Hyden

History

The area was first settled around 1800 by the Sizemores, a mixed-blood (Anglo and Native-American) family migrating from North Carolina, with a brief stay in Hawkins County, Tennessee, before making it to Kentucky. John "Rock House" Sizemore and his wife, Nancy (Bowling) Sizemore, lived in a rock house about a hundred yards up from the mouth of the creek which would later bear his name (Rockhouse Creek). John Rock House later sold the land to a Lewis man who then donated the land to the government, which became the town of Hyden. The town was established in 1878 and incorporated in 1882, and was named after John Hyden, a state senator of the time who helped form Leslie County. The mountainous terrain made the region difficult to access except by river, which was no longer the dominant form of transportation by the late 19th century, hindering growth. Frontier Nursing University opened in Hyden in 1939. Hyden briefly came to national attention when the Hurricane Creek mine disaster occurred in late 1970, southeast of the city. In July 1978, Richard Nixon came to Hyden to make his first public speech since resigning from the presidency during the Watergate crisis. Hyden was picked because Judge-Executive C. Allen Muncy wrote a letter inviting him to attend the dedication of a recreation facility and Nixon wanted a town that had heavily supported his presidential runs. Leslie County Judge-Executive C. Allen Muncy claimed the Nixon invitation prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to obtain indictments of him and his associates on vote-fraud charges; while on appeal for his conviction, he won renomination in the Republican primary but lost the 1981 general election to independent Kermit Keen.

Geography

Hyden is located in north-central Leslie County at (37.163456, -83.375065), in the valley of the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River. Most of the city is on the west side of the river, at the confluence of Rockhouse Creek from the west. U.S. Route 421 and Kentucky Route 80 pass through Hyden as its Main Street, leading west to Manchester. In the other direction, US 421 leads south up the Middle Fork valley and over Pine Mountain to Harlan, while KY 80 leads northeast to Combs, near Hazard. Kentucky Route 118 (Tim Couch Pass) is a three-lane highway leading northwest from Hyden to the Hal Rogers Parkway at Thousandsticks. Kentucky Route 257 (Dryhill Road) is a local road that leads north from Hyden down the valley of the Middle Fork to Confluence. According to the United States Census Bureau, Hyden has a total area of , of which , or 2.99%, are water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Hyden has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Mountain View Elementary
  Elementary · Hyden · 506 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Leslie County High School
  High · Hyden · 472 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Stinnett Elementary School
  Elementary · Hoskinston · 318 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• W B Muncy Elementary School
  Elementary · Wooton · 238 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• Hayes Lewis Elementary School
  Elementary · Yeaddiss · 124 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Leslie County Area Technology Center
  High · Hyden