Brookside, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brookside, Kentucky
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Row of miners' homes, 1974
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 Brookside, Kentucky
Location in Kentucky
Brookside, Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Harlan |
| Elevation | 1,257 ft (383 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CST) |
| GNIS feature ID | 487970 |
Brookside is a small place in Harlan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It's known as an unincorporated community. This means it's a town that doesn't have its own local government, like a mayor or city council. Instead, it's managed by the county government. Brookside is also a historic coal town.
What is a Coal Town?
Life in a Coal Town
A coal town is a community that grew up around a coal mine. Many people who lived there worked in the mines. These towns were often built by the mining companies themselves. They provided homes, stores, and sometimes even schools for the miners and their families.
Life in a coal town could be very different from other places. Everyone's lives were connected to the mine. When the mine was doing well, the town was busy and prosperous. If the mine closed, it often meant hard times for the whole community.
History of Brookside
The Post Office
Brookside got its own post office in 1930. A post office is important because it helps people send and receive mail. It also shows that a community is growing and needs its own services.
Later, in 1975, the name of the post office was changed. It became known as Ages-Brookside. This change likely happened to include a nearby area called Ages. It shows how communities can grow and merge over time.
