Middlesborough, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Middlesboro, also spelled Middlesborough, is a city in Bell County
, Kentucky
, United States. The population was 10,384 at the 2000 census. The estimated July 1, 2009 population of the city is 14,835. The entire micropolitan area has a population of 69,060 (as of 2000 census
) which includes all of Bell County. It is the principal city of the Middlesborough, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area
. Middlesboro is the largest city in Southeast Kentucky.
The city was incorporated in 1890 as "Middlesborough", named after the town of Middlesbrough
on the south bank of the River Tees
in what was then the North Riding of Yorkshire
, now known as North Yorkshire
England. The U.S. Post Office
began using the spelling "Middlesboro" in 1894. Both spellings are used interchangeably; for example, the city's school district uses the Middlesboro spelling, as does the Kentucky Secretary of State's Land Office.
The city is located on the Kentucky side of the Cumberland Gap
near the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
.
As the coal
industry
has declined over the last several years, the area has been increasingly hoping for a growth in tourism
, primarily from the nearby national park
. Pine Mountain State Resort Park
is also located in nearby Pineville
.
The town is home to the Middlesboro Country Club
. Founded in 1889, the 9-hole course is one of the oldest golf course
s in the country. The club also claims to be the oldest continuously played course in the nation. Pianist Ben Harney
originated ragtime
music in Middlesboro in the early 1890s, inspired by the fusion
of African-American and local music styles heard in the community's saloons.
Geologist
s believe that the Middlesboro basin between Pine Mountain
and the Cumberland Mountains
is the remains of an ancient meteorite crater
, which would give the town the rare distinction of being one of the few cities in the world completely built inside a crater. The crater is one of three known astroblemes in the state.
Middlesboro was recently featured on the History Channel's "How The States Got Their Shapes" on an episode titled Forces of Nature. The city was also one of BBC
's "Seven Wonders of the Solar System."
in 1750 and Daniel Boone
in 1769. It was not until 1886 that the story of Middlesborough began. In that year a businessman from Knoxville, Tennessee
made his first trip to the region. Alexander Alan Arthur
was the son of a Scotsman
, though he spent much of his early life in Montreal
. He saw great promise in the region and after surveying the land he went to Asheville, North Carolina
in an attempt to raise funds to begin development of the city he envisioned. The wealthy of America's Gilded Age
had mansions around Asheville, and while Arthur was successful in garnering support from the sons of the these families, the patriarchs were not as eager. Not to be dissuaded, Arthur traveled to England to raise funds.
Arthur, after the land was surveyed again, was able to raise substantial funds to begin his grand city. All looked well at first and development was rapid. Just south of the Cumberland Gap, in the area of Lincoln Memorial University
today, a grand resort
hotel
had been built. The Four Seasons Hotel contained some 700 rooms, including a 200-room spa
and sanitarium. $1.5 million was spent to build and furnish the hotel in 1892. However, fires and poor quality iron ore left the project's coffers empty with nothing to refill them (which steel
production was meant to do). An 1890 fire and the 1893 U.S. stock market
decline further mired the dream of Alexander Arthur.
The city continued to have troubles and triumphs as it changed and grew. Like the rest of America, it was affected greatly with the Great Depression
but quickly recovered, installing the first electric street cars
of any municipality west of Washington, D.C.
The 1930s was an era when Middlesboro saw a rapid change. Then known as "Little Las Vegas," the town had no shortage of slot machines, saloons
, and brothels. The city kept changing with the decades and in the 1950s had a population of roughly 15,000 residents. The nickname "The Athens of the Mountains" was given to the city due to its large support for the arts. Middlesboro was one of the few cities in Eastern Kentucky
to boast a grand opera house
and one of the finest school districts in the state. The first shopping mall
was built in the city sometime during the 1960s. The 1970s decade brought a revival in the coal
industry and the city once again prospered. Middlesboro began looking forward to turning 100 years old in the late 1980s and held a grand centennial celebration in 1990 that included a ball, air show, beauty pageant, an establishment of a new city park
, along with many other things to help celebrate the huge milestone. The city started to prepare for the future and looked for new ways to prosper with the opening of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel
in 1996.
