Pikeville, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Main Street in Pikeville | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: "The CityThat Moves Mountains" | |
| Motto: For Progress | |
 Location inPike County and the commonwealth ofKentucky | |
| Coordinates:37°28′37″N82°31′27″W / 37.47694°N 82.52417°W /37.47694; -82.52417 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Pike |
| Established | 1824[1] |
| Incorporated | 1848[1] |
| Named after | Pike County, Kentucky |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council/Manager |
| • Mayor | James A. Carter (D) |
| • City Manager | Reggie Hickman |
| Area | |
• Total | 20.99 sq mi (54.36 km2) |
| • Land | 20.99 sq mi (54.36 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 791 ft (241 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,754 |
• Estimate (2022)[4] | 7,358 |
| • Density | 369.41/sq mi (142.63/km2) |
| U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 41501–41502 |
| Area code | 606 |
| FIPS code | 21-60852 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404518[3] |
| Website | www |
Pikeville (/ˈpaɪkvəl/) is ahome rule-class city in and thecounty seat ofPike County, Kentucky, United States.[5] Its population was 7,754 as of the2020 U.S. Census. Pikeville serves as a regional economic, educational, and entertainment hub for the surrounding areas of eastern Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is home to theUniversity of Pikeville and thePikeville Cut-Through, the second-largest earthmoving project in theWestern Hemisphere.
On March 25, 1822, state officials decided to build a new county seat named "Liberty", 1.5 miles (2.4 km) below the mouth of theRussell Fork. Public disapproval of the site[why?] led a new decision on December 24, 1823, to establish the county seat on land donated by local farmer Elijah Adkins.[6] This settlement was established as the town of Pike in 1824.[1] This was changed in 1829 to Piketon[6] and the town was incorporated under that name in 1848.[1] In 1850, this was changed to Pikeville. Pikeville was host to part of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, and patriarchRandall McCoy as well as his wife and daughter are buried on a hillside overlooking the town.[6][7][8]
TheNational Civic League designated Pikeville as anAll-American City in 1965.[9]
From 1973 to 1987, thePikeville Cut-Through was constructed immediately west of downtown. The massiverock cut is one of the largest civil engineering projects in thewestern hemisphere, moving nearly 18,000,000 cubic yards (14,000,000 m3) of soil and rock.[10] The project alleviated traffic congestion in downtown and eliminated flooding by rerouting theLevisa Fork River.
From 1982 to 1984, Pikeville was home to thePikeville Cubs and Pikeville Brewers. Pikeville played as a member of the Rookie levelAppalachian League. Pikeville was an affiliate of theMilwaukee Brewers (1982) andChicago Cubs (1983–84).Baseball Hall of Fame memberGreg Maddux played for the 1984 Pikeville Cubs in his first professional season.[11]
The city has been a center of rapid development inEastern Kentucky since the 1990s. Pikeville College (now theUniversity of Pikeville) opened theKentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1997.[12] The university also opened the Kentucky College of Optometry, Central Appalachia's first optometry school, in 2016.[13] In 2005, the 7,000 seat, multi-purposeAppalachian Wireless Arena opened in downtown.[14]Pikeville Medical Center has established itself as a regional healthcare center. In 2014, a new 11-story clinic and a 10-story parking structure was completed at a cost of $150 million. The hospital has also become a member of theMayo Clinic Care Network.[15] In 2013, construction began on a shopping center known as Pikeville Commons. The first stores opened in the shopping center in 2014.[16]
Late 2017 saw several announcements regarding tenants for the recently opened Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park. Construction has begun on a 60,000 square foot manufacturing facility to be owned and operated by SilverLiner, whose primary business is expected to be the manufacture and assembly of tanks for tanker trucks.[17]
In 2018, the Kentucky League of Cities named Pikeville's city government the KLC City Government of the Year. This was the award's inaugural year; it was intended to recognize "a city that has done something transformational, and our first ever recipient certainly demonstrates a city making a huge impact on its region."[18]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city has an area of 15.4 square miles (40 km2), all land. As of 2009, Pikeville set its newcity limits to be 0.3 miles from itscounty line. This significantly affected the city ofCoal Run Village, which was previously on the city limit of Pikeville.
The city is in theAppalachian Mountains, along theLevisa Fork of theBig Sandy River. The downtown area is built in a narrow valley in a bend of the Levisa Fork that was bypassed in 1987 with the completion of thePikeville Cut-Through, while places such as Weddington Square Plaza are built in a broader part of the river valley.
