The story
History
Eastern Kentucky is believed to have supported a large Archaic Native American population in prehistoric time. Cliff dwellings were used by successive cultures as residences and at times for burials. In 1923, an Indian Cliff Dwelling was discovered near Bledsoe, Kentucky Historical tribes in this area included the Cherokee and Shawnee.
Before the American Revolutionary War, the area presently bounded by state lines was considered to be part of the Virginia colony. In 1780, the Virginia state legislature divided Kentucky County into three counties: Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln. In 1791 - as part of the state of Kentucky - these were incorporated into the new nation. In 1799, part of Lincoln County was divided to create Knox County. Harlan County was formed in 1819 from a part of Knox County and named after Silas Harlan who built a log stockade near Danville, which was known as "Harlan's Station". His grand-nephew was U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan.
Due to increasing population, in 1842 part of the county split off to become Letcher County in 1842; Bell County was likewise established in 1867. In 1878, the northwestern area was partitioned to form part of Leslie County.
In 1924, Conda Uless (Ulysses) "Condy" Dabney was convicted in the county of murdering a person who was later found alive.
Coal mining was the only major resource in the county and was exploited to fuel the growth of early 20th century industry. When the Great Depression struck in 1930 and demand for coal reduced, often-violent confrontations between strikers, strikebreakers, mine company security forces, and law enforcement were termed the Harlan County Wars. After the Battle of Evarts, May 5, 1931, Kentucky governor Flem D. Sampson called in the National Guard to restore order.
Ballads sung on the picket line at the Brookside mine in Harlan County were captured on film by documentarian John Gaventa. The county was the subject of the documentary film Harlan County, USA (1976), directed by Barbara Kopple. It documented organizing during a second major period of labor unrest in the 1970s, particularly around the Brookside Strike.
In 2019, the county was the site of the 2019 Harlan County coal miners protest, one in a long history of coal mining. Coal miners demanded back payment from a coal company that fired them shortly after declaring bankruptcy. They occupied a railroad track and prevented a coal train from leaving the county for almost two months.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 26,831. The median age was 42.3 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.9 males age 18 and over.
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The racial makeup of the county was 93.6% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.0% of the population.
22.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 77.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 11,249 households in the county, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 12,962 housing units, of which 13.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.4% were owner-occupied and 32.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,202 people, 13,291 households, and 9,449 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 per square mile (27/km2). There were 15,017 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (12/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.56% White, 2.62% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 0.65% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
There were 13,291 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.00.
The age distribution was 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $18,665, and the median income for a family was $23,536. Males had a median income of $29,148 versus $19,288 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,585. About 29.10% of families and 32.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.10% of those under age 18 and 21.00% of those aged 65 or over.
From Wikipedia’s article on Harlan County, Kentucky, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4