Leslie County is a county in Kentucky, United States, in the Appalachian coalfield of the state’s southeastern corner. It had a population of 10,513 at the 2020 census and covers 404 square miles (1,050 km2) centred near 37\u00b005\u2032N 83\u00b023\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Hyden is the county seat, and its postal code is 41749. The county has one incorporated city and dozens of unincorporated communities scattered along the forks of the Kentucky River, sits in the Eastern time zone, and carries FIPS code 21131.<\/p>\n
Hyden is Leslie County’s only incorporated city; every other place on the list below is an unincorporated community, most named for a local family, post office, or creek. Population figures are not separately tabulated by the Census Bureau for most of these hamlets, so many cells read —.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyden<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 324<\/td>\n | 41749<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Asher<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bear Branch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Big Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Big Rock<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bobs Fork<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Causey<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chappell<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cinda<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Confluence<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cutshin<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41805<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Daley<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dryhill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Essie<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Frew<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hare<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Helton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hoskinston<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41766<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jason<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kaliopi<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lewis Creek<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mozelle<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Napier<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Roark<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Saylor<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sizerock<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Smilax<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Spruce Pine<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Stinnett<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Thousandsticks<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41766<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Toulouse<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Warbranch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wendover<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wooton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 41763<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Yeaddiss<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nZIP Codes<\/h2>\nMost of the county’s smaller creek-hollow communities have no post office of their own and are served by the nearest of these four ZIP codes.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nLeslie County sits deep in the Cumberland Plateau, where narrow ridges separate the North Fork, Middle Fork, and Greasy Creek forks of the Kentucky River. The terrain is almost entirely steep, forested hillside, with settlement confined to the creek bottoms; the county has little flat land outside Hyden itself. It borders Perry County<\/a> to the northeast, Harlan County to the southeast, Bell County to the southwest, and Clay County<\/a> to the west.<\/p>\n Leslie County had 10,513 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 26 people per square mile \u2014 one of the more sparsely settled counties in eastern Kentucky. Hyden is by far the largest community; Hoskinston and Thousandsticks are the next-largest named settlements. Median household income in the county runs well below the Kentucky median of $61,118, reflecting the coalfield region’s long economic decline.<\/p>\n Coal mining shaped Leslie County’s economy for most of the 20th century and remains present, though at a fraction of its former scale; timber, small-scale farming, and public-sector jobs (schools, health services, and county government) now employ more of the workforce. Frontier Nursing University, founded in Hyden by Mary Breckinridge in 1939 to train nurse-midwives for the region, is headquartered in the county and remains a significant local employer. Leslie County is a “dry” county \u2014 the retail sale of alcohol is prohibited countywide.<\/p>\n Leslie County was formed in 1878 from parts of Clay, Harlan, and Perry counties, and named for Preston H. Leslie, governor of Kentucky from 1871 to 1875. On December 30, 1970, an explosion at the Finley Coal Company’s mine on Hurricane Creek killed 38 miners, one of the deadliest coal-mining disasters in Kentucky history. In July 1978, former president Richard Nixon made his first public appearance after resigning the presidency at a recreation-facility dedication in the county. Leslie has voted Republican in every presidential election since its formation, one of only a handful of U.S. counties with that unbroken record.<\/p>\n Kentucky Route 80 and Route 421 are the main highways through the county, meeting at Hyden.<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Lexington Blue Grass Airport, roughly two hours north by road.<\/p>\n Where is Leslie County, Kentucky?<\/strong> What is the population of Leslie County?<\/strong> How big is Leslie County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Leslie County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Leslie County?<\/strong> |