Pikeville, Kentucky

The historic York House, built 1864

Aerial photo of Pikeville

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 the Russell Fork River. Public disapproval of the site led a new decision on December 24, 1823, to establish the county seat on land donated by local farmer Elijah Adkins.[5] This settlement was established as the town of Pike after the county in 1824.[1] This was changed in 1829 to Piketon[5] and the town was incorporated under that name in 1848.[1] In 1850, this was changed to the present Pikeville. Pikeville was host to a part of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, and patriarch Randall McCoy as well as his wife and daughter are buried on a hillside overlooking the town.[5][6][7]

The National Civic League designated Pikeville as an All-American City in 1965.[8]

From 1973 to 1987, the Pikeville Cut-Through was constructed immediately west of downtown. The massive rock cut is one of the largest civil engineering projects in the western hemisphere, moving nearly 18,000,000 cubic yards (14,000,000 m³) of soil and rock.[9] The project alleviated traffic congestion in downtown and eliminated flooding by rerouting the Levisa Fork River.

From 1982 to 1984, Pikeville was home to the Pikeville Cubs and Pikeville Brewers. Pikeville played as a member of the Rookie level Appalachian League. Pikeville was an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (1982) and Chicago Cubs (1983–1984). Baseball Hall of Fame member Greg Maddux played for the 1984 Pikeville Cubs in his first professional season.[10][11][12]

The city has been a center of rapid development in Eastern Kentucky since the 1990s. Pikeville College (now the University of Pikeville) opened the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1997.[13] The university also opened the Kentucky College of Optometry, the first optometry school in Central Appalachia, in the fall of 2016.[14] In October 2005, the 7,000 seat, multi-purpose Appalachian Wireless Arena opened in downtown.[15] 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 the Mayo Clinic Care Network.[16] In 2013, construction began on a shopping center known as Pikeville Commons. The first stores opened in the shopping center in October 2014.[17]

Late 2017 saw several announcements regarding tenants for the recently opened Kentucky Enterprise Industrial Park. Following an announcement on October 27, 2017, 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.[18] They are expected to begin production in December 2018. A second tenant in the park was announced on December 15, 2017 with an announcement by EnerBlu, Inc. that they would be investing nearly $400 million in Pikeville with the construction of a facility to manufacture advanced batteries for use in power grids, commercial and military transportation units, and other equipment. In addition, the manufacturing facility will assemble the batteries into proprietary equipment. It is anticipated that EnerBlu will supply approximately 875 jobs soon after construction of the facility is completed in 2020.[19]

In September 2018, Pikeville's City government was named 2018 KLC City Government of the Year by the Kentucky League of Cities. This was the inaugural year for the award and 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."[20]

Pikeville is located at 37°28′45″N 82°31′08″W (37.477094, −82.530111). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city covers a total land area of 15.4 square miles (40 km²), all land. As of March 2009, Pikeville set its new city limits to be 0.3-mile from its county line. This significantly affected the city of Coal Run Village, which was previously on the city limit of Pikeville.

The city is located in the Appalachian Mountains, along the Levisa Fork of the Big 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 the Pikeville Cut-Through, while places such as Weddington Square Plaza are built in a broader part of the river valley.

Old Pike County Courthouse

The Academy Building at the University of Pikeville

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 6,903 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 92.1% White, 2.7% Black, 0.1% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.0% from some other race and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census[23] of 2000, there were 6,295 people, 2,705 households, and 1,563 families living in the city. The population density was 408.0 people 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% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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.

Those schools located within the Pikeville city limits include an asterisk. The remainder are located within Pike County and are part of the Pike County Public School System, but outside of the city limits.

Crowded Hambley Boulevard during Hillbilly Days 2013

Hillbilly Days is an annual festival held in mid-April in Pikeville, Kentucky celebrating the best of Appalachian culture. The event began by local Shriners as a fundraiser to support the Shriners Children's Hospital. It has grown since its beginning in 1976 and now is the second largest festival held in the state of Kentucky. Artists and craftspeople showcase their talents and sell their works on display. Nationally renowned musicians as well as the best of the regional mountain musicians share six different stages located throughout the downtown area of Pikeville. Want-to-be hillbillies from across the nation compete to come up with the wildest Hillbilly outfit. Fans of "mountain music" come from around the United States to hear this annual concentrated gathering of talent. The festival embraces the area's culture and past through company, music, and costume. The proceeds from the festival go to Shriners Hospitals for Children. The festival serves to honor and recognize the heritage of Appalachia, while poking fun at the stereotype associated with the region.

In the fall of 2005 the Appalachian Wireless Arena opened in downtown Pikeville. The center, which seats 7,000, features numerous events including world-renowned concerts and shows. The city is also home to the Pikeville Concert Association which secures renowned cultural events for the area. These events usually take place at Booth Auditorium on the campus of the University of Pikeville.

In the Summer of 2014, Jenny Wiley Theatre opened a 200-seat indoor professional theater in downtown Pikeville.[27]

The Hatfield and McCoy River Trails, located on the Levisa Fork River, opened on April 26, 2014.[28] Construction of a new zipline complex began in September 2014 in Bob Amos Park. The project cost $500,000 and opened in April 2015.[29]

Alltech of Lexington completed construction of a distillery, brewery and visitors center known as Dueling Barrels Brewery & Distillery which opened in downtown in 2018.[30] The name was inspired by the Hatfield-McCoy Feud, and the tour includes story tellers describing those events in addition to an explanation of the brewing and distilling processes.

• Ankang, Shaanxi, China[31]
• Dundalk, Ireland[32]
• Doylestown, Pennsylvania[33]

• Woody Blackburn, professional golfer
• Natasha Cornett, American murderer
• Robert Damron, professional golfer
• Murray Garvin, basketball head coach, South Carolina State University men's basketball
• Patty Loveless, country music singer
• John W. Langley, American politician
• Katherine G. Langley, American politician
• Jerry Layne, MLB umpire
• Randolph (Randall) McCoy, Patriarch of McCoy family during the Hatfield-McCoy Feud
• Mark Reynolds, baseball player for Colorado Rockies
• John Paul Riddle, self taught aviator and co-founder of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Shanda Sharer, crime victim
• Jack Smith, baseball player for Los Angeles Dodgers
• Effie Waller Smith, poet
• Preston Spradlin, basketball head coach, Morehead State
• Jonny Venters, baseball player for Washington Nationals
• Dwight Yoakam, country singer-songwriter, actor, and film director

• Hillbilly Days
• Pikeville Cut-Through
• Pike County Airport
• Pikeville High School
• University of Pikeville
• Pikeville Medical Center
• Eastern Kentucky Expo Center
• Big Sandy Heritage Center
• East Kentucky Miners

• Spiva, Dave (July 2018). "We Work on Community Service Projects". VFW Magazine. Vol. 105 no. 9. Kansas City, Mo.: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. p. 52. ISSN 0161-8598. 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.

• City website
• City Tourism website
• City Economic Development website
• University of Pikeville
• Appalachian News-Express
• Pikeville Independent Schools