Ashland . Industrial city (1990 pop. 23,622), Boyd co., E Ky., on terraces along the Ohio River near the influx of the Big Sandy; settled 1786, inc. 1854. Located in a region that produces chemicals, lumber, steel, oil, and natural gas, Ashland is a river and rail shipping point with large repair yards. Its many manufactures include marble and paper products, consumer goods, apparel, furniture, and construction materials. Tobacco and alfalfa are raised and there is dairying. The city is part of a tristate urbanized area that includes Ironton, Ohio, and Huntington, W.Va.