Currently, Middlesboro is investing in downtown revitalization to help create new business and give the city a better image. In 2004, Discover Downtown Middlesboro, Inc. was formed to promote and lead the revamping of the historic downtown area. Since its inception, Discover Downtown Middlesboro has helped numerous businesses receive a face-lift and has restored the historic Fountain Square in downtown.
In June 2011 a severe flash flood damaged many homes and businesses in Middlesboro. Following a rainfall of 8.5" in 48 hours, the waterways could not cope with the deluge. Two area residents perished in the flood, and dozens were left homeless.
, along U.S. Route 25E
, and is believed to have been built inside a meteorite
crater
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²), all of it land. U.S. 25E
provides four-lane connection to Interstate 75
at Corbin
, 45 miles to the northwest. With the recently completed renovations on U.S. 25E, travelers now have four-lane connection to Interstate 81
at Morristown, Tennessee
, 45 miles to the south.
of 2000, there were 10,384 people, 4,443 households, and 2,927 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,359.1 people per square mile (524.8/km²). There were 4,955 housing units at an average density of 648.5 per square mile (250.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.84% White
, 4.90% African American
, 0.38% Native American
, 0.63% Asian
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
, 0.19% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos
of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 4,443 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples
living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88.
The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,565, and the median income for a family was $25,016. Males had a median income of $23,285 versus $19,040 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,189. About 24.4% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.2% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.
The city's main thoroughfare is U.S. 25E
. The U.S. 25E Tunnel (a.k.a. the Cumberland Gap Tunnel
) is a 0.87 miles (1.4 km) tunnel that travels underneath the famous Cumberland Gap
. The northern terminus is located in Middlesboro and the southern terminus is in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee
. Middlesboro is one of the few cities in Kentucky that was not built on or near a significant waterway, so it is not reachable by water. The only major body of water near the city is Fern Lake, a small lake that sits on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. A man-made waterway called Yellow Creek Canal flows through the heart of the city. It is built and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
.
Middlesboro is served by the Middlesboro-Bell County Airport, which is a single runway, general aviation
airport. The airport was established in 1944, however, the first recorded flight into the city was in 1912. It serves as the home for 45 aircraft and more than 16,000 operations annually. The Middlesboro-Bell County Airport was also the home of the famed P-38 Lightning, Glacier Girl
. The aircraft was restored on site at the airport, where she made her first maiden flight in October of 2002. The airport has recently undergone a major renovation, including the addition of a brand new terminal that features public restrooms, lounge, kitchen, and a radio room that can be used for up-to-date weather information. Other renovations/additions include a jet fuel tank, which will allow more air traffic to use the facility. In the near future, the airport plans to widen and expand the current runway and taxiway, plus add new hangars for aircraft, new runway lighting, and an Aircraft Weather Observation System (AWOS). The Middlesboro-Bell County Airport is one of ten airports to receive this new system. The closest major airport to Middlesboro is the McGhee Tyson Airport
in Knoxville, Tennessee
, which is 75.5 miles (121.5 km) or about 1 hour 40 minutes away.
Unlike many other American cities, Middlesboro does not have a traditionally named Main Street
. The city's equivalent street is named Cumberland Avenue, which runs through Middlesboro's historic downtown district. Discover Downtown Middlesboro, Inc. (DDM) is a non-profit downtown revitalization effort charged with the restoration of the downtown area. DDM has been around since 2004 and since then, has restored Middlesboro's famed Fountain Square, completed many historical murals in town, started and formed a farmer's market, updated signage in the downtown area, and received grants for new plantings for the numerous planters that line Cumberland Avenue. Many of the streets which run parallel to Cumberland Avenue (east-west) are named for peerages
and locales in Britain
, while perpendicular (north-south) streets are named numerically. U.S. 25E
is also known as 12th street, with higher numbers found as one moves west.
Bell County, Kentucky
Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed August 1, 1867, from parts of Knox and Harlan Counties and augmented from Knox County in 1872. As of 2010 the population was 69,060. Its county seat is Pineville...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States. The population was 10,384 at the 2000 census. The estimated July 1, 2009 population of the city is 14,835. The entire micropolitan area has a population of 69,060 (as of 2000 census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
) which includes all of Bell County. It is the principal city of the Middlesborough, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area
Middlesborough, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area
The Middlesborough, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Micropolitan Statistical Area located in the vicnity of Middlesboro, Kentucky. The Middlesborough Micropolitan Statistical Area encompasses Bell County entirely. The Micropolitan Statistical Area had a...
