Ashland, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ashland, Kentucky
City
Downtown Ashland in 2019
Flag Logo
Motto(s):  A proud past. A bright future.
Location of Ashland in Boyd County, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky Location in Kentucky Show map of Kentucky Ashland, Kentucky Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Boyd
Settled	Poage's Landing, 1786
Incorporated	Ashland, 1854
Area
• City	10.77 sq mi (27.89 km2)
• Land	10.73 sq mi (27.80 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation	551 ft (168 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	21,625
• Estimate  (2022)	21,342
• Density	2,014.44/sq mi (777.76/km2)
• Metro	376,155 (US: 150th)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	41101, 41102, 41105
Area code(s)	606
FIPS code	21-02368
GNIS feature ID	0486092

Ashland is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. It's the biggest city in Boyd County. Ashland sits on the southern bank of the Ohio River, right where Kentucky meets Ohio and is close to West Virginia.

In 2020, about 21,625 people lived here. Ashland is a main city in the "Tri-State area," which is home to over 376,000 people. It's an important center for jobs and healthcare in northeastern Kentucky.

History of Ashland

Ashland's story began in 1786. The Poage family traveled from the Shenandoah Valley and settled along the Ohio River. They called their new home Poage's Landing.

The community grew slowly, mostly with family members. In 1854, the name was changed to Ashland. This new name came from Henry Clay's estate in Lexington, Kentucky. It also showed that the city was becoming a place for industry.

Ashland's early growth was due to the iron industry in the Ohio Valley. In 1854, the Kentucky Iron, Coal, and Manufacturing Company was started. The city officially became a city in 1856. In the early 1900s, big companies like Armco and Ashland Oil helped the city grow.

Geography and Climate

Downtown Ashland

Ashland is located in a natural area called the Western Allegheny Plateau.

The city covers about 10.77 square miles (27.9 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Cityscape of Ashland

Ashland's main downtown area is between 12th and 18th Streets. It also stretches from Carter Avenue to Greenup Avenue. This area has many old and important buildings. These include the Paramount Arts Center and the Ashland Bank Building. These buildings show the city's history and its hopes for the future.

Ashland's Weather

Ashland has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has warm, humid summers and mild winters. You can clearly see all four seasons here. Fall brings beautiful colorful leaves, and winter sometimes has snow.

The hottest month is July, with an average high of 88°F (31°C). January is the coolest month, with average lows around 19°F (-7°C). The highest temperature ever recorded was 107°F (42°C) in July 1954. The lowest was -25°F (-32°C) in January 1994. The city gets about 42.8 inches (108.7 cm) of rain each year. July is usually the wettest month.

People of Ashland

As of 2021, about 21,476 people lived in Ashland. There were 8,859 households, which are groups of people living together. About 26.8% of these households had children under 18.

The average household had 2.23 people. The average family had 2.82 people. The median age in the city was 41 years old. About 21.9% of the population was under 18.

Ashland's Economy

A large steel mill called Ashland Works opened in 1922. It was owned by American Rolling Mill Co. (ARMCO). This mill grew to be very big, covering 700 acres along the Ohio River. It made a lot of steel and employed about 7,000 people. During World War II, people collected scrap metal to help the plant make more steel.

Later, in 1994, ARMCO Steel worked with Kawasaki Steel Corporation. Eventually, AK Steel bought Armco Steel. At one point, Armco employed over 4,000 people. However, AK Steel closed completely in 2019.

Arts and Culture

The Paramount Arts Center

Annual Events

Ashland hosts many fun events throughout the year:

• Festival of Trees
• Poage Landing Days
• Summer Motion
• Winter Wonderland of Lights
• Firkin Fest (a craft beer festival)
• My Old Kentucky Herf (a cigar festival)

Historical Places and Museums

The Paramount Arts Center is a beautiful old movie theater built in 1930. It's known for its Art Deco style. Today, it's an important place for arts in eastern Kentucky and nearby areas. They have a special "Festival of Trees" event in winter. The Paramount also teaches children about the arts through summer classes.

Also downtown is the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center. It has many exhibits, including one about Country Music. This exhibit celebrates music artists from along U.S. Route 23 in Kentucky. It includes local stars like The Judds from Ashland and Billy Ray Cyrus from nearby Flatwoods.

The Pendleton Art Center opened in 2005. Local artists display their paintings, stained glass, and wood carvings here. You can see their work on the first Friday and Saturday of every month.

The Jesse Stuart Foundation used to be near the Pendleton Arts Center. This group works to save the writings of Jesse Stuart and other writers from the Appalachian region. Jesse Stuart was a famous author from nearby Greenup, Kentucky.

Parks and Recreation

Central Park

Ashland has a large green space called Central Park, which is 47 acres big.

