Lee County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the rugged Eastern Kentucky Coal Field along the Kentucky River, roughly half of it inside the Daniel Boone National Forest. It had a population of 7,395 at the 2020 census and covers 209 square miles (540 km2) of land plus 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2) of water, centred near 37\u00b035\u2032N 83\u00b043\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Beattyville is the county seat and its postal code is 41311. The county has one incorporated city and roughly three dozen unincorporated communities, no civil townships, and sits in the Eastern time zone.<\/p>\n
Lee County has a single incorporated city, Beattyville, and about three dozen unincorporated communities scattered through its hollows and along the Kentucky River and its forks. Kentucky counties have no civil townships, so the table below omits that column; places marked Unincorp. have no municipal government of their own.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airedale<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Arvel<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Athol<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Beattyville<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Belle Point<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Canyon Falls<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Congleton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cressmont<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Delvinta<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Enoch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fillmore<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fincastle<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fixer<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Greeley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Heidelberg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ida May<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lone<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41347<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lower Buffalo<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Maloney<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Monica<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mount Olive<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Old Landing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pinnacle<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Primrose<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Proctor<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Saint Helens<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41368<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tallega<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vada<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| White Ash<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Williba<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Willow Shoals<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Yellow Rock<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Zoe<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41397<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Proctor, on the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River, was Lee County’s first county seat before Beattyville took over the role. Most of the other communities on this list are small river-bottom or hollow settlements without a functioning post office today, and several sit inside or along the edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nThe county has two standard-delivery ZIP codes and two PO-Box-only ZIP codes; Beattyville’s 41311 covers the large majority of Lee County by area and population.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nLee County lies in the rugged Eastern Kentucky Coal Field, cut by the Kentucky River and its North and Middle forks, with roughly half its land inside the Daniel Boone National Forest. The terrain is steep and heavily wooded, with narrow river-bottom flats where most of the county’s settlements sit.<\/p>\n Lee County borders Powell County<\/a> to the north, Wolfe County<\/a> to the northeast, Breathitt County<\/a> to the southeast, Owsley County<\/a> to the south, Jackson County<\/a> to the southwest, and Estill County<\/a> to the northwest.<\/p>\n Lee County had 7,395 residents at the 2020 census. Beattyville, the county seat, is by far the largest community; the rest of the population is spread across small unincorporated settlements. Median household income in the county runs well below the Kentucky median of $61,118 — Lee County is regularly listed among the poorest counties in the United States, with about 35% of residents living in poverty as of a mid-2010s estimate. Population density is roughly 35 people per square mile of land.<\/p>\n Coal mining and timber shaped Lee County’s economy for generations; both have declined sharply since the late 20th century, and the county now relies heavily on government employment, healthcare, and small retail centred on Beattyville. The Kentucky River and the surrounding national forest support hunting, fishing, and outdoor tourism as a growing part of the local economy.<\/p>\n Lee County was formed in 1870 from parts of Breathitt, Estill, Owsley, and Wolfe counties, and named for Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Beattyville, on the Kentucky River, became the county seat, succeeding the earlier seat at Proctor. The county’s history has been tied closely to river transport, timber rafting, and later coal, all of which used the Kentucky River and its forks to move goods out of the county’s steep terrain.<\/p>\n Kentucky Route 11 and the Mountain Parkway (KY 15\/KY 9007) run through Beattyville, connecting the county to Interstate 64 to the north.<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, roughly 60 miles to the northwest.<\/p>\n Where is Lee County, Kentucky?<\/strong> What is the population of Lee County?<\/strong> How big is Lee County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Lee County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Lee County?<\/strong> |