. Middlesboro is the largest city in Southeast Kentucky.
The city was incorporated in 1890 as "Middlesborough", named after the town of Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
on the south bank of the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
in what was then the North Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...
, now known as North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
England. The U.S. Post Office
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
began using the spelling "Middlesboro" in 1894. Both spellings are used interchangeably; for example, the city's school district uses the Middlesboro spelling, as does the Kentucky Secretary of State's Land Office.
The city is located on the Kentucky side of the Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
near the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Established on June 11, 1940, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Cumberland Gap is a sizable natural break in the Appalachian Mountains....
.
As the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
has declined over the last several years, the area has been increasingly hoping for a growth in tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, primarily from the nearby national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
. Pine Mountain State Resort Park
Pine Mountain State Resort Park
Pine Mountain State Resort Park is a park located in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. The park opened in 1924 as Kentucky's first state park. Each spring, the park hosts the annual Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, as it has since the festival's inception in 1931.-History:When Pine Mountain...
is also located in nearby Pineville
Pineville, Kentucky
Pineville is a city in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,093 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County. It is located on a small strip of land between the Cumberland River and Pine Mountain.-History:...
.
The town is home to the Middlesboro Country Club
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
. Founded in 1889, the 9-hole course is one of the oldest golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s in the country. The club also claims to be the oldest continuously played course in the nation. Pianist Ben Harney
Ben Harney
Benjamin Robertson "Ben" Harney was a United States of America songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music. His 1895 composition "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down" is regarded as one of the first published ragtime songs...
originated ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
music in Middlesboro in the early 1890s, inspired by the fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
of African-American and local music styles heard in the community's saloons.
Geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
s believe that the Middlesboro basin between Pine Mountain
Pine Mountain (ridge)
Pine Mountain is a ridge in the Appalachian Mountains running through Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. It extends about 125 miles from near Jellico, Tennessee, to a location near Elkhorn City, Kentucky. The highest point is 3,273 feet above sea level, east of Whitesburg, Kentucky...
and the Cumberland Mountains
Cumberland Mountains
The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in southern West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the Crab Orchard Mountains...
is the remains of an ancient meteorite crater
Middlesboro crater
The Middlesboro crater is a meteorite crater in Kentucky, United States. It is named after the city of Middlesborough , which today occupies much of the crater....
, which would give the town the rare distinction of being one of the few cities in the world completely built inside a crater. The crater is one of three known astroblemes in the state.
Middlesboro was recently featured on the History Channel's "How The States Got Their Shapes" on an episode titled Forces of Nature. The city was also one of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's "Seven Wonders of the Solar System."
History
In 1674 the first known white man passed through the area, Gabriel Arthur. He was followed by the explorers Dr. Thomas WalkerThomas Walker (explorer)
Dr. Thomas Walker was a physician and explorer from Virginia who led an expedition to what is now the region beyond the Allegheny Mountains area of British North America in the mid-18th century...
in 1750 and Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
in 1769. It was not until 1886 that the story of Middlesborough began. In that year a businessman from Knoxville, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
made his first trip to the region. Alexander Alan Arthur
Alexander Arthur
Alexander Alan Arthur was a Scottish-born engineer and entrepreneur active primarily in the southeastern United States in the latter half of the 19th century...
was the son of a Scotsman
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
, though he spent much of his early life in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He saw great promise in the region and after surveying the land he went to Asheville, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in an attempt to raise funds to begin development of the city he envisioned. The wealthy of America's Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
had mansions around Asheville, and while Arthur was successful in garnering support from the sons of the these families, the patriarchs were not as eager. Not to be dissuaded, Arthur traveled to England to raise funds.
Arthur, after the land was surveyed again, was able to raise substantial funds to begin his grand city. All looked well at first and development was rapid. Just south of the Cumberland Gap, in the area of Lincoln Memorial University
Lincoln Memorial University
Lincoln Memorial University is a private four-year co-educational liberal arts college located in Harrogate, Tennessee.LMU's campus borders on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park....
today, a grand resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
had been built. The Four Seasons Hotel contained some 700 rooms, including a 200-room spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
and sanitarium. $1.5 million was spent to build and furnish the hotel in 1892. However, fires and poor quality iron ore left the project's coffers empty with nothing to refill them (which steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
production was meant to do). An 1890 fire and the 1893 U.S. stock market
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
decline further mired the dream of Alexander Arthur.
