Salyersville

History

The hill overlooking the bend of the Licking River just downriver from the present town was fortified and settled by Archibald Prater, Ebenezer Hanna, and others. Originally known as "Prater's Fort", the community had become "Licking Station" by the time of its first post office in 1839. The post office changed the following year. Salyersville's first high school, the Magoffin County Institute, was founded in 1908 by A.C. Harlowe. The Great Depression hit Salyersville hard, since such a high percentage of Salyersville's citizens were laborers or farmers, who saw prices for crops fall from 40 to 60%. Nearby mining and logging operations also closed or limited production when demand for their products fell sharply. In 1939, floods in February and July caused extensive property damage. During the July event, the Licking River crested over . The Mountain Parkway opened in 1963, stretching west from Salyersville to intersect with Interstate 64 at a point just east of Winchester. It enabled more tourists to visit the area, and heritage tourism began to help Salyersville develop a changed economy. The first Magoffin County Founder's Day Festival was held in 1979; the annual event continued until 2015. In the winter of 1997, as part of Kentucky's elk restoration project, Salyersville became one of the locations selected for the release of elk into the wilderness area of its mountains. Between 2002 and 2006, the third Magoffin County courthouse (erected in 1959 ) was demolished and replaced with a new Magoffin County Justice Center. The tornado was reported to be an EF3. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear visited Salyersville and toured the eastern part of the state after the tornado outbreak.

Geography

Salyersville is in central Magoffin County at 37°44'53" north, 83°3'47" west (37.748171, -83.062984), in the valley of the Licking River, where it is joined from the northeast by the State Road Fork and from the southeast by the Burning Fork. The Licking River is a direct tributary of the Ohio River, joining it at Covington, Kentucky. U.S. Route 460 passes through the center of Salyersville as Parkway Drive, South Church Street, and West Maple Street. US 460 leads northwest (downriver) to West Liberty and east to Paintsville. Kentucky Route 7 passes through downtown Salyersville with US 460, but leads southeast to Wayland. Kentucky Route 40 runs northeast out of Salyersville and also leads to Paintsville, reaching it in . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Salyersville has a total area of , of which (0.96% or about 13 ac) is covered by water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Magoffin County High School
  High · Salyersville · 637 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Salyersville Grade School
  Elementary · Salyersville · 499 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• North Magoffin Elementary
  Elementary · Salyersville · 420 students · 15:1 ratio
• Herald Whitaker Middle School
  Middle · Salyersville · 250 students · 11.4:1 ratio
• South Magoffin Elementary
  Elementary · Salyersville · 208 students · 18.9:1 ratio