Corbin

History

The first settlement in the Corbin area was known as Lynn Camp Station. The first post office was called Cummins, for community founder Nelson Cummins. It was discovered in 1885 that both Cummins and Lynn Camp were already in use as names for Kentucky post offices, and postmaster James Eaton was asked to select another name. He chose Corbin for the Rev. James Corbin Floyd, a local minister. The town was incorporated under that name in 1905. Corbin has a troubled racial past, including a race riot in late October 1919 in which a white mob forced nearly all the town's 200 black residents onto a freight train out of town and a sundown town policy until the late 20th century. The event is the subject of a 1991 documentary, Trouble Behind. In October 2019, city leaders marked the riot's centennial with a proclamation acknowledging the riot and former sundown town policy. For most of its history, the urbanized areas of Corbin in Laurel County were not incorporated into the city limits due to a state law prohibiting cities from being in more than two counties. However, a 2021 change to state law allowed cities to voluntarily annex property in a third county if the city already provides public infrastructure to that property. In March 2022, the Corbin City Commission approved an annexation request for a property in Laurel County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Corbin has a total area of , with only a tiny fraction of , or 0.56%, consisting of water. Corbin lies in the Cumberland Plateau region of Appalachia in southeastern Kentucky, along Interstate 75 and U.S. Route 25W. I-75 provides access to the city from exit 25, leading north to Lexington and south to Knoxville, Tennessee. U.S. 25W runs through the center of town, leading north to London (via U.S. Route 25) and south to Williamsburg. The Pine Mountain Overthrust Fault, a geologic fault system several miles to the east, produces occasional tremors, the most recent in 2008. Corbin exhibits a humid subtropical climate, typical of southeastern Kentucky. The region experiences four distinct seasons. Winters are cool to cold, with mild periods. Summers are generally hot and humid, with variable spring and fall seasons. Precipitation is common year-round but more prevalent in the summer months—the surrounding mountains somewhat moderate Corbin's climate.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  547
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  420
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  383
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  348
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  333
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  313
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  291
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  273

Largest nearby schools

• Corbin High School
  High · Corbin · 829 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Corbin Primary
  Elementary · Corbin · 769 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Oak Grove Elementary School
  Elementary · Corbin · 705 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• CORBIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · Corbin · 373 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Whitley County North Elementary School
  Elementary · Rockholds · 321 students · 12.3:1 ratio
• Corbin School of Innovation
  Other · Corbin · 218 students · 31.1:1 ratio
• Corbin Educational Center
  Other · Corbin · 31 students · 5.2:1 ratio
• Elementary Homebound
  Elementary · Corbin · 24 students

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-01-04
  11 km SW of Middlesboro, Kentucky
• M 3.09 — 2025-12-28
  11 km ENE of Lancaster, Kentucky
• M 2.74 — 2024-05-22
  18 km SSE of Hyden, Kentucky
• M 2.63 — 2023-08-04
  11 km ENE of Lancaster, Kentucky
• M 2.57 — 2023-06-25
  Kentucky-Tennessee border region
• M 2.72 — 2023-06-24
  3 km S of Blaine, Tennessee