The city continued to have troubles and triumphs as it changed and grew. Like the rest of America, it was affected greatly with the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
but quickly recovered, installing the first electric street cars
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
of any municipality west of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The 1930s was an era when Middlesboro saw a rapid change. Then known as "Little Las Vegas," the town had no shortage of slot machines, saloons
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, and brothels. The city kept changing with the decades and in the 1950s had a population of roughly 15,000 residents. The nickname "The Athens of the Mountains" was given to the city due to its large support for the arts. Middlesboro was one of the few cities in Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Mountain Coal Fields
The Eastern Mountain Coal Fields is part of the Central Appalachian bituminous coal field, covering all or parts of 30 Kentucky counties and adjoining areas in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. It covers an area from the Allegheny Mountains in the east across the Cumberland Plateau and...
to boast a grand opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
and one of the finest school districts in the state. The first shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
was built in the city sometime during the 1960s. The 1970s decade brought a revival in the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
industry and the city once again prospered. Middlesboro began looking forward to turning 100 years old in the late 1980s and held a grand centennial celebration in 1990 that included a ball, air show, beauty pageant, an establishment of a new city park
City Park
City Park can refer to:Australia*Launceston City ParkCanada* City Park, Saskatoon, a neighbourhoodHungary* City Park Kenya* City Park, NairobiLuxembourg* City Park , a park in central Luxembourg CityUnited Kingdom...
, along with many other things to help celebrate the huge milestone. The city started to prepare for the future and looked for new ways to prosper with the opening of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel
Cumberland Gap Tunnel
The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a tunnel that carries U.S. Route 25E under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park near the intersection of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The east portal of the tunnel is in Tennessee and the west portal is in Kentucky; according to United States Geological Survey...
in 1996.
Currently, Middlesboro is investing in downtown revitalization to help create new business and give the city a better image. In 2004, Discover Downtown Middlesboro, Inc. was formed to promote and lead the revamping of the historic downtown area. Since its inception, Discover Downtown Middlesboro has helped numerous businesses receive a face-lift and has restored the historic Fountain Square in downtown.
In June 2011 a severe flash flood damaged many homes and businesses in Middlesboro. Following a rainfall of 8.5" in 48 hours, the waterways could not cope with the deluge. Two area residents perished in the flood, and dozens were left homeless.
Geography
Middlesboro is located at 36°36′37"N 83°43′24"W (36.610146, -83.723230). The city sits just inside the Cumberland GapCumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
, along U.S. Route 25E
U.S. Route 25E
U.S. Route 25E is the eastern branch of U.S. Route 25 from Newport, Tennessee, where US 25 splits into US 25E and US 25W, to North Corbin, Kentucky, where the two highways rejoin...
, and is believed to have been built inside a meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²), all of it land. U.S. 25E
U.S. Route 25E
U.S. Route 25E is the eastern branch of U.S. Route 25 from Newport, Tennessee, where US 25 splits into US 25E and US 25W, to North Corbin, Kentucky, where the two highways rejoin...
provides four-lane connection to Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
at Corbin
Corbin, Kentucky
- Economy :Originally formed by L&N Railroad, rail transport was the backbone of the local economy in the first half of the twentieth century. While the railroad continues to play an important role, the decline of the rail industry in the latter half of the twentieth century, as well as the loss...
, 45 miles to the northwest. With the recently completed renovations on U.S. 25E, travelers now have four-lane connection to Interstate 81
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...
at Morristown, Tennessee
Morristown, Tennessee
Morristown is a city in, and the county seat of, Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 29,137 at the 2010 United States Census. It is the principal city of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Grainger, Hamblen and Jefferson counties...
, 45 miles to the south.
