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Clay City, Kentucky

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1892 and the latest in 1982. It stands in the Clay City census division. It lies in ZIP code area 40312. It stands on Fife Lick Creek. The Survey maps it on the Clay City quadrangle. 1,193 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 620 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Clay City within Powell County

On record in Clay City

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 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Clay City grew from 1,077 to 1,193 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.

YearPeople Change
20101,077
20201,193+116 (+11%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 12 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

79 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 79 fires within 5 miles of Clay City between 1998 and 2020, burning about 734 acres in total. None started naturally. 7 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined26
Debris and open burning24
Recreation and ceremony18
Arson/incendiarism7
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Equipment and vehicle use1
Smoking1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
29 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
26 September 1999Debris and open burning2.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
25 September 2019Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresKentucky Division of ForestryCHARLIE LANE
24 September 1998Debris and open burning1.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
18 September 1999Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
14 September 2008Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
3 August 2002Debris and open burning21 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
17 June 2007Recreation and ceremony10 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Powell County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Clay City: 2 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
213 QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Drake 01ClayProducer

Every working recorded in Powell County

Storms near this place

60 of 69 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Clay City in 69 storm reports between 1995 and 2026: 33 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail, 11 flash flood, 5 flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2014LightningClay City1 hurtA county employee was struck by lightning. The person was taken to a hospital but there were no details available on specific injuries.
March 1997Flash FloodClay City$200,000no account filed
April 2008Flash FloodClay City$55,000Adams Ridge Road was washed out by flood waters.
August 2009Flash FloodClay City$50,000The Powell County emergency manager say that Stanton is experiencing severe flash flooding. A rescue was underway in the city limits on Stanton Road. A daycare center was evacuated due to flooding and many businesses were flooded. Debris was seen flowing across many roads within Stanton city limits.
February 2008Thunderstorm WindClay City$35,000Numerous trees and power lines were blown down county wide.
December 2019FloodClay City$11,000The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reported standing water over Kentucky Highways 2026, 1184, and 613 between Bowen and Clay City.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindClay City$10,000Numerous tree branches were torn off along Spout Springs Road. Branches were 2 to 5 inches in diameter. One tree was also blown down on Highway 2001.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindClay City$10,000Several trees down.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindClay City$7,000Dispatch reported that a tree fell on a vehicle on Main St, injuring two of the passengers.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindClay City$5,000Trees downed. One tree fell onto house.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindClay City$3,000Power lines were downed.
March 1997Thunderstorm WindClay City$3,000no account filed
January 2008Thunderstorm WindClay City$2,500A thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 60 mph occurred near Stanton in Powell county. One small tree and two large limbs blown down in Stanton.
February 2012Thunderstorm WindClay City$2,000Large tree limbs were blown down on Snow Creek.
March 2008Thunderstorm WindClay City$2,000Two trees were blown down on Highway 11.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindClay City$2,000Two trees down on old Winchester Road. One tree down on Pecks Creek Road and another on Oak Ridge Drive.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindClay City$1,000A phone line was blown down by strong thunderstorm wind gusts near Clay City.
March 2015FloodClay City$1,000Adams Ridge on Brush Branch had to be closed due to flooding.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindClay City$1,000A 5 inch diameter tree limb was blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindClay City$1,000A tree was blown down on Route 1057 near Big Hardwicks Creek Road.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindClay City$1,000Three trees were blown down on Little Hardwicks Creek Road.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindClay City$1,000Tree blown down on a power line.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindClay City-Powell County dispatch reported a tree blown down along the road near the intersection of Pompeii Road and Woody Ware Road.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindClay City-A tree was blown down near the intersection of Woody Ware and Pompeii roads.
January 2022Heavy RainClay City-The cooperative observer located 2 miles west of Stanton measured 3.14 inches of rainfall in a 48-hour period ending at 8am on January 2, 2022.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindClay City-A tree was blown down on Beech Fork Road near Clay City.
July 2021Heavy RainClay City-A 24-hour rainfall total of 3.25 inches was reported off Beech Fork Road just east-northeast of Clay City.
December 2021Thunderstorm WindClay City-A tree was downed and over Paint Creek Road in the 2500 block north of Stanton.
February 2019FloodClay City-Local media reported flooding between Stanton and Clay City along Kentucky Highway 2026.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindClay City-A tree was blown down in the Heartbreak Ridge area.
February 2012HailClay City-Quarter size hail was reported in Clay City.
March 2012HailClay City-Hail, ranging from dime to half dollar size, covered the ground approximately 2.5 miles north on Route 11 heading towards Mount Sterling.
April 2011HailClay City-The hail was the size of half dollars.
May 2010Heavy RainClay City-A volunteer weather observer reported that 3.58 inches of rain had fallen in Clay City since 8 am.
May 2010Flash FloodClay City-The Beech Fork Reservoir between Clay City and Stanton was in danger of breach. Water was overflowing the dam according to the Beech Fork Water Commission.
January 2009FloodClay City-Numerous roads were flooded due to the ice and debris in the Red River causing it to overflow its banks. Roads closures included Pompeii, Adams Ridge, Rosslyn, Bowen and Maple Street. These roads were all in the Clay City and Stanton areas.
August 2009Flash FloodClay City-Portions of Highway 15 has over 6 inches of water flowing across it. Debris was also flowing across the road.
April 2009Funnel CloudClay City-A funnel cloud was reported by state police in Clay City and West Bend.
February 2008FloodClay City-Highway 2026 near beach fork was flooded. Flooding was also reported in the Bowen Community on Highway 15.
February 2008Thunderstorm WindClay City-Thunderstomr winds were estimated at 65 mph by a National Weather Service employee.
January 2006Flash FloodClay City-Twelve inches of water flowing across several areas of Highway 82, Hardwick Road, and Adams Ridge Road.
April 2005Thunderstorm WindClay City-Trees down on Happy Top Road near Clay City.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindClay City-Trees down in Clay City.
May 2005Thunderstorm WindClay City-Large tree limbs down in Clay City.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindClay City-One tree down at Snow Creek.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindClay City-One tree down on Highway 82.
May 2004Tornado (F0)Clay City-A storm survey confirmed that an F0 tornado, with a wind of 60 to 70 miles per hour, touched down in Clay City near Highway 15. The tornado had a width of about 50 feet and touched down very briefly. The tornado was embedded in a large area of straight-line, downburst wind.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindClay City-Trees were blown down.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindClay City-Thunderstorm winds brought several trees down in the area.
August 2001Flash FloodClay City-Two feet of flowing water between mile marker 12 and 16 on the Mountain Parkway. Portion of the Parkway was closed at Exit 16 due to high water. Kentucky Highways 15 and 11 were also closed due to flowing water. One house and 2 mobile homes were surrounded by water, no damage was reported.
October 2001Thunderstorm WindClay City-Trees were blown down.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindClay City-One tree and several large limbs down.
December 2000Flash FloodClay City-Harwicks Creek and Frames Branch reported out of their banks at Adams Ridge near Clay City. Several homes cut off by floodwaters.
January 1999Flash FloodClay City-Water blocked roads in and around the Clay City area.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindClay City-Trees downed.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindClay City-Trees were downed.
June 1995HailClay City-Public reports golf ball-size hail.
March 2012HailClay City-no account filed
May 2008HailClay City-no account filed
June 2008HailClay City-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Powell County

