Ashland, Kentucky
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| City motto: "A proud past. A bright future" | |||||
 Location in the state of Kentucky | |||||
| Downtown Ashland, Kentucky Downtown Ashland, Kentucky | |||||
| County | Boyd | ||||
| Mayor | Stephen E. Gilmore | ||||
| Area - Land - Water |
12.2 sq. miles / 31.6 km² 11.1 sq. miles / 28.7 km² 1.1 sq. mile / 2.9 km² | ||||
| Population - Total (2000) - Density - Metropolitan |
21,981 766.0/km² 288,649 | ||||
| Time zone - summer (DST) |
EST (UTC-5) EDT (UTC-4) | ||||
| Latitude Longitude |
38°27′50″N 082°38′30″W / 38.46389°N 82.64167°W | ||||
| Official website: http://www.ashlandky.org/ | |||||
Ashland is a city located in Template:USCity, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. Ashland serves as an important economic center for northeast Kentucky.
History
Ashland's recorded history begins with the migration of the Scotch-Irish Poage family from the Shenandoah Valley via the famed Cumberland Gap. They settled a homestead along the Ohio River in 1786 by the name of Poage's Landing. The Poage settlement remained an extended-family community until the mid 1800's [1].
From its roots in iron manufacturing as a result of Ohio's pig iron industry, Poage's Landing became a center of industry for eastern Kentucky. It was not until 1854, however, that industrial development began with the charter of the Kentucky Iron, Coal and Manufacturing Company by the Kentucky General Assembly. This was also the time that Ashland received its current name when a stockholder in the Kentucky Iron, Coal and Manufacturing Company suggested it be named after the famous statesman Henry Clay's home, Ashland, in Lexington.
Significant Ashland-area industries in the 20th century include the Ashland Oil refinery in nearby Catlettsburg, Armco Steel, Allied Chemical's Semet Solvay, and Mansbach Steel. The rapid rise of the industrial base in the region during the early 20th century led to many prominent landmarks being completed. These include the Paramount Movie Theatre, now the Paramount Arts Center, one of only three such art-deco theaters built by Paramount, and the presently-named Community Trust Building, constructed in 1924 as Ashland's tallest structure at the time. The Henry Clay Hotel and the Ventura Hotel opened during this time as well, but have since been demolished.
Continued expansion of Armco and the rapid growth of Ashland Inc fueled Ashland's population boom in the 1960's, raising it to above 30,000. In the 1970s, Ashland's "tallest address" opened. Known as "The Skytower," it was constructed for Ashland Inc. between 12th and 13th Streets.
The continued growth was not to last, however, as a downturn in the steel industry during the 1980s and 1990s left a dramatically smaller industrial base that has reduced the population of Ashland to just shy of 20,000. Those pillars of the city, such as Armco, now AK Steel, began reducing their workforce in an effort to stay competitive. The Bellefonte Furnace at the steel making plant was mothballed and the hot strip was discontinued.
Taking the place of the industrial base that once supported Ashland is the service sector, namely King's Daughters Medical Center. It has expanded from a relatively small facility to the largest employer west of Charleston, West Virginia and east of Lexington. In the past ten years alone, the footprint of the hospital has been more than doubled.
Geography and climate
Ashland distinctly experiences all four seasons, with vivid fall foliage and occasional snow in winter. Average highs are around 88°F in July, the warmest month, and average lows are around 19°F in January, the coolest month. The highest recorded temperature was 105°F in July of 1954. The lowest recorded temperature was -25°F in January of 1994. Average annual precipitation is 42.8 inches, with the wettest month being July, averaging 4.7 inches.
Ashland is located at 38°27′50″N 82°38′30″W / 38.46389°N 82.64167°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (38.464017, -82.641571)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.6 km² (12.2 mi²). 28.7 km² (11.1 mi²) of it is land and 2.9 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (9.18%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 21,981 people, 9,675 households, and 6,192 families residing in the city. The population density was 766.0/km² (1,984.4/mi²). There were 10,763 housing units at an average density of 375.1/km² (971.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.84% White, 2.30% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.
