Carter County, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carter County
U.S. county
Carter County courthouse in Grayson
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	1838
Named for	William Grayson Carter
Seat	Grayson
Largest city	Grayson
Area
• Total	412 sq mi (1,070 km2)
• Land	409 sq mi (1,060 km2)
• Water	2.6 sq mi (7 km2)  0.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	26,627
• Estimate  (2023)	26,366
• Density	64.63/sq mi (24.953/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	4th, 5th

Carter County is a place in the state of Kentucky, USA. It's like a big neighborhood or district. In 2020, about 26,627 people lived here. The main town, or "county seat," is Grayson. Carter County is also part of a larger area called the Huntington-Ashland Metropolitan Statistical Area. A fun place to visit here is Carter Caves State Resort Park.

History of Carter County

Carter County was created on February 9, 1838. It was made from parts of two other counties: Greenup County and Lawrence County.

The county was named after Colonel William Grayson Carter. He was an important person who served as a state Senator in Kentucky. The main town, Grayson, was named after his uncle, Robert Grayson.

The original building used for the county's government, called the courthouse, was rebuilt in 1907.

Geography and Location

Carter County covers about 412 square miles (1,067 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Neighboring Counties

Carter County shares its borders with several other counties. These are like its neighbors:

• Greenup County (to the northeast)
• Boyd County (to the east)
• Lawrence County (to the southeast)
• Elliott County (to the south)
• Rowan County (to the southwest)
• Lewis County (to the northwest)

People of Carter County

In 2020, the population of Carter County was 26,627 people. The county is home to many families and individuals.

Education in Carter County

Kids in Carter County go to schools run by the Carter County School District. There is also a university in Grayson called Kentucky Christian University.

Towns and Communities

Carter County has a few main towns and many smaller communities.

Cities

• Grayson (This is the county seat, where the main government offices are)
• Olive Hill

Other Communities

Getting Around Carter County

You can get to Carter County using major roads like U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 64. The city of Olive Hill used to have its own airport until 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Carter (Kentucky) para niños