Lawrence County, Kentucky

Lawrence County Education, Geography, and History

Lawrence County is a county located in the state of Kentucky. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 15,860. Lawrence County was created on December 14, 1821. The county seat is Louisa. The county is named for James Lawrence, naval hero of the Revolutionary.

Etymology - Origin of Lawrence County Name

Lawrence county is named or Captain James Lawrence (1780-1813), naval hero of the Revolutionary War.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Lawrence County History

Lawrence county was formed in 1822. It is located in the Eastern Coal Field region of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from 515 to 1320 feet above sea level. In 2000 the county population was 15,569 in a land area of 418.78 square miles, an average of 37.2 people per square mile. The county seat is Louisa.

The bridge from Louisa, in eastern Lawrence County, to Fort Gay, West Virginia is something of a geographic and architectural oddity. The quarter-mile concrete span spans across the Little Sandy River and the Tug River that come together and form the Big Sandy River, connects two states and has a right turn at its halfway point, which connects traffic to the Point Section neighborhood of Louisa.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 420 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 416 square miles (1,080 km²) is land and 4.5 square miles (12 km²) (1.1%) is water.

Lawrence county is located in east Kentucky. Yatesville Lake is located in this county and provides flood control for the region as well as recreational opportunities.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Boyd County
• Northeast: Wayne County, W.Va.
• Southeast: Martin County
• Southwest: Johnson County; Morgan County
• West: Elliott County
• Northwest: Carter County

Education

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