Middlesboro, also spelled Middlesborough, is a city in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,384 at the 2000 census.estimated July 1,2009 population of the city is 13,674[1] The entire Micropolitan area has a population of 68,890 which includes Bell and Whitley counties. It is the principal city of the Middlesborough, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The city was incorporated in 1890 as "Middlesborough", named after the town of Middlesbrough on the south bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. However, the U.S. Post Office began using the spelling "Middlesboro" in 1894.[2] Both spellings are used interchangeably; for example, the city's school district uses the Middlesboro spelling,[3] as does the Kentucky Secretary of State's Land Office.[4]
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 hopeful for a growth in tourism, primarily from the nearby national park. The 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 courses 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.
Geologists believe that the Middlesboro basin between Pine Mountain and the Cumberland Mountains is the remains of an ancient meteor 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.
It is the hometown of actor Lee Majors. Trish Suhr, comedian and star of the TV show "Clean House" was raised in Middlesboro. It is also the hometown of the late Susan Kingsley, stage and movie actress.
Geography
Middlesboro is located at 36°36′37″N 83°43′24″W / 36.61028°N 83.72333°W / 36.61028; -83.72333 (36.610146, -83.723230)[5]. The city sits just inside the Cumberland Gap, along U.S. Route 25, and is believed to have been built inside a meteor crater.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.8 km²), all of it land. U.S. Route 25E provides four-lane connection to Interstate 75 at Corbin, 45 miles to the northwest. When renovations are completed on a 9-mile stretch of highway in 2009, US 25E will also provide four-lane connection to Interstate 81 at Morristown, Tennessee, 45 miles to the south.
Demographics
As of the census[6] 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/sq mi (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. Hispanic or Latino 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 is 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.
History
Middlesborough lies in the Appalachian mountains, near the Cumberland Gap.
In 1674 the first known white man passed through the area, a mister Gabriel Arthur. He was followed by the explorers Dr. Thomas Walker 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, TN 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, NC 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.
Twin town
Middlesboro is twinned with:
References
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