{"id":4175,"date":"2023-06-16T13:32:28","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T13:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=4175"},"modified":"2026-08-07T13:07:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T13:07:42","slug":"pulaski-county-kentucky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/pulaski-county-kentucky\/","title":{"rendered":"Pulaski County, Kentucky"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Pulaski County is a county in Kentucky, United States, about 65 miles south of Lexington. It had<br \/>\na population of 65,034 at the 2020 census, an estimated 65,897 by 2024, and covers 677 square<br \/>\nmiles (1,753 km2) centred near 37\u00b004\u2032N 84\u00b021\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Somerset is the county seat; its postal code is 42501. The county holds 5 cities and 48<br \/>\nunincorporated communities across no formal townships &mdash; Kentucky abolished civil townships<br \/>\nstatewide &mdash; and it runs on Eastern Time. Pulaski is the third-largest county by land area in<br \/>\nKentucky.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Pulaski County<\/h2>\n<p>Pulaski County has 53 named places on record: 5 incorporated cities and 48 unincorporated<br \/>\ncommunities with no local government of their own. Kentucky reclassified all its incorporated<br \/>\nmunicipalities as simply &ldquo;cities&rdquo; in 2015, so the table below carries no separate Town<br \/>\ncategory; Unincorp. covers crossroads, former post-office stops and rural neighborhoods with no<br \/>\nformal boundary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Somerset<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>11,924<\/td>\n<td>42501&ndash;42503<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ferguson<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>886<\/td>\n<td>42533<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Burnside<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>694<\/td>\n<td>42519<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Science Hill<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>657<\/td>\n<td>42553<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Eubank<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>313<\/td>\n<td>42567<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Nancy<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>5,053<\/td>\n<td>42544<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bronston<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>42518<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tateville<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>42558<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Acorn<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Alcalde<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Antioch<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bandy<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Barnesburg<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bee Lick<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Blue John<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Burnetta<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cains Store<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Clarence<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Coin<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dabney<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Delmer<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Elihu<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Estesburg<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Etna<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Faubush<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Goochtown<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hargis<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Haynes Knob<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ingle<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jacksonville<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Keno<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>King Bee<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mangum<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Meece<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mount Victory<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Norfleet<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Norwood<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Oak Hill<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Omega<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pointer<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Public<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pulaski<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ringgold<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shafter<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shopville<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Slate Branch<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sloans Valley<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Squib<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Stab<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Valley Oak<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Welborn<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>White Lilly<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Woodstock<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>One name on this list causes real confusion: the unincorporated community of Pulaski, Kentucky,<br \/>\nsits inside Pulaski County and shares the county&rsquo;s name &mdash; it is not the county seat and<br \/>\nhas no relation to the county government beyond the coincidence. Nancy, the county&rsquo;s largest<br \/>\nunincorporated community, is also its own ZIP-code hub even though it has never incorporated as a<br \/>\ncity.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>42501&ndash;42503 &mdash; Somerset (three ZIPs cover downtown, the north side and PO boxes)<\/li>\n<li>42544 &mdash; Nancy<\/li>\n<li>42533 &mdash; Ferguson<\/li>\n<li>42519 &mdash; Burnside<\/li>\n<li>42553 &mdash; Science Hill<\/li>\n<li>42567 &mdash; Eubank<\/li>\n<li>42518 &mdash; Bronston<\/li>\n<li>42558 &mdash; Tateville<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The remaining 44 unincorporated communities have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is<br \/>\ndelivered under whichever of the eight codes above covers the nearest post office, since most of<br \/>\nthese hamlets lost their standalone post offices decades ago.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Pulaski County sits at the eastern edge of Kentucky&rsquo;s Mississippian Plateau, where the<br \/>\nBluegrass region&rsquo;s karst limestone gives way to the foothills of the Appalachians. Of its 677<br \/>\nsquare miles, 658 are land and 19 are water, about 2.8 percent &mdash; unusually high for an inland<br \/>\nKentucky county, and almost all of it is Lake Cumberland, the reservoir formed on the Cumberland<br \/>\nRiver in the early 1950s that forced the entire town of Burnside to relocate uphill. The lake and<br \/>\nthe river define the county&rsquo;s southern and eastern edges and drive much of its tourism<br \/>\neconomy.