Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,719. Its county seat is Beattyville. The county was formed in 1870 during the Reconstruction era from parts of Breathitt, Estill, Owsley and Wolfe counties. The county was named for Confederate general Robert E. Lee, which probably indicated the politics of the time, although the area of Kentucky where Lee County is located was a pro-union region of Kentucky The town of Proctor, named for the Reverend Joseph Proctor, was the first county seat. The first court was held on April 25, 1870 in the Old Howerton House. The local economy at the time included coal mining, salt gathering, timber operations, and various commercial operations. It had a US post office from 1843 until 1918. The current county seat, Beattyville, was first known as Taylor's Landing, as it was a ferry landing on the Kentucky River. It was renamed to Beatty in 1850 after early settler Samuel Beatty. The town incorporated in 1872 as Beattyville and was chosen as the new county seat due to its location along the Kentucky River, which aided transportation and trade. Although Lee County had taverns in the 19th century, it is currently a prohibition or dry county.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Lee County lies within the Eastern Mountain Coal Fields region of Kentucky. The very rugged terrain essentially defines the area. Roughly half of the county lies within the Daniel Boone National Forest. Timber and coal remain economically significant. Harmful effects from unregulated strip mining and clear cut logging practices are still being corrected. The proliferation of kudzu, an invasive vine that migrated from the South, has proved difficult to address. However, the growing environmental movement and the developing tourism industry have created energy to take more action to control this pest.
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,916 people, 2,985 households, and 2,122 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 3,321 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 95.10% White, 3.79% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 2,985 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couplesliving together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 109.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $18,544, and the median income for a family was $24,918. Males had a median income of $25,930 versus $19,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,325. About 25.20% of families and 30.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.00% of those under age 18 and 22.90% of those age 65 or over.
Life expectancy
Of 3,142 counties in the United States in 2013, Lee County ranked #3,111 for the life expectancy of males and 2,989 for longevity of females. Males in Lee County lived an average of 68.5 years and females lived an average of 76.7 years compared to the national average for life expectancy of 76.5 for males and 81.2 for females. Moreover, the average life expectancy in Lee Country was stable for males and declined by 1.5 years for females between 1985 and 2013, compared to a national average for the same period of an increased life span of 5.5 years for men and 3.1 years for women. High rates of smoking and obesity, and a low level of physical activity appear to be contributing factors to the low life expectancy for both sexes.
Politics
Economy
Lee County, Kentucky is often listed as one of the poorest counties in the United States. In 2014, 35 percent of its population lived in poverty and the median family income was $23,968 compared to 14.8 percent poor and a $53,482 median family income for the United States as a whole.
