Breathitt County, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Breathitt County
U.S. county
Breathitt County Courthouse in Jackson
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	1839
Named for	John Breathitt
Seat	Jackson
Largest city	Jackson
Area
• Total	495 sq mi (1,280 km2)
• Land	492 sq mi (1,270 km2)
• Water	2.9 sq mi (8 km2)  0.6%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,718
• Estimate  (2023)	12,953
• Density	27.713/sq mi (10.700/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	5th

Breathitt County (/ˈbrɛˌθɪt/ BREH-thit) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,718. Its county seat is Jackson. The county was formed in 1839 and was named for John Breathitt, who was Governor of Kentucky from 1832 to 1834. Breathitt County was formerly a dry county, until a public vote in July 2016 passed, allowing alcohol sales.

History

The area now encompassed by Kentucky's Breathitt County was first bounded in 1772, when all of what is now the state of Kentucky was in the frontier county of Fincastle County, Virginia. Fincastle was divided in 1776, with the western portion named Kentucky County, Virginia. In 1780, Virginia set aside all land in Kentucky County for soldiers who had served in the Revolutionary War. In 1780, Kentucky County was divided into 3 counties, Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln. Lincoln County was divided in 1799, with part becoming Knox County. In 1807, the Legislature partitioned the upper part of Knox to create Clay County. On February 6, 1839, a portion of Clay (along with portions of Estill and Perry Counties) was partitioned off to create Breathitt County. It was named for Governor John Breathitt.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 495 square miles (1,280 km²), of which 492 square miles (1,270 km²) is land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) (0.6%) is water.

The North and Middle Forks of the Kentucky River pass through the county as the main water drainages.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,100 people, 6,170 households, and 4,541 families in the county. The population density was 32 per square mile (12/km²). There were 6,812 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.69% White, 0.39% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,170 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 14.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00.

The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $19,155, and the median income for a family was $23,721. Males had a median income of $26,208 versus $20,613 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,044. About 28.10% of families and 33.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.90% of those under age 18 and 26.80% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Coal companies

• Arch Coal
• US Coal

Education

K-12 education

There are two school districts in the county: Jackson Independent School District and Breathitt County School District. The former includes a portion of Jackson and some unincorporated areas, while the latter has the remainder of the city and county. The Jackson school district operates Jackson City School a single K-12 facility. The county school district operates several schools, including:

• Sebastian Elementary School – Jackson, Kentucky (Opened 1970)
• Highland-Turner Elementary School – Canoe, Kentucky (Opened 1992)
• Breahitt Elementary School
• Breathitt County High School – Jackson, Kentucky (New School Opened 1982)

Private schools:

• Mount Carmel School – Vancleve
• Oakdale Christian Academy – Jackson
• Riverside Christian School – Lost Creek

Higher education

• Lees College Campus of Hazard Community and Technical College (part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System) – Jackson, Kentucky
• Kentucky Mountain Bible College – Vancleve, Kentucky

Breathitt Area Technology Center

The Breathitt Area Technology Center serves both the Jackson Independent and the Breathitt County school districts. It is located on the campus of Breathitt County High School. The school is operated by the state of Kentucky. While most of the funding comes from the state, much of the equipment is purchased with federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act funds, which are aimed at advancing technical education.

The school is focused on technical education, offering these technical programs:

• Automotive Technology
• Construction Technology
• Electrical Technology
• Health Sciences
• Office Technology

UK Robinson Station

The community of Quicksand is the location for the University of Kentucky Robinson Station. This agriculture research facility is a pivotal asset in Breathitt County, furthering the scientific studies in the areas of agriculture and forestry.

Communities

City

• Jackson (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

Nature Viewing

Feral horses seen at Southfork Elkview in Breathitt County, Kentucky.

In the community of Southfork, there is a local elk viewing area where elk and feral horses can be seen.

Notable people

• Jeffrey Reddick, writer for the Final Destination franchise, was born in Jackson.
• Sturgill Simpson, country music artist/singer was born in Jackson, the county seat of Breathitt County and spent much of his childhood there.
• Chad Warrix, member of the country music duo Halfway to Hazard

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Breathitt para niños