Burkesville, Kentucky
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Burkesville census division. It lies in ZIP code area 42717. It stands on Rocky Branch. The Survey maps it on the Burkesville quadrangle. 1,388 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 581 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Burkesville
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 2 records
James Baker Houselisted 2006
Coe Houselisted 2009
Population over time
2 figuresBurkesville fell from 1,521 to 1,388 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,521 | |
| 2020 | 1,388 | -133 (-9%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 10 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1953 USGS Burkesville quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Corbin quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Corbin quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Burkesville quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Tompkinsville quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
43 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 43 fires within 5 miles of Burkesville between 1998 and 2019, burning about 585 acres in total. None started naturally. 5 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 12 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 9 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 5 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 August 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 28 June 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 24 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | WILSON |
| 21 June 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 6 April 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 40 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 9 March 2001 | Smoking | 3.5 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 6 March 2012 | Debris and open burning | 28 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | GOOSE CREE |
| 5 March 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 30 March 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Burkesville: 1 occurrence, 1 producer, 1 past producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Uranium, Oil Shale, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Zinc, Cadmium, Germanium. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burkesville | Zinc, Cadmium, Germanium | Past Producer | Sphalerite | |
| Grider Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Outcrop Sample For Uranium | Uranium, Oil Shale | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
43 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Burkesville in 43 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 31 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 5 flash flood, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Burkesville | $150,000 | Roofs were ripped from several homes and storage buildings. Several barns were demolished. Part of a roof was ripped off an elementary school. |
| May 2010 | Flash Flood | Burkesville | $100,000 | Numerous roads across the county were closed due to flash flooding. A total of five to eight inches of rain fell across Cumberland county from May 1-2. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | $75,000 | The Cumberland County emergency manager reported numerous trees and power lines were down across the county. A NWS survey team the following day estimated that the number of trees down across the county from several hundred to well over one thousand, and caused more damage than a brief tornado that occurred in the southwest corner of the county near the Tennessee state line. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | $30,000 | Multiple trees and power lines were reported down through out the county, but most were in Burkesville. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | $20,000 | The Burkesville police reported several trees down across roadways. A couple of limbs fell on vehicles and some power lines were downed. |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | $5,000 | The Cumberland County Emergency Manager reported some shingles were blown off several houses near the intersection of Free Ferry and Smith Grove Roads. Some ceder trees were downed and some tin was removed from a barn near the same location. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | $2,000 | Trees were downed in Burkesville. |
| February 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Three power poles were blown down by strong winds along Kentucky Route 90 east of Burkesville. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Several trees were blown down by strong winds in downtown Burkesville. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees blew down across Cumberland County, resulting in several road closures. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Burkesville | - | Hail ranging from quarter to half dollar size was reported near Burkesville. |
| July 2022 | Flash Flood | Burkesville | - | Flood waters have entered businesses in Burkesville. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees were down within the city limits of Burkesville. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Dispatch reported trees down in the Burkesville city limits. |
| May 2021 | Flash Flood | Burkesville | - | There were reports of water over roadways. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | There were trees reported down in the area. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Local law enforcement reported trees down in the area. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Local law enforcement reported trees and power lines down throughout the county. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Power lines and trees were downed. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees reported down. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees were reported down across the county. |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees were downed. |
| November 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | The NWS cooperative observer estimated a 70 to 80 mph wind gust. |
| November 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | A few trees were downed at a camp ground. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees were downed. |
| July 2004 | Flash Flood | Burkesville | - | Water covered some roads in Burkesville. Several creeks were out of their banks. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees were downed. |
| April 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Several trees were downed along Highway 1351. |
| July 2000 | Flash Flood | Burkesville | - | Main Street in Burkesville was flooded. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees down |
| January 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees and power lines down across southeast part of county |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees down as well as flooding. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | Trees were reported down from Burkesville Northwest to Marrowbone. Report from County Dispatch. |
| March 2025 | Hail | Burkesville | - | no account filed |
| March 2011 | Hail | Burkesville | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Burkesville | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Burkesville | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burkesville | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Burkesville | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dougan Town | 0.8 miles | 10 | |
| Lewis Creek (historical) | 1.3 miles | 10 | |
| Bow | 2.3 miles | 10 | |
| Grider | 3.1 miles | 8 | |
| Ellington | 3.6 miles | 8 | |
| Little Renox (historical) | 4.2 miles | 8 | |
| Leslie | 4.4 miles | 8 | |
| Bakerton | 4.5 miles | 10 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Burkesville | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2928518 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 488433. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




