Harlan, Kentucky
| Harlan, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Harlan, Kentucky in 2015.
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 Location of Harlan, Kentucky |
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| Coordinates: 36°50′29″N 83°19′12″W / 36.84139°N 83.32000°WCoordinates: 36°50′29″N 83°19′12″W / 36.84139°N 83.32000°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Harlan |
| Named for | Its county |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.8 sq mi (4.5 km2) |
| • Land | 1.8 sq mi (4.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,191 ft (363 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,745 |
| • Density | 969.5/sq mi (387.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 40831 |
| Area code(s) | 606 |
| FIPS code | 21-34732 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0493746 |
Harlan is a city in and the county seat of Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,745 at the 2010 census.
Harlan is one of three Kentucky county seats to share its name with its county, the others being Greenup and Henderson.
Harlan was first settled by Samuel and Chloe Howard in 1796. Upon the founding of Harlan County (named for Kentucky pioneer Silas Harlan) in 1819, the Howards donated 12 acres (49,000 m2) of land to serve as the county seat. The community there was already known as Mount Pleasant, apparently owing to a nearby Indian mound. A post office was established on Sept. 19, 1828, but called Harlan Court House due to preëmpting that name. During the Civil War, Confederate raiders under Gen. Humphrey Marshall occupied the town; the local postmaster renamed the community Spurlock after himself; and, in October 1863, the courthouse was burnt down in reprisal for the Union destruction of the courthouse in Lee County, Virginia. In 1865, the post office was renamed Harlan and, although the community was formally incorporated by the state assembly as Mount Pleasant in on Apr. 15, 1884, the town was already usually called Harlan Court House or Harlan Town by its inhabitants. The city's terms of incorporation were amended to change the name to Harlan on Mar. 13, 1912. One year before, the L&N had arrived in Harlan and prompted massive growth. The city had initially expanded east along Clover Fork; after World War II, it also expanded south along Martin's Fork.
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