Lyon County is a county in Kentucky, United States, on the Land Between the Lakes peninsula between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley in the western part of the state. It had a population of 8,680 at the 2020 census and covers 257 square miles (670 km2) — 214 square miles (550 km2) of land and 43 square miles (110 km2) of water, or 17% — centred near 37°03′N 88°07′W.<\/p>\n
Eddyville is the county seat, and its postal code is 42038. The county has two incorporated cities and about a dozen unincorporated communities and lakeside subdivisions. Lyon County sits in the Central time zone.<\/p>\n
Lyon County has two incorporated cities — Eddyville and Kuttawa — and a scatter of unincorporated communities and residential subdivisions built up around Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Neither city has an independent census designated place split; both report their own 2020 figures below.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddyville<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 2,410<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kuttawa<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 582<\/td>\n | 42055<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Buena Vista Estates<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Carmack<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Commerce Landing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Confederate<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cross Road<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dryden Estates<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Eddy Bay<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Eden Bay<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fairview<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Greenacres<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42055<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Indian Hills<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42055<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lamasco<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Palisades<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42055<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Paradise Hills<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42055<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Saratoga<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Suwanee<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42038<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Twin Lakes<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42055<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wildwood Hills<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 42055<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Most of these unincorporated places are lakefront subdivisions rather than historic settlements — a pattern common on the Land Between the Lakes peninsula, where development followed the damming of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in the mid-20th century.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nEvery address in Lyon County falls under one of these two ZIP codes; there is no separate ZIP for any unincorporated community.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nLyon County occupies the narrow peninsula between Kentucky Lake to the west and Lake Barkley to the east, with the northern tip of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area extending into the county. The terrain is rolling and heavily wooded, with a shoreline defined almost entirely by the two reservoirs rather than natural lakes or rivers.<\/p>\n Lyon County borders Crittenden County<\/a> to the north, Caldwell County to the east, Trigg County<\/a> to the south, Marshall County<\/a> to the southwest, and Livingston County<\/a> to the northwest.<\/p>\n The 2020 census counted 8,680 residents in Lyon County. Eddyville is the largest community with 2,410 people, followed by Kuttawa at 582. Kentucky’s 2023 median household income was $61,118; Lyon County, with a large share of retirees and lake-area second homes, runs close to that figure. Population density is roughly 41 people per square mile of land.<\/p>\n The Kentucky state government is a major employer here: the Kentucky State Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison, sits at Eddyville and is one of the county’s largest workplaces. Tourism and recreation around Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley — marinas, campgrounds, and the Land Between the Lakes recreation area — support much of the rest of the local economy, alongside small-scale farming and retail centred on Eddyville and Kuttawa.<\/p>\n Lyon County was formed in 1854 from part of Caldwell County. It is named for Chittenden Lyon, a Kentucky congressman at the time of the county’s creation. The county produced two notable natives: Keen Johnson, a newspaper publisher who served as Kentucky’s governor, and historian Forrest Pogue, both born in the county in the early 20th century.<\/p>\n U.S. Route 62 and U.S. Route 641 cross the county and meet at Eddyville, providing the main road links east-west and north-south.<\/p>\n The nearest commercial airport is Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah.<\/p>\n Where is Lyon County, Kentucky?<\/strong> What is the population of Lyon County?<\/strong> How big is Lyon County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Lyon County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Lyon County?<\/strong> |