Pikeville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Pikeville, Kentucky | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) | 93 (34) | 90 (32) | 96 (36) | 99 (37) | 104 (40) | 105 (41) | 107 (42) | 104 (40) | 98 (37) | 88 (31) | 82 (28) | 107 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44 (7) | 50 (10) | 60 (16) | 71 (22) | 79 (26) | 86 (30) | 89 (32) | 89 (32) | 82 (28) | 71 (22) | 59 (15) | 49 (9) | 69 (21) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24 (−4) | 25 (−4) | 33 (1) | 40 (4) | 50 (10) | 60 (16) | 65 (18) | 63 (17) | 57 (14) | 43 (6) | 34 (1) | 28 (−2) | 44 (6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −18 (−28) | −7 (−22) | −4 (−20) | 21 (−6) | 30 (−1) | 37 (3) | 45 (7) | 42 (6) | 33 (1) | 17 (−8) | 6 (−14) | −10 (−23) | −18 (−28) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.72 (94) | 3.25 (83) | 3.85 (98) | 3.66 (93) | 3.96 (101) | 4.09 (104) | 4.20 (107) | 4.20 (107) | 3.27 (83) | 2.89 (73) | 3.10 (79) | 3.58 (91) | 43.77 (1,112) |
| Source:The Weather Channel.[19] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 140 | — | |
| 1880 | 246 | 75.7% | |
| 1890 | 456 | 85.4% | |
| 1900 | 508 | 11.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,280 | 152.0% | |
| 1920 | 2,110 | 64.8% | |
| 1930 | 3,376 | 60.0% | |
| 1940 | 4,185 | 24.0% | |
| 1950 | 5,154 | 23.2% | |
| 1960 | 4,754 | −7.8% | |
| 1970 | 5,205 | 9.5% | |
| 1980 | 4,756 | −8.6% | |
| 1990 | 6,324 | 33.0% | |
| 2000 | 6,295 | −0.5% | |
| 2010 | 6,903 | 9.7% | |
| 2020 | 7,754 | 12.3% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 7,358 | [20] | −5.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[21] | |||
As of the2020 United States census, there were 7,754 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 93.8% White, 2.9% Black, 0.5% Native American, 1.3% Asian alone, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from two or more races, and 2.2% Hispanic or Latino.
As of the census[22] of 2000, there were 6,295 people, 2,705 households, and 1,563 families living in the city. The population density was 408.0 inhabitants per square mile (157.5/km2). There were 2,981 housing units at an average density of 193.2 per square mile (74.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.58%White, 2.64%African American, 0.17%Native American, 1.25%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.25% fromother races, and 1.05% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.40% of the population.
There were 2,763 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,026, and the median income for a family was $36,792. Males had a median income of $42,298 versus $19,306 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,426. About 21.2% of families and 25.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.7% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.
Hillbilly Days is an annual festival held in mid-April in Pikeville, celebrating Appalachian culture. Local Shriners started the event as a fundraiser for the Shriners Children's Hospital. It has grown since its beginning in 1976 and is now the second-largest festival held in Kentucky. Artists and craftspeople showcase their talents and sell their works. Nationally renowned musicians as well as regional mountain musicians share six different stages throughout downtown Pikeville. Wannabe hillbillies from across the nation compete to come up with the wildest hillbilly outfit. Fans of "mountain music" attend from around the nation. The festival embraces the area's culture and past through company, music, and costume. The proceeds go toShriners Hospitals for Children. The festival honors and recognizes the heritage of Appalachia, while poking fun at the stereotype associated with the region.
TheBig Sandy Heritage Center, established in 2003, is the largest depository for artifacts relating to the history and culture of the Big Sandy Valley.
In 2005, theAppalachian Wireless Arena, formerly known as the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center, opened in downtown Pikeville. The center, which seats 7,000, features numerous events including concerts and shows. The city is also home to the Pikeville Concert Association, which secures cultural events for the area. These events usually take place at theUniversity of Pikeville's Booth Auditorium.
The Appalachian Center for the Arts is a 200-seat indoor professional theater in downtown Pikeville.[23]
The Hatfield and McCoy River Trails, on the Levisa Fork River, opened in 2014.[24]
Alltech ofLexington constructed a distillery, brewery, and visitors' center known as Dueling Barrels Brewery & Distillery that opened in downtown in 2018.[25] The name was inspired by theHatfield-McCoy Feud, and the tour includes storytellers describing those events in addition to an explanation of the brewing and distilling processes.
Apack horse library was established for library services in the late 1930s and early 1940s.[26]
Pikeville has alending library, a branch of the Pike County Public Library.[27]
Pikeville is in thePike County Public School System, which includes Johns Creek, Milliard, Mullins, and Valley elementary schools (grades K–8), as well as Northpoint Academy,Pikeville High School andShelby Valley High School (grades 9–12).
TheUniversity of Pikeville, a private 4-year institution affiliated with thePresbyterian Church (USA), is in Pikeville. The college is one of the smallest in the nation to have anosteopathic medicine program as part of its curriculum. Founded in 1996,[28] theUniversity of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine is one of three medical schools in Kentucky. The city is also home to campuses of theBig Sandy Community and Technical College andNational College.
In 2022,Galen College of Nursing andPikeville Medical Center announced a partnership to operate a campus in downtown Pikeville. Galen College of Nursing is one of the country's largest educators of nurses, with over 30,000 graduates since 1989. Galen College of Nursing (Galen) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees.
A Kentucky Post built a carport for VFW's National Home last year. The structure shelters vehicles that allow Home residents to attend work and school
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| Cities and towns Over 10k | |
| Cities and towns 5k-10k | |
| Cities and towns 1k-5k | |
| Cities and towns under 1k | |
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| See also | |
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| Geographic | |
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