Perry County, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Perry County
U.S. county
County courthouse in Hazard
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
Founded	November 2, 1820
Named for	Oliver Hazard Perry
Seat	Hazard
Largest city	Hazard
Area
• Total	343 sq mi (890 km2)
• Land	340 sq mi (900 km2)
• Water	2.9 sq mi (8 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	28,473
• Estimate  (2023)	27,133
• Density	83.01/sq mi (32.05/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	5th

Perry County is a county located in the state of Kentucky in the United States. In 2020, about 28,473 people lived there. Its main town, or county seat, is Hazard. The county was started in 1820. Both Perry County and its county seat, Hazard, are named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. He was a brave naval hero from the War of 1812.

History of Perry County

The land that is now Kentucky used to be part of Virginia. This was before the British colonies became the United States during the American Revolutionary War. In 1780, this large area was split into three smaller counties. Then, in 1791, this land became the State of Kentucky. It officially started on June 1, 1792.

Over time, these first counties were divided many times. By 1820, Perry County was created from parts of Floyd and Clay counties. The first post office in the area opened in 1824. It was called the Perry Post Office and was located on the north fork of the Kentucky River. Some of the first people to settle here were Elijah Combs, his seven brothers, and Jade Miller.

For a long time, the main ways people made a living in Perry County were by cutting down trees (logging) and digging for coal (mining).

Perry County is also home to Hazard Community and Technical College. This college helps people learn new skills. The Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center is also here. It is a big hospital system that helps many people in southeastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. It is one of the largest employers in the area.

Geography of Perry County

Perry County covers a total area of about 343 square miles. Most of this area, about 340 square miles, is land. The rest, about 2.9 square miles, is water.

Counties Nearby

Perry County shares its borders with several other counties:

• Breathitt County (to the north)
• Knott County (to the northeast)
• Letcher County (to the southeast)
• Harlan County (to the south)
• Leslie County (to the west)
• Clay County (to the northwest)
• Owsley County (to the northwest)

People of Perry County

In 2000, there were 29,390 people living in Perry County. There were 11,460 households, which are groups of people living together. About 8,491 of these were families. The county had about 86 people per square mile.

Most people in the county, about 97.34%, were White. About 1.64% were Black or African American. A small number of people were Native American, Asian, or from other backgrounds. About 0.52% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

About 34.20% of households had children under 18 living with them. More than half, 56.70%, were married couples living together. About 23.30% of all households were made up of people living alone.

The average age of people in the county was 36 years old. About 24.40% of the population was under 18. About 11.20% were 65 years or older.

Education in Perry County

Perry County has several schools that help kids learn and grow.

Public Schools

The county has two main public school districts:

Perry County Schools

This school district serves most of the county, except for the city of Hazard.

Hazard Independent Schools

This district mainly covers the city of Hazard.

• Hazard High School
• Hazard Middle School
• Roy G. Eversole Elementary School

Private Schools

• Hazard Christian Academy

Economy of Perry County

The economy in Perry County has historically been very connected to the coal industry.

Coal Companies in Perry County

Several coal companies have operated in Perry County:

• Arch Coal
• James River Coal Company
• TECO Coal

Media in Perry County

People in Perry County can get news and entertainment from different TV, radio, and newspaper sources.

Television

• WYMT-TV
• WKHA-TV, which is a station that gets its programs from Kentucky Educational Television

Radio

• WSGS
• WKIC
• WJMD
• WEKH, which gets its programs from WEKU
• WQXY
• WLZD-LP

Newspapers

• Hazard Herald

Transportation in Perry County

Public transportation is available through LKLP Community Action Partnership. They offer rides that you can request and also have set routes in Hazard. These routes connect to nearby towns like Hindman, Hyden, and Whitesburg.

Communities in Perry County

Perry County has several towns and smaller communities.

Cities

• Buckhorn
• Hazard (This is the county seat, the main town for the county government.)
• Vicco (part of this city is in Perry County)

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

• Combs
• Diablock
• Jeff

Other Unincorporated Places

These are smaller communities that are not part of a city or a census-designated place.

Ghost Towns

• Upper Squabble

Famous People from Perry County

• Shelby Lee Adams - An American photographer
• Chester Jones - An American businessman, teacher, and politician
• Jean Ritchie - A folk singer

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Perry (Kentucky) para niños