<\/p>\n<p>Lincoln County lies to the north, Rockcastle County to the northeast, Laurel County to the east,<br \/>\nMcCreary County to the southeast, Wayne County to the southwest, Russell County to the west, and<br \/>\nCasey County to the northwest. <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/lincoln-county-kentucky\/\">Lincoln<br \/>\nCounty<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/rockcastle-county\/\">Rockcastle County<\/a>,<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/laurel-county\/\">Laurel County<\/a>, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/mccreary-county\/\">McCreary County<\/a>, Wayne County, <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/russell-county-kentucky\/\">Russell County<\/a> and <a\nhref=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/casey-county\/\">Casey County<\/a> all border Pulaski directly.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Pulaski County had a population of 65,034 at the 2020 census, and the latest county estimate<br \/>\nputs it near 65,897 residents. Somerset and Nancy are by far the two largest communities, together<br \/>\naccounting for roughly a quarter of the county&rsquo;s population. Median household income runs<br \/>\n$51,898, well below Kentucky&rsquo;s statewide figure of $61,118 (2023 ACS). Population density<br \/>\nworks out to just under 100 people per square mile of land, low even by rural Kentucky standards,<br \/>\nreflecting how much of the county is lake, forest and farmland rather than built-up ground.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 4,461 people,<br \/>\nfollowed by manufacturing at 4,018 and retail trade at 3,472. Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, a<br \/>\n304-bed facility in Somerset, is the largest single employer and the region&rsquo;s main health<br \/>\ncare center. Blackboard, Hendrickson, Prairie Farms Dairy, Safe Auto Insurance Company and Texas<br \/>\nRoadhouse all run significant operations in or near Somerset. Tourism tied to Lake Cumberland &mdash;<br \/>\nmarinas, houseboat rentals and Cumberland Falls day trips &mdash; supports much of the rest of the<br \/>\nlocal economy. The county&rsquo;s best-known recurring event is Somernites Cruise, a classic-car<br \/>\nshow held in downtown Somerset the fourth weekend of every month from April through October.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Kentucky&rsquo;s legislature formed Pulaski County in December 1798, carving it from land ceded<br \/>\nby Lincoln and Green Counties. It was named for Count Casimir Pulaski, the Polish cavalry officer<br \/>\nwho died fighting for American independence at the 1779 Siege of Savannah. Thomas Hansford founded<br \/>\nSomerset the same year, naming it after Somerset County, New Jersey, where some of the first<br \/>\nsettlers had lived; Somerset became the county seat in 1801 and incorporated as a city in 1887.<\/p>\n<p>The Battle of Mill Springs, fought about 8 miles west of Somerset on 19 January 1862, was one of<br \/>\nthe first significant Union victories of the Civil War and helped secure eastern Kentucky against<br \/>\nConfederate advance. Nearly a century later, the damming of the Cumberland River to create Lake<br \/>\nCumberland forced the relocation of Burnside to higher ground, one of the largest town-moving<br \/>\nprojects in Kentucky history.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>US 27 crosses the county north to south through Somerset, and US 80 runs east to west; no<br \/>\ninterstate reaches Pulaski County directly, though the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway (signed as<br \/>\nfuture Interstate 365) passes through northern Somerset and connects toward Lexington.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lexington &mdash; about 65 miles north<\/li>\n<li>Danville &mdash; about 40 miles north<\/li>\n<li>Corbin &mdash; about 30 miles southeast<\/li>\n<li>London &mdash; about 28 miles east<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, roughly 65 miles north, is the nearest airport with scheduled<br \/>\ncommercial service. Lake Cumberland Regional Airport, on the north side of Somerset, handles<br \/>\ngeneral aviation and charter flights only. No Amtrak line reaches Pulaski County; the nearest<br \/>\nstation is well outside the region, so ground transport runs entirely by highway.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Pulaski County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in south-central Kentucky on the Mississippian Plateau, about 65 miles south of Lexington,<br \/>\nbordered by Lincoln, Rockcastle, Laurel, McCreary, Wayne, Russell and Casey counties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Pulaski County?<\/strong><br \/>\n65,034 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 65,897.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Pulaski County?<\/strong><br \/>\n677 square miles (1,753 km2) total, of which 658 square miles are land &mdash; the third-largest<br \/>\ncounty by area in Kentucky.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Pulaski County?<\/strong><br \/>\nSomerset is the county seat, founded in 1798 and incorporated in 1887.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Pulaski County?<\/strong><br \/>\nFive incorporated cities &mdash; Somerset, Burnside, Eubank, Ferguson and Science Hill &mdash;<br \/>\nplus 48 named unincorporated communities, including the large ZIP-coded hub of Nancy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Pulaski County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n42501 through 42503 for Somerset, plus 42544 (Nancy), 42533 (Ferguson), 42519 (Burnside), 42553<br \/>\n(Science Hill), 42567 (Eubank), 42518 (Bronston) and 42558 (Tateville).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Pulaski County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nLake Cumberland, the reservoir that forced Burnside to relocate uphill in the 1950s, and the 1862<br \/>\nBattle of Mill Springs fought just west of Somerset.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/kentucky\/\">Towns and<br \/>\nvillages in Kentucky<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pulaski County is a county in Kentucky, United States, about 65 miles south of Lexington. It had a population of 65,034 at the 2020 census, an estimated 65,897 by 2024, and covers 677 square miles (1,753 km2) centred near 37\u00b004\u2032N 84\u00b021\u2032W. Somerset is the county seat; its postal code is 42501. The county holds 5 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Pulaski County, Kentucky","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 53 towns and communities in Pulaski County, Kentucky - type, population and ZIP for each, plus Lake Cumberland and Somerset history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-4175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-kentucky","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4175"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9328,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4175\/revisions\/9328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}