There were 9,675 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,309, and the median income for a family was $40,131. Males had a median income of $35,362 versus $23,994 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,218. About 14.0% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
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King's Daughters Medical Center
The largest employer in Ashland is King's Daughters Medical Center. In the past 20 years, it has expanded from a county hospital to the city's largest economic resource, employing over 3,000. The growth began with the construction of the Medical Arts Building in the mid 1980s, followed by the Lexington Avenue parking structure. Additions to the north side of the hospital added numerous patient rooms and expanded the amount of services offered at the hospital, and a new Lexington Avenue patient entrance was constructed. A new emergency room was constructed in the late 1990s.
In 2002, Medical Plaza A was opened as a three story structure extension of the hospital to the north, providing room for numerous physician offices, a Wendy's, local bank, and cafe. One year later, a new five story structure was completed along 23rd Street, providing patient rooms, surgery facilities, a new cafeteria, and a new main entrance.
In the summer of 2005, the 12,000 square feeet Hotpitality House at King's Daughters opened, providing 13 guest rooms, a kitchen, dining area, living space, and a reception area for those with "limited resources." That May also saw the completion of Medical Plaza B, a four story, 77,000 square foot facility that houses physician offices, the Surgical Weight Loss center, and a pharmacy. It was constructed with an upward expansion to ten floors. Medical Plaza A was expanded at this time to five stories.
In May of 2006, the new three story Heart and Vascular Center opened adjacent to the main entrance at 23rd Street. On June 5, a new two-story 20,000 square foot Outpatient Imaging Center opened along Central Avenue next to the Hospitality House. It is where the outpatient Radiology, MRI, CT Scans, Mammograms, Ultrasounds, and X-Rays are conducted at; it is also the home of the Breast Care Center.
Melody Mountain and Providence Hill
In late 2004, it was announced that Melody Mountain would be developed. Overlooking the city to the west, it is bounded by 6th Street, US 23, and a CSX spur. Initial plans were to include a Wal-Mart, Home Depot, O'Charley's, and Outback Steakhouse, although Home Depot later dropped out of the project. The Melody Mountain project was completed in early 2006.
Adjacent to Melody Mountain across US 23 is the Providence Hill development project. Currently being constructed are numerous low-rise apartments, an eight story condonimum tower, offices, and retail stores.
Streetscape Improvements
In 2005, the city of Ashland embarked on an energetic plan to revitalise the streetscape of downtown Ashland. The first phase includes the renovations of Winchester Avenue from 13th Street to 18th Street. This includes the removal of all overhead wiring, the installation of new period street lights, installation of ornate lights retrofitted on existing metal street poles, new mast-arm traffic signals, brick crosswalks, sidewalks with brick inserts, metal benches, decorative trash cans, and "pocket parks."
Education
There are eight public schools and two private schools in Ashland. All public schools within city limts are operated by the Ashland Independent School District.
Ashland has six public elementary schools, those being Hager Elementary, Oakview Elementary, Crabbe Elementary School, Poage Elementary, Hatcher Elementary, and Charles Russell Elementary.
There is one public middle school, George M. Verity Middle School, formerly known as Putnam Junior High School. The campus is home to Putnam Stadium which serves as the home field for both the Verity Patriots football and soccer teams, and Ashland Tomcats football. The Ashland Tomcats soccer teams play at the Ashland Soccer Complex at the high school.
One public high school serves the city of Ashland; Paul G. Blazer High School, named after philanthropist and founder of Ashland Inc., Paul G. Blazer. The high school is home to the Ashland Tomcats and Kittens athletic teams. The school's marching band competes in the AAAA class of the Kentucky Music Educators Association(KMEA).
The two private schools serving the Ashland area are the Holy Family School and the Rose Hill Christian School. Holy Family is affiliated with Holy Family Catholic Church and currently offers K-8 education. Rose Hill is affiliated with the Rose Hill Baptist Church and offers K-12.