Climate
Middlesboro distinctly experiences all four seasons, with vivid fall foliage and snow in the winter. Average high is 87 °F in July, the warmest month, with the average lows of 24 °F occurring in January, the coolest month. The highest recorded temperature was 112 °F in July 1930. The lowest recorded temperature was -18 °F in January 1985. Average annual precipitation is 42.8 inches (1,087.1 mm), with the wettest month being March, averaging 5.25 inches (133.4 mm).Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,384 people, 4,443 households, and 2,927 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,359.1 people per square mile (524.8/km²). There were 4,955 housing units at an average density of 648.5 per square mile (250.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.84% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 4.90% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.38% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 0.63% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander American
Pacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...
, 0.19% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 4,443 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88.
The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,565, and the median income for a family was $25,016. Males had a median income of $23,285 versus $19,040 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $13,189. About 24.4% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.2% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
U.S. Route 25E
U.S. Route 25E is the eastern branch of U.S. Route 25 from Newport, Tennessee, where US 25 splits into US 25E and US 25W, to North Corbin, Kentucky, where the two highways rejoin...
. The U.S. 25E Tunnel (a.k.a. the Cumberland Gap Tunnel
Cumberland Gap Tunnel
The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a tunnel that carries U.S. Route 25E under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park near the intersection of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The east portal of the tunnel is in Tennessee and the west portal is in Kentucky; according to United States Geological Survey...
) is a 0.87 miles (1.4 km) tunnel that travels underneath the famous Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
. The northern terminus is located in Middlesboro and the southern terminus is in Cumberland Gap, Tennessee
Cumberland Gap, Tennessee
Cumberland Gap is a town in Claiborne County, Tennessee, near the Cumberland Gap pass, the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, and the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park...
. Middlesboro is one of the few cities in Kentucky that was not built on or near a significant waterway, so it is not reachable by water. The only major body of water near the city is Fern Lake, a small lake that sits on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. A man-made waterway called Yellow Creek Canal flows through the heart of the city. It is built and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
.
Middlesboro is served by the Middlesboro-Bell County Airport, which is a single runway, general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airport. The airport was established in 1944, however, the first recorded flight into the city was in 1912. It serves as the home for 45 aircraft and more than 16,000 operations annually. The Middlesboro-Bell County Airport was also the home of the famed P-38 Lightning, Glacier Girl
Glacier Girl
Glacier Girl is a Lockheed P-38F-1-LO Lightning World War II fighter plane, 41-7630, c/n 222-5757, that was restored to flying condition after being buried beneath the ice of the remote Greenland Ice Sheet for over 50 years.- History :...
. The aircraft was restored on site at the airport, where she made her first maiden flight in October of 2002. The airport has recently undergone a major renovation, including the addition of a brand new terminal that features public restrooms, lounge, kitchen, and a radio room that can be used for up-to-date weather information. Other renovations/additions include a jet fuel tank, which will allow more air traffic to use the facility. In the near future, the airport plans to widen and expand the current runway and taxiway, plus add new hangars for aircraft, new runway lighting, and an Aircraft Weather Observation System (AWOS). The Middlesboro-Bell County Airport is one of ten airports to receive this new system. The closest major airport to Middlesboro is the McGhee Tyson Airport
McGhee Tyson Airport
-Top Destinations:-Accidents and incidents:* On 06 August, 1962, an American Airlines Lockheed L-188 Electra veered off the runway on landing, striking the raised edge of an under-construction taxiway with the landing gear, causing it to collapse...
in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, which is 75.5 miles (121.5 km) or about 1 hour 40 minutes away.
Unlike many other American cities, Middlesboro does not have a traditionally named Main Street
Main Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
. The city's equivalent street is named Cumberland Avenue, which runs through Middlesboro's historic downtown district. Discover Downtown Middlesboro, Inc. (DDM) is a non-profit downtown revitalization effort charged with the restoration of the downtown area. DDM has been around since 2004 and since then, has restored Middlesboro's famed Fountain Square, completed many historical murals in town, started and formed a farmer's market, updated signage in the downtown area, and received grants for new plantings for the numerous planters that line Cumberland Avenue. Many of the streets which run parallel to Cumberland Avenue (east-west) are named for peerages
Peerage (disambiguation)
Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom.Peerage may also refer to:* Peerage Act 1963* Jacobite Peerage* Hereditary peer* Life Peer- British Isles :* Peerage of England** Welsh peers* Peerage of Ireland...
and locales in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, while perpendicular (north-south) streets are named numerically. U.S. 25E
U.S. Route 25E
U.S. Route 25E is the eastern branch of U.S. Route 25 from Newport, Tennessee, where US 25 splits into US 25E and US 25W, to North Corbin, Kentucky, where the two highways rejoin...
is also known as 12th street, with higher numbers found as one moves west.