In 1976, a new 10-acre park was planned at the old Clyffeside Park. It was named Johnny Oliverio Park. This park has several baseball fields and is located along Winchester Avenue.

The AK Steel Sports Park was built in 2004 in South Ashland. This park is for sports, with baseball fields, soccer fields, and a skate park that is still being built.

Education in Ashland

Ashland Community and Technical College

Most public schools in Ashland are run by the Ashland Independent School District. Some parts of the city are served by the Boyd County School District and the Fairview Independent School District.

Ashland has five public elementary schools:

• Hager Elementary
• Oakview Elementary
• Crabbe Elementary School
• Poage Elementary
• Charles Russell Elementary

Ashland Middle School is the city's public middle school. It was once called George M. Verity Middle School. The school's campus has Putnam Stadium, which is home to the Ashland Tomcats high school and middle school football teams.

Paul G. Blazer High School is the public high school in Ashland. It's named after Paul G. Blazer, who started Ashland Inc.. The school's sports teams are called the Ashland Tomcats and Kittens. The Tomcats football team has won 11 state championships. The boys' basketball team has won 1 national championship and 4 state championships. The soccer teams play at the Ashland Soccer Complex. The marching band is known as "The Pride of Blazer" and performs well in competitions.

The Fairview Independent School District serves Westwood, which is just outside Ashland. This district has Fairview High School (grades 6–12) and Fairview Elementary School (grades K-5).

The Boyd County Public Schools serve the rural areas around Ashland. They have four elementary schools:

• Ponderosa Elementary
• Cannonsburg Elementary
• Catlettsburg Elementary
• Summit Elementary

Boyd County Middle School serves grades 6–8, and Boyd County High School serves grades 9–12.

There are two private schools in the Ashland area:

• Holy Family School (K–12 education)
• Rose Hill Christian School (K–12 education)

For higher education, Ashland has Ashland Community and Technical College. Morehead State University also has a campus in Ashland.

The main branch of the Boyd County Public Library is located in Ashland.

Media

Newspapers

Ashland has two newspapers: The Independent and The Greater Ashland Beacon.

The Daily Independent is published five mornings a week. It covers news from Ashland and the surrounding area. It also shares national and state news. Locals often call it "The Independent."

The Greater Ashland Beacon is a free weekly newspaper. It focuses only on local community news. It covers local events, sports, and stories about people in Ashland.

Radio

Television

People in Ashland mostly watch TV stations from Huntington and Charleston, West Virginia. Sometimes, WKYT, a CBS station from Lexington, Kentucky, is shown on cable TV. Ashland also has two local TV stations:

Infrastructure

Transportation

Air Travel

The Ashland Regional Airport is just outside the city in Worthington. This airport is used for private and smaller planes. It opened in 1953.

For bigger planes and commercial flights, people use Tri-State Airport. This airport is located in nearby Huntington, West Virginia.

Train Travel

Amtrak offers train service to Ashland. The Cardinal train stops here three days a week. It connects Ashland to cities like New York City, Washington, Cincinnati, and Chicago.

The Amtrak station is at the Ashland Transportation Center. This building used to be a freight depot. You can get e-tickets online or through Amtrak's app.

Bus Travel

Ben Williamson and Simeon Willis Memorial Bridges connect Ashland to Southern Ohio

Greyhound Lines provides bus service to other cities from Ashland. Greyhound buses leave from the Ashland Transportation Center.

The Ashland Bus System also runs five local bus routes from this center. Other bus services connect Ashland to nearby counties.

Roads

Ashland is served by major roads like US 23 and US 60. It's also close to US 52 and Interstate 64. Several state routes also pass through or near Ashland:

• KY 5 (serves the area around the city)
• KY 168 (known as Blackburn Avenue and South Belmont Street)
• KY 766 (connects US 60 and 13th Street with KY 5)
• KY 1012 (known as Boy Scout Road)
• KY 1134

Law Enforcement

The Ashland Police Department started in the late 1800s. Back then, the town was still called Poage's Landing. The first police officer was a town marshal. Soon after, a professional police department was formed.

Today, the city of Ashland has 49 police officers. They also have staff who help with office tasks and other duties that don't need a sworn officer.

Healthcare

UK King's Daughters is Ashland's largest employer

UK King's Daughters, previously called King's Daughters Medical Center, is the fourth largest hospital in Kentucky. It has 465 beds. The University of Kentucky bought the hospital in December 2022. It is Ashland's biggest employer, with over 4,000 workers. The hospital offers many services for people in the region.

Another hospital, the Ashland Tuberculosis Hospital, opened in 1950. It was located on a hill above U.S. Route 60. It had 100 beds and served 18 counties in eastern Kentucky. This hospital closed after new medicines were found that could treat tuberculosis. The building is now used by Safe Harbor, which helps people affected by domestic violence.

Notable People

See also

In Spanish: Ashland (Kentucky) para niños