Mount Sterling

History

Mount Sterling is named for an ancient burial mound called "Little Mountain", and for the town of Stirling in Scotland. It was named by the first developer of the area, Hugh Forbes. The Kentucky Assembly passed an act in 1792 establishing the town as Mt. Sterling, a misspelling which was retained. The area was originally part of the thick wilderness of central Kentucky. Explorers, hunters, and surveyors traveling along a trail called Old Harper's Trace noted a tree-covered mound which they called "the Little Mountain". Later excavations showed it to be a burial site. The site of the mound is now the intersection of Queen and Locust streets in Mt. Sterling. The first cabin in the area was built in 1779. The first permanent settlement was established around 1790, when Forbes began to sell lots and laid out a road, now Locust Street. In 1796 the town was established as the county seat of newly created Montgomery County. At that time the town consisted of 33 town lots, four retail stores, and three taverns. A courthouse was built, the first of seven to be housed in Mt. Sterling. A jail and a town pump were also installed. A large brick market house where farm produce was bought and sold confirmed the town as the commercial center of the surrounding area. Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist churches were established during the town's first decade. During the Civil War the town was occupied alternately by Union and Confederate troops on multiple occasions. The Battle of Mount Sterling in June 1864, which ended in a Confederate defeat, was the last of the fighting in Montgomery County.

Geography

Mt. Sterling is located northwest of the center of Montgomery County at (38.056613, -83.944500). It is east of Lexington and west of Huntington, West Virginia. U.S. Route 60 passes through the city as Main Street, leading northeast to Owingsville and west-southwest to Winchester. U.S. Route 460 crosses US 60 in the center of Mt. Sterling, leading northwest to Paris and southeast to Frenchburg. Kentucky Route 11 joins US 460 through the center of Mt. Sterling but leads north to Flemingsburg and south to Clay City. Interstate 64 passes through the northern part of Mt. Sterling, with access from exits 110 (US 460) and 113 (US 60), and connecting Mt. Sterling with Lexington and Huntington. According to the United States Census Bureau, Mt. Sterling has a total area of , of which , or 0.49%, are water. Under the Trewartha climate classification system, Mt. Sterling has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dca", bordering very closely on a temperate oceanic climate (abbreviated "Do") with January average temperatures just 0.3 °F (0.2 °C) below freezing, due to the insufficient growing season length to qualify as a subtropical climate under Trewartha.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Montgomery County High School
  High · Mount Sterling · 1,279 students · 19.7:1 ratio
• McNabb Middle School
  Middle · Mount Sterling · 1,018 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Northview Elementary
  Elementary · Mount Sterling · 622 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Camargo Elementary School
  Elementary · Mount Sterling · 576 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Mapleton Elementary School
  Elementary · Mount Sterling · 510 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Mount Sterling Elementary School
  Elementary · Mount Sterling · 407 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• The Sterling School
  High · Mount Sterling · 47 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Gateway Children's Services
  High · Mount Sterling · 13 students · 13:1 ratio