi (1,021 km²) 1.16 sq mi (3 km²), 0.29%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	42,441 108/sq mi (42/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.floydcountykentucky.com

Floyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1800. As of 2000, the population was 42,441. Its county seat is Prestonsburg. The county is named for Colonel John Floyd (1750–1783).

History

On December 13, 1799, the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation to form Floyd County as the 40th county of Kentucky. The county was made from parts of Fleming, Montgomery, and Mason County, Kentucky. The legislation became effective on June 1, 1800. The county was named for James John Floyd. The county seat was Preston's Station, later renamed Prestonsburg. The first court house burned down on April 8, 1808, destroying all the early records, so the earliest records of government activity come from the year 1808. Prestonsburg was used as a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War and two battles took place nearby: the Battle of Ivy Mountain on November 8, 1861 and the Battle of Middle Creek on January 10, 1862. Both were Union victories.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 395.46 square miles (1,024.2 km²), of which 394.29 square miles (1,021.2 km²) (or 99.70%) is land and 1.16 square miles (3.0 km²) (or 0.29%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Johnson County (north)
• Martin County (northeast)
• Pike County (east)
• Knott County (southwest)
• Magoffin County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	3,485		—
1820	8,207		135.5%
1830	4,347		−47.0%
1840	6,302		45.0%
1850	5,714		−9.3%
1860	6,388		11.8%
1870	7,877		23.3%
1880	10,176		29.2%
1890	11,256		10.6%
1900	15,552		38.2%
1910	18,623		19.7%
1920	27,427		47.3%
1930	41,942		52.9%
1940	52,986		26.3%
1950	53,500		1.0%
1960	41,642		−22.2%
1970	35,889		−13.8%
1980	48,764		35.9%
1990	43,586		−10.6%
2000	42,441		−2.6%
http://ukcc.uky.edu/~census/21071.txt

Coal mining has always been a major industry in Floyd County.

As of the census of 2000, there were 42,441 people, 16,881 households, and 12,272 families residing in the county. The population density was 108 per square mile (42 /km²). There were 18,551 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.73% White, 1.29% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The Kentucky Melungeons live primarily in Floyd and Magoffin counties, especially in a valley known as Big Lick in Floyd County.

There were 16,881 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,168, and the median income for a family was $25,717. Males had a median income of $30,242 versus $20,569 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,442. About 26.90% of families and 30.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.80% of those under age 18 and 20.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Allen Betsy Layne

Martin Prestonsburg

Wayland Wheelwright

David Drift

Education

The county's public schools are operated by the Floyd County Public Schools board.

Presidential elections

Floyd County is traditionally a Democratic county. The county gave Bill Clinton over 65% in both 1992 and 1996 while George W. Bush never received more than 38% of the county's vote. That stated, in 2008 it went for the Republican candidate for the first time in at least 48 years. As part of Kentucky's 5th congressional district it has been represented by Republican Hal Rogers since 1981.

See also

• Big Sandy Area Development District
• East Kentucky Science Center
• Eula Hall
• James John Floyd
• Samuel May House
• Mountain Arts Center
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Floyd County, Kentucky

Notable native

• Bette Henritze, stage, film and TV actress, was born on May 23, 1924 at Betsy Lane.

External links

• Floyd County Times
• Floyd County Chamber of Commerce website
• The Kentucky Highlands Project
• Sandy Valley Transportation Services, Inc.