Post-secondary educational opportunities include Ashland Community and Technical College which has multiple campuses within the city. Morehead State University also has a satellite campus located in Ashland.
Culture
Annual cultural events and fairs
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- The Festival of Lights occurs at the Paramount Arts Center every winter.
- Poage's Landing Days
- Summer Motion
- Winter Wonderland of Lights
Historical structures and museums
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The Paramount Arts Center, an art-deco converted movie theater built in 1930, is located on Winchester Avenue. The theater serves as an important venue for the arts in eastern Kentucky and the surround states of Ohio and West Virginia. It is well noted for its Festival of Trees event during the winter season. In addition, the Paramount was the setting where Billy Ray Cyrus' music video "Achy Breaky Heart" was taped.
Also along Winchester Avenue is the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center. Among its numerous exhibits, includes one about Country Music Heritage that pays tribute to the local music artists that line U.S. Route 23 in Kentucky. Two local artists, The Judds from Ashland, and Billy Ray Cyrus from nearby Flatwoods, are included.
The Pendleton Art Center is also located within the downtown, formed in 2005. Among the art produced there include paintings, stained glass, carved gourds, and wood carvings produced by local artists. They are presented at the Pendleton the first Friday and Saturday of every month and other times by appointment. The Center also features the Lil Bites Cafe, open daily.
The Jesse Stuart Foundation, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the literary legacy of Jesse Stuart and other Appalachian writers, is located within an earshot of the Pendleton Arts Center. Jesse Stuart, a well-known 20th century author, was from nearby Greenup, Kentucky.
Media
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The Independent is Ashland's daily newspaper, with a circulation of less than 20,000. It's first publication was made in 1896 in the nearby river city of Catlettsburg, however, the newspaper moved its offices to its present location in 1900. It serves Ashland, Boyd County, and numerous surrounding counties and states.
Parks and outdoor attractions
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Ashland boasts a 47-acre wooded Central Park that features three seperate children playgrounds, several baseball diamonds, a volleyball court, and a bandstand. It is also noted for its beautifully restored pond, which was filled in during the 1950s and restored in 2000. Central Park hosts an annual holiday light show, the Winter Wonderland of Lights.
Transportation
Air
Located just north of the city in Worthington is the Ashland Regional Airport. This airport is used for general aviation and charter services. Tri-State Airport, located in nearby Ceredo, West Virginia, provides commercial aviation services for the city.
Rail
Amtrak Service is Offered At the Ashland Bus System station but does not have a Ticket Counter or QuikTrak Ticket Machine.
Bus
Greyhound Bus Service is Offered at the Ashland Bus System station.
Public Transportation
Public transportation in Ashland is provided by the Ashland Bus System (ABS). The bus system also offers service to the neighboring CDP of Westwood, and the cities of Catlettsburg, Kentucky and Kenova, West Virginia.
Roads
Notable people from Ashland
- The Judds (Naomi and Wynonna), mother/daughter country music duo, for whom a downtown square, Judd Plaza, is named
- Ashley Judd, Actress and daughter of Naomi Judd.
- Chuck Woolery, popular game show host, for whom a street in Central Park, Chuck Woolery Boulevard, is named
- Brandon Webb, pitcher for Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks
- Although originally from Canton, Georgia, Ashland is the current home of actor and former Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Sonny Landham.
- Jillian Hall, professional wrestler who performs for World Wrestling Entertainment
- Dammit don't forget about Jordan Emmons
Trivia
- The original name for Ashland was Poage's Landing.
- In 1854, the name of the city was changed to Ashland in honor of Henry Clay's home in Lexington, Kentucky.
- Ashland Oil originated here, as well as the better known Valvoline Oil.
- It is rumored that actress Ashley Judd takes her name from her mother's hometown, Ashland.
- Cult leader and convicted felon, Charles Manson, at one time, lived in Ashland.
- Ashland is mentioned in "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.
