Lynch, Kentucky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lynch, Kentucky
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Houses at Lynch's western end
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Location of Lynch in Harlan County, Kentucky.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Harlan |
| Incorporated | May 7, 1963 |
| Named for | Thomas Lynch, the head of U.S. Coal and Coke Company |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.30 sq mi (0.78 km2) |
| • Land | 0.30 sq mi (0.78 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,716 ft (523 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 658 |
| • Density | 2,200.67/sq mi (848.65/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
40855
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| Area code(s) | 606 |
| FIPS code | 21-48540 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0497363 |
Lynch is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. It is known as a "home rule-class city," which means it has the power to manage its own local government. In the 2020 census, the city had 658 people living there. This number was a bit lower than the 747 people counted in 2010.
Contents
History of Lynch
Lynch was planned and built in 1917 by the U.S. Coal and Coke Company. This company was part of U.S. Steel. Lynch was created as a company town. This means the company owned most of the buildings and services. It was built to house workers for the nearby coal mines. The town was named after Thomas Lynch, who was the head of the company at that time.
By the 1940s, Lynch was a busy place with about 10,000 people. It had important services like a hospital and a movie theater. However, the number of people living in Lynch went down a lot in the 1960s and 1970s. This happened because new mining methods needed fewer workers.
In 1996, the train tracks leading to Lynch and the nearby town of Benham were officially closed down.
In 2012, a TV show called The Eastern Kentucky Social Club was made. It was about the history of the black community and immigrant community in Lynch.
Geography of Lynch
Lynch is located in the eastern part of Harlan County. It sits in the valley of Looney Creek. Lynch is the closest city to Kentucky's highest point, Black Mountain. This mountain is about 4,145 feet (1,263 meters) tall.
Lynch itself is Kentucky's highest city that has its own government. It is about 1,716 feet (523 meters) above sea level. To the north, there is Looney Ridge, which is about 3,488 feet tall. To the south, there is Benham Spur, about 3,640 feet tall. The city of Benham is right next to Lynch on its west side. Cumberland is about 4 miles (6 km) to the west. You can get there using Kentucky Route 160, which is the main road through Lynch. This road also goes southeast up Looney Creek valley to the Virginia border. The border is on top of Black Mountain at about 3,700 feet. From there, the road continues to Appalachia, Virginia, which is 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Lynch.
The United States Census Bureau says that Lynch covers a total area of about 0.3 square miles (0.78 square kilometers). All of this area is land.
Population and People
Based on the census from the year 2000, there were 900 people living in Lynch. These people lived in 408 households, and 250 of these were families. A household is a group of people living in one home. A family is a group of related people living together. The population density was about 2,753 people per square mile. This means a lot of people lived in a small area. There were 514 housing units, which are places where people can live.
The people in the city were mostly White (73.33%) and Black or African American (24.89%). A small number were Native American (0.33%) or from two or more races (1.44%). About 0.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1970 | 1,517 | — | |
| 1980 | 1,614 | 6.4% | |
| 1990 | 1,166 | −27.8% | |
| 2000 | 900 | −22.8% | |
| 2010 | 747 | −17.0% | |
| 2020 | 658 | −11.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Out of the 408 households, 24.0% had children under 18 living with them. About 40.7% were married couples living together. Also, 16.2% had a female head of the household with no husband present. About 38.5% were not families. Many households (36.8%) were made up of just one person. About 20.1% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. On average, there were 2.21 people per household and 2.88 people per family.
The age of the people in Lynch was spread out. About 22.6% were under 18 years old. About 8.9% were between 18 and 24. About 20.4% were between 25 and 44. About 28.2% were between 45 and 64. And 19.9% were 65 years old or older. The median age was 43 years. This means half the people were younger than 43 and half were older. For every 100 females, there were about 82.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $17,609. The median income for a family was $21,625. Males earned about $31,500, while females earned about $19,038. The per capita income for the city was $13,369. This is the average income per person. About 36.7% of families and 37.8% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 57.6% of those under 18 and 25.9% of those 65 or older.
Famous People from Lynch
- Leland Byrd: A college basketball coach and player.
- Juanita M. Kreps: She was a United States Secretary of Commerce. This is a very important job in the U.S. government, helping with business and trade.
- Louise Slaughter: A United States politician. She served in the U.S. Congress, helping to make laws for the country.
See also
In Spanish: Lynch (Kentucky) para niños
