Whitley City, Kentucky
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Stearns-Whitley City census division. It lies in ZIP code area 42653. It stands on East Apple Tree Branch. The Survey maps it on the Whitley City quadrangle. 968 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,352 feet above sea level.
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Population over time
2 figuresWhitley City fell from 1,170 to 968 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 | 1,170 | |
| 2020 | 968 | -202 (-17%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 16 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.
- 1890 USGS Williamsburg quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1894 USGS Williamsburg quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1952 USGS Whitley City quadrangle1:24000
- 1956 USGS Corbin quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Corbin quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Whitley City quadrangle1:24000
- 1979 USGS Whitley City quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1981 USGS Corbin quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
198 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 198 fires within 5 miles of Whitley City between 1992 and 2020, burning about 3,812 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 137 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 |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 137 |
| Debris and open burning | 24 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 8 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2008 | Natural | 5.0 acres | Daniel Boone National Forest | YAHOO ARCH |
| 9 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 13 acres | Daniel Boone National Forest | ARCHER |
| 8 September 2007 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | Daniel Boone National Forest | RAILROAD |
| 4 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Daniel Boone National Forest | LITLIN |
| 30 September 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Daniel Boone National Forest | PIGEON ROOST |
| 30 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 150 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 30 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 40 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 27 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | Daniel Boone National Forest | COON |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 77 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Whitley City in 77 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 45 thunderstorm wind, 25 hail, 3 flash flood, 3 heavy rain. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $150,000 | There were roofs and porches blown off of homes. Trees and power lines were down across the county. Nearly every tree in one hollow was blown down. |
| March 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $55,000 | Fire Rescue officials reported homes damaged in the Williamsburg St/Trooper Island area east of Whitley City. Power lines were also downed. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $50,000 | Trees were blown down county wide by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $30,000 | Trees down in Whitley City and throughout the county. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $30,000 | Numerous trees were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts throughout the county, particularly in and around Whitley City. |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $30,000 | Numerous trees were blown down county wide by wind gusts estimated at 63 mph. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $15,000 | Multiple trees and power lines down across the county. Tree also on fire in Whitley City. |
| January 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $15,000 | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $10,000 | There were numerous trees and power lines blown down. A roof was blown off of building and now on top of a car wash. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $10,000 | A trained spotter estimated winds of up to 60 mph with multiple trees down 3 miles southeast of Whitley City. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $8,000 | A Skywarn Spotter reported a portion of a roof of a commercial building blown off, along with a couple of carports being blown over, in Whitley City. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $8,000 | Numerous trees and power lines down. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $5,000 | Trees were blown down in Whitley City between 553 and 623 pm. |
| March 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $5,000 | A tree fell on a powerline near Wagon Ridge on Highway 92. A tree also fell on a power line in Vanover Ridge near Parkers Lake. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $5,000 | Trees were downed. |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Whitley City | $5,000 | Flash flooding occurred along Hayes and Marsh Creeks. A car was washed downstream. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $3,000 | Trees were blown down on Alum Ford Rd at Yahoo Falls. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $3,000 | A was blown down and onto a power line on Beulah Heights Road. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $2,000 | There were 2 trees blown down along Williamsburg Street. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $2,000 | Several trees were blown down in Whitley City and in Stearns. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $1,000 | A tree was blown across a road in Bethel. |
| November 2010 | Flash Flood | Whitley City | $1,000 | Kentucky 1363 was closed due to high water from about mile marker 7 to 9. |
| October 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $1,000 | A tree was blown down on Doc Jones Road. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | $1,000 | A tree was blown down and across Strunk Ridge Road. |
| May 2025 | Heavy Rain | Whitley City | - | A member of the public measured 2.14 inches of storm total rainfall for the day in Whitley City, most of which fell in the last half hour. |
| March 2021 | Heavy Rain | Whitley City | - | The cooperative observing station near Whitley City measured 4.20 inches of rainfall in a 24 hour period. |
| March 2018 | Hail | Whitley City | - | A citizen reported quarter sized hail in Whitley City. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Numerous power outages were reported across the county due to broken power poles and downed power lines. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Dispatch reported trees down from near Yamacraw southwest of Whitley City to Pine Knot along Kentucky Highway 92. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | A storm spotter reported roof and gutter damage to the VFW hall on Main Street in Whitley City. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Whitley City | - | Hen egg size hail was observed near Whitley City. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Whitley City | - | Ping pong ball size hail was observed in Whitley City. |
| February 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | A tree was blown down and across Hwy 1651. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees were blown down in downtown Whitley City. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees and power lines were blown down all around the county. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees were blown down and power outages were occurring countywide. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Whitley City | - | Quarter size hail was reported in Whitley City. |
| January 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Almost all county roads have been blocked due to downed trees. |
| July 2011 | Heavy Rain | Whitley City | - | The mesonet site north of Whitley City measured 2.45 inches of rain in an 80 minute period. |
| March 2011 | Hail | Whitley City | - | The hail report came from the McCreary county bus garage. |
| April 2007 | Hail | Whitley City | - | Nickel size hail in Whitley City. |
| May 2006 | Hail | Whitley City | - | Nickel size hail reported county wide at Carters Lake, Mill Creek, Greenwood, Bay Ridge, and Natural Arch. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Numerous trees down countywide. Some trees are still on power lines. Five hundred people without power. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Numerous trees down on Highway 700. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees down. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Numerous large limbs down in northern part of Whitley City. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Weather spotter estimated wind gust to 60 mph in Whitley City, with 2 to 3 inch diameter limbs down northeast of Whitley City. |
| August 2006 | Flash Flood | Whitley City | - | Weather spotter reported water up to 6 inches deep on parts of Highway 1651. |
| October 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | A few large limbs were blown down. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees were down. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees were down in Whitley City, Stearns, and Wiborg. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees were down along Highway 30. |
| March 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees were down. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Several trees were down on Skullbone Road. Also, there was a tree down in Whitley City, and one tree down in Pine Knot on Kentucky Highway 92. |
| July 2003 | Hail | Whitley City | - | One inch diameter hail was reported near the ranger station on Winding Ridge Road off of Highway 1651. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees were blown down. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Trees were blown down. |
| June 2000 | Flood | Whitley City | - | Heavy rains caused flooding across Jenny Branch Road. |
| January 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitley City | - | Numerous large limbs down. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Whitley City | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshes Siding | 1.5 miles | 16 | |
| Stearns | 1.7 miles | 16 | |
| Smith Town | 2.3 miles | 9 | |
| Revelo | 2.8 miles | 16 | |
| Hill Top | 3.3 miles | 9 | |
| Hickory Grove | 3.4 miles | 16 | |
| Yamacraw | 3.6 miles | 9 | |
| Worley | 3.7 miles | 9 |
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 Whitley City | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1998275 | 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 516340. 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.
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.







