BlockBefore

Rio Vista, 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 40854. It stands on Ewing Creek. The Survey maps it on the Harlan quadrangle.

Rio Vista within Harlan County

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 25 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

178 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 178 fires within 5 miles of Rio Vista between 1997 and 2020, burning about 9,968 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 25 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 burning77
Missing data/not specified/undetermined56
Arson/incendiarism25
Recreation and ceremony15
Misuse of fire by a minor3
Natural1
Equipment and vehicle use1

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
25 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined30 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
25 September 1999Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
22 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
22 September 2007Debris and open burning8.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
21 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined6.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
19 August 2019Debris and open burning1.0 acresKentucky Division of ForestryPINE BRANCH FIRE
6 July 2010Debris and open burning1.0 acresKentucky Division of ForestryCOLD IRON
23 July 2004Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Harlan County

Mines and quarries near this place

5 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Rio Vista: 4 prospects, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Clay, 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Harlan MineStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Pine Mountain Sandstone OutcropSilicaProspect
Jesse Spur RoadcutClayProspect
Kentenia ShaleClayProspect
Wallins Creek South ShaleClayProspect

Every working recorded in Harlan County

Storms near this place

7 since 2007

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Rio Vista in 7 storm reports between 2007 and 2025: 3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2025HailRio Vista-A report was made on social media of nickel to quarter-sized hail in the community of Loyall between 12:35 and 12:40 am EDT.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindRio Vista-Trees and power poles were snapped by thunderstorm wind gusts. The winds also blew siding off a home.
April 2013FloodRio Vista-Highway 119 in Baxter had one lane blocked due to flood water.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindRio Vista-One tree was blown down on Hwy 840.
April 2011HailRio Vista-The hail was the size of quarters and was reported by law enforcement.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindRio Vista-The wind gust was estimated to be up to 60 mph.
July 2007HailRio Vista-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Harlan County

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
Loyall0.6 miles25
Fresh Meadows0.8 miles25
Keith0.9 miles25
Wilhoit1.0 miles24
Sunshine1.7 miles25
Baxter1.9 miles25
Harlan2.0 miles25
Tremont2.0 miles24

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 501962. 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.