Harlan, Kentucky
25 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1977. It stands in the Harlan census division. It lies in ZIP code area 40831. It stands on Martins Fork Cumberland River. The Survey maps it on the Harlan quadrangle. 1,776 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,191 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Harlan
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
Harlan Commercial Districtlisted 1986
Population over time
2 figuresHarlan grew from 1,745 to 1,776 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 | 1,745 | |
| 2020 | 1,776 | +31 (+2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 25 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.
- 1887 USGS Jonesville quadrangle1:125000
- 1891 USGS Jonesville quadrangle1:125000, 9 printings
- 1903 USGS Harlan quadrangle1:48000
- 1916 USGS Harlan quadrangle1:48000
- 1919 USGS Harlan quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Harlan quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Johnson City quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Johnson City quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Johnson City quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Johnson City quadrangle1:250000
- 1977 USGS Middlesboro quadrangle1:100000
Photographs
5 photographs, 1940Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Wolcott, Marion Post, 1940. Library of Congress
Wolcott, Marion Post, 1940. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Wolcott, Marion Post, 1940. Library of Congress
Wolcott, Marion Post, 1940. Library of Congress
Fires near this place
198 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 198 fires within 5 miles of Harlan between 1997 and 2020, burning about 13,624 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 34 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 | 81 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 58 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 34 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 19 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 28 September 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 30 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 25 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 25 September 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 22 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 22 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 8.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 21 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 19 August 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | PINE BRANCH FIRE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Harlan: 1 producer, 1 prospect. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Silica. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlan Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Pine Mountain Sandstone Outcrop | Silica | Prospect |
Storms near this place
41 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Harlan in 41 storm reports between 1998 and 2024: 23 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 1 debris flow, 1 flash flood. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2013 | Flash Flood | Harlan | $1,000,000 | A foot of water was flowing over May Street. A couple of mudslides and a flooded business were reported in the Middle of Harlan as well. Substantial damage was done to roads across the county, mainly from urban and small stream flooding and from ditches washing out. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $50,000 | There were trees blown down, roofs blown off, including a small supermarket, billboards down. power lines down, and numerous windows blown out of downtown businesses. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $50,000 | Numerous reports were received of downed trees and power lines. The State Police reported that at least 50 trees had fallen across roads as a result of thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| April 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $50,000 | Sunshine Fire Dept. reported multiple trees and power lines down around Highway 72 and 421 bypass. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Harlan | $30,000 | Golfball size hail caused damage to some vehicles. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $10,000 | Trees were blown down in the city of Harlan. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $7,000 | Thundestorm wind gusts downed several power lines in the Browning Acres neighborhood. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $6,000 | Radio operators received numerous reports of wind damage including damaged signs, shingles removed from roofs, large tree limbs down, and debris in the road in downtown Harlan in the area of Main and Clover Streets. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $5,000 | A tree fell on a dentist office in Harlan during a severe thunderstorm. Numerous trees were also reported down throughout the county. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $4,000 | Four trees were blown down in the Wallens Creek area. |
| April 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $2,000 | Two trees were blown down. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $1,000 | Tree limbs were blown down. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $1,000 | A tree was blown down on Highway 522 between mile markers 16 and 17. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | $1,000 | A couple of large limbs were torn from a tree by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | Dispatch reported numerous trees down throughout Harlan County. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | Dispatch reported trees blown down on U.S. Highway 421 near Harlan. |
| October 2017 | Flood | Harlan | - | Local media reported localized urban flooding in Harlan as 2 to 2.5 inches of rain fell. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | A tree was blown down on US Hwy 421. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | A tree was blown down and onto a house at Gulston. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | The observation was from the Harlan AWOS. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Harlan | - | The hail was the size of quarters. |
| April 2011 | Hail | Harlan | - | The hail was the size of quarters. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Harlan | - | Nickel size hail was reported across a wide area north of Harlan. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Harlan | - | Penny to nickel size hail reported. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | Multiple trees were down at Catrons Creek. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | Several trees were down along United States Route 421. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | A tree was down at Wallins Creek on Kentucky Highway 219 and also across United States Highway 421 in Bledsoe. |
| January 2001 | Debris Flow | Harlan | - | Rockslide on US Hwy 119 was triggered by heavy rain. |
| October 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | Numerous trees were blown down. State Highway 421 was impassable due to all the trees down. |
| February 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | Trees were downed in the Harlan area along U.S. Route 421, and Kentucky Routes 522 and 987. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| March 2012 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| January 1999 | Hail | Harlan | - | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Harlan | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunshine | 0.5 miles | 25 | |
| Dressen | 0.8 miles | 25 | |
| Clovertown | 0.9 miles | 25 | |
| Harlan Gas | 1.0 miles | 25 | |
| Tway | 1.1 miles | 25 | |
| Baxter | 1.2 miles | 25 | |
| Rex | 1.3 miles | 25 | |
| Elcomb | 1.6 miles | 25 |
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 Harlan | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2315959 | 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 493746. 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.










