Formed January 1, 1808 (50th county)
Estill County (14,166), Irvine (2,359)
The stone Art Deco courthouse was built in 1939. It is in a square at Main, Broadway, Court, and River streets. Main Street is Kentucky State Highway 89 in the town. H. A. Churchill and Associates are the building architects. The structure was renovated in 2007. An Annex supports the courthouse. Veteran memorials are on the grounds. There was an 1867 courthouse also in Irvine, the only county seat. Estill County was established on January 1, 1808 from parts of Clark and Madison counties as the 50th county. Revolutionary War hero Captain James Estill was the inspiration for the county’s name. Irvine is named for settler William Irvine.
Estill County government consists of a County Judge Executive, a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive). It has 3 Magistrates (legislative.) One Circuit Court Judge and One District Court Judge serve Estill, Lee and Owsley counties and a court clerk serves Estill County (judicial.) The county is situated in east central Kentucky. Lexington, Kentucky is northwest and Huntington, West Virginia is northeast of the county. The county center is in Irvine .6 miles Southeast of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Powell, Lee, Jackson, Madison, and Clark counties.
The area of the county is 254 square miles. It is 81 out of 120 in the state. It ranks 77 out of 120 in population in the state. It has a density of 55.8 persons per square mile making it 65 out of 120 in the state. Estill County has 20.7% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. The county looks like a bell. Irvine is in the western third of the county. Irvine is the county seat and