Notable residents
- Lee MajorsLee MajorsLee Majors is an American television, film and voice actor, best known for his starring role as Colonel Steve Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man and as Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy ....
, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor. - Trish SuhrTrish SuhrPatricia Kelly "Trish" Suhr is a standup comedian best known for her portrayal as the "Yard Sale Diva" on Clean House, an hour-long home improvement television show airing daily on Style Network.-Career:...
, comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and star of the TV show Clean HouseClean HouseClean House is a home makeover and interior design television show, originally broadcast in 2003 which has aired 9 seasons of programs on the Style Network...
. - Susan Kingsley, stage and movie actress.
- Gerry BussellGerry BussellGerald Wheeler Bussell is a former American football defensive back who played for the American Football League's Denver Broncos. He played collegiately for the Georgia Tech football team....
, American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive backDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
for Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Julie ParrishJulie ParrishJulie Parrish was an American film, stage and television actress....
, American film, stage and television actress. - Van "Piano Man" Walls, American rhythm and bluesRhythm and bluesRhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
piano player. - William McElwee MillerWilliam McElwee MillerWilliam McElwee Miller was an American missionary to Persia, and author of several books.Born in Middlesboro, Kentucky, Miller received a M.A. in 1913 from Washington and Lee University, and a B.D. in 1919 from Princeton Theological Seminary...
, American missionaryMissionaryA missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to Persia and authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. - Johnnie Sue BridgesJohnnie Sue BridgesJohnnie Sue Bridges, author and photographer, was born September 13, 1958 in the historic crater town of Middlesboro, Kentucky, United States of America...
, American author and photographer. - Leonard F. MasonLeonard F. MasonLeonard Foster Mason served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Battle of Guam where he was mortally wounded.-Biography:...
, Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient. - David Grant ColsonDavid Grant ColsonDavid Grant Colson was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky.-Biography:Born in Yellow Creek , Knox County, Kentucky, Colson attended the common schools and the academies at Tazewell and Mossy Creek, Tennessee.He studied law at the University of Kentucky at Lexington in 1879 and 1880.He was...
, U.S. RepresentativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from. KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. - Georgia TurnerGeorgia TurnerGeorgia Turner , was an American folk singer. She is credited with the first recording of "Rising Sun Blues", produced by Alan Lomax in 1937, in Middlesboro, Kentucky...
, singer of the Rising Sun Blues. - Msgt. Michael King, former Crew Chief of Air Force One.
- Ben HarneyBen HarneyBenjamin Robertson "Ben" Harney was a United States of America songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music. His 1895 composition "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down" is regarded as one of the first published ragtime songs...
, although not a permanent resident of Middlesboro, gained his inspiration to create ragtime music from the country, Southern tunes played in the city's bars at the time and blended it with African-American music styles. This new genre became known as ragtime. Therefore, ragtime is considered to have been created in Middlesboro. Downtown Middlesboro features a giant mural of a sheet music cover featuring "The Father of Ragtime," Ben Harney, and the role Middlesboro played in creating ragtime music. - Matt JonesMatt Jones- In sports :* Matt Jones , American football player* Matt Jones , Welsh international footballer* Matthew Robert Jones English footballer...
, FounderFounderFounder may refer to:* the starter of a private or public company, see Entrepreneur* 'Founder', a hoof ailment. See Laminitis#Founder* Founder , management status for Internet Relay Chat...
of KentuckySportsRadio.com and host of Kentucky Sports Television
See also
- Middlesboro craterMiddlesboro craterThe Middlesboro crater is a meteorite crater in Kentucky, United States. It is named after the city of Middlesborough , which today occupies much of the crater....
- Colson HouseColson HouseThere are several historic homes in the United States which bear the name Colson House, spanning the century from ca.1800 to 1905.-Rev. John C. Colson House, Middlesboro, Kentucky :...
- Cumberland Gap National Historical ParkCumberland Gap National Historical ParkEstablished on June 11, 1940, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Cumberland Gap is a sizable natural break in the Appalachian Mountains....