Newspapers printed here

4,201 digitised pages

1 paper published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 1,004 issues, 4,201 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

NewspaperPublished
The Clay City Times1901 to Current

What the paper printed

11,105 words

Front pages of the local paper, read from the Library of Congress scans: 6 issues spread across its run from 1901 to 1922, 11,105 words in total. Each is reproduced on its own page, exactly as the recogniser returned it.

These pages read less well than anything else here, and the number is worth stating: about three words in four come through cleanly, against nine in ten for the building records. An 1896 broadsheet sets eight-point type in seven columns on microfilm, which is the hardest thing in this archive to read by machine. We tested our own recognisers against the Library's and they were not better, so the Library's text is what appears, with the wholly unreadable columns removed. Read it as a guide to what the paper covered, and follow the link to the scan before quoting anything.

IssuePaper Length
1901-11-28The Clay City Times1,809 words
1901-12-12The Clay City Times2,008 words
1901-12-26The Clay City Times2,066 words
1902-04-24The Clay City Times1,348 words
1902-05-08The Clay City Times1,635 words
1922-12-28The Clay City Times2,239 words

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Piggville (historical)0.7 miles12
Waltersville0.9 miles12
Powell Valley1.6 miles12
Old Clay City Road (historical)2.0 miles12
Black Creek (historical)2.2 miles12
Virden2.5 miles12
Paint Creek (historical)2.6 miles12
Happy Top (historical)3.0 miles12

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 Clay CityAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2020113The 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 511380. 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.