City of Paintsville | |
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City | |
Main Street decorated for Christmas
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Nickname(s): "City Between the Lakes" | |
Location of Paintsville in Johnson County, Kentucky. |
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Detailed map of Paintsville |
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Coordinates: 37°48′41″N 82°48′24″W / 37.81139°N 82.80667°WCoordinates: 37°48′41″N 82°48′24″W / 37.81139°N 82.80667°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Kentucky |
County | Johnson |
Established | February 24, 1834 |
Incorporated | February 5, 1843 |
Named for | a nearby creek |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor-Council |
• Mayor | Bill Mike Runyon |
Area | |
• Total | 1.82 sq mi (4.71 km2) |
• Land | 1.67 sq mi (4.32 km2) |
• Water | 0.15 sq mi (0.40 km2) |
Elevation | 614 ft (187 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 3,459 |
• Estimate (2016) | 4,203 |
• Density | 2,521.30/sq mi (973.72/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 41240 |
Area code(s) | 606 Exchanges: 788,789 |
FIPS code | 21-58962 |
GNIS feature ID | 0500128 |
Website | www |
Paintsville (locally /ˈpeɪntsvəl/) is a home rule-class city along Paint Creek in Johnson County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 3,459 during the 2010 U.S. Census.
A Paint Lick Station was referred to in military dispatches as early as 1780. The site was named for Indian art painted on the debarked trees near a local salt lick when the first white settlers arrived and was originally part of a 19,050-acre (7,710 ha) tract belonging to George Lewis. The trading post was purchased by the Carolinian Rev. Dalton Ray Chandler II in 1812 and laid out as the town of Paint Lick Station in 1826. The town was formally established under that name in 1834, although the post office was probably named Paint Creek. It was incorporated as a city under its present name of Paintsville in 1843, the same year it became the seat of Johnson County.
The Civil War found Johnson County Fiscal Court passing an ordinance barring both Union and Confederate flags from being flown in its jurisdiction. This was quickly repealed when then-Col. James A. Garfield marched his brigade into the city.