Hazard is a city in Perry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,264 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Perry County.[1]
History
In 1790, the area was settled by Elijah Combs.[citation needed] The town of Hazard, as well as Perry County, is named after U.S. Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, known for his victory report during the War of 1812 stating, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." A post office named Perry Court House was established in the area in the 1820s, though some reports note that locals had always referred to the area as "Hazard". The town's name was officially changed to Hazard in 1854.
Coal miners' children cross a footbridge into Hazard, Kentucky, July 1940. Photograph by
Marion Post Wolcott.
Long isolated by the surrounding mountains, Hazard met the outside world with the arrival of the railroad in 1912. Previously, the only ways in or out of the valley were 45 miles down the North Fork of the Kentucky River, or a 2-week trip over the surrounding mountains. The railroad brought boom times to the town, but the Great Depression saw prosperity end as quickly as it had begun.
The CBS television series The Dukes of Hazzard got its name from Hazard, Kentucky. To avoid legal problems, the producers added an extra "Z" and set the show in a fictional county in Georgia. In 1981 many of the stars of the show, Catherine Bach, James Best, Sorrell Booke, and Rick Hurst visited Hazard, Kentucky during the Black Gold Festival.[2] Soon afterwards Tom Wopat, John Schneider and Sonny Shroyer made appearances in Hazard.
In July, 1999, Hazard received the honor of being the first stop on President Bill Clinton's tour of poverty-stricken communities that had failed to share in the boom of the 1990s. Clinton's wife, Hillary, visited Hazard on November 2, 2008 at a political rally for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Lunsford.[3][4]
Beginning in the early 2000s Hazard has seen rapid rise in population, along with several new commercial and residential developments. The city is also actively working on a downtown renaissance plan to rejuvenate its business district.
Halfway To Hazard, the Universal/Mercury Records duo, take their name from the town because David Tolliver and Chad Warrix grew up just outside of it.
Geography
Hazard is located at 37°15′21″N 83°11′37″W / 37.25583°N 83.19361°W / 37.25583; -83.19361 (37.255910, -83.193706)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.0 square miles (18.2 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 4,806 people, 1,946 households, and 1,266 families residing in the city. The population density was 684.6 people per square mile (264.3/km²). There were 2,291 housing units at an average density of 326.4/sq mi (126.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.26% White, 6.58% African American, 0.08% Native American, 2.06% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population.
The Mother Goose House in Hazard, KY.
There were 1,946 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% 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.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,690, and the median income for a family was $27,226. Males had a median income of $34,398 versus $22,386 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,782. About 30.9% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.3% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
Schools
Media
Television
WYMT-TV
WKHA-TV, a satellite station of Kentucky Educational Television
Radio
WSGS
WKIC
WZQQ
WJMD
WEKH, a satellite station of WEKU
WQXY
WRZD-LP
Newspapers
Hazard Herald [1]
Sources
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Hensley, Steve (2009-09-17). "A look back at the 1981 Black Gold Festival". WYMT-TV. http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/59675622.html. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
- ^ Hillary makes pick in KY House speaker race? Pol Watchers. Retrieved on November 2, 2008.
- ^ Hillary Clinton Stumps For Bruce Lunsford WYMT-TV. Retrieved on November 2, 2008.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
