Whitley County, KY
| Whitley County, Kentucky | ||
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Whitley County courthouse in Williamsburg
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 Location in the U.S. state of Kentucky |
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 Kentucky's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | January 17, 1818 | |
| Named for | William Whitley | |
| Seat | Williamsburg | |
| Largest city | Corbin | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 445 sq mi (1,153 km2) | |
| • Land | 438 sq mi (1,134 km2) | |
| • Water | 7.3 sq mi (19 km2), 1.6% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 35,637 | |
| • Density | 81/sq mi (31/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 5th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Whitley County is a county situated in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,637. The county seat is at Williamsburg, though the largest city is Corbin, and the county's District Court (a trial court of limited jurisdiction) sits in both cities.
Whitley County is included in the London, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Whitley County was created on January 17, 1818 from adjacent Knox County, Kentucky. In the years prior to its establishment as an independent county, many skirmishes were fought between native Indians and hunters and trappers in the area. The namesake of the county, Colonel William Whitley, is famous locally for fighting many of these battles within the area, safeguarding the Wilderness Road, as well as for his service in the War of 1812, where he was killed at the Battle of the Thames. The county seat, Williamsburg, is also named for Colonel Whitley, with the first court held at the home of the town's earliest resident, Samuel Cox.
Its rugged terrain, densely forested woodlands, and a history of conflict with local Indian tribes all combined to make for a very slow rate of growth in Whitley County. The development of the coal mining industry in the area towards the late 1800s spurred on population growth as poor families from neighboring states rushed into the county and led to the formation of Corbin, still the largest city in Whitley County.
North Corbin, just north of Whitley County is home to Sanders Cafe, which is the birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was founded there by Harland David Sanders, better known as Colonel Sanders, in 1930.
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