London

History

The area around London had been territory of the Cherokee people for centuries. In 1776 Daniel Boone passed through the area that would become London. Upon the establishment of Laurel County in 1825, a vote was held to provide for the new area's seat of government. The land offered by John Jackson and his son Jarvis Jackson was selected, along with their suggested name of London, honoring their English heritage. The town was founded the next year, its post office established in 1831, One of John Jackson's sons was Hancock Lee Jackson, 13th governor of Missouri. His second cousin was Claiborne Fox Jackson, 15th governor of Missouri. In 1861, the Battle of Camp Wildcat was fought early in the American Civil War to the north of the town. In 1865 the non denominational, First Christian Church of London was founded. The St. Joseph's Hospital, which at the time was known as the Pennington General Hospital, was founded on April 20, 1926. During the Depression of the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Works Progress Administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Pack Horse Library Project to serve rural people in the mountains. London served as a central collection agency for books donated to his program. It also had a pack horse library, whose riders delivered books to rural residents. On the night of May 16, 2025, a violent EF4 tornado tore through the southern portions of London. The tornado resulted in catastrophic damage, destroyed roughly 280 homes, and killed 17 people in the city.

Geography

London is located in central Laurel County. U.S. Route 25 passes through London as its Main Street. Route 25 leads northwest to Mount Vernon and south to Corbin. Interstate 75, running parallel to US 25, passes along the western edge of London, with access from Exits 38 and 41. I-75 leads north to Lexington and south to Knoxville, Tennessee. The Hal Rogers Parkway runs along the northern edge of London, leading east to Garrard and west to Somerset. According to the United States Census Bureau, London has a total area of , of which , or 0.39%, are water. Between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, the city annexed a significant portion of land. London has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with continental influences. Summers are hot and humid with frequent storms. July is the warmest month, with an average high of and an average low of . Winters are cold with a few mild periods. January is the coldest month with an average high of and an average low of . The highest recorded temperature was on June 29, 2012, and the lowest recorded temperature was on January 19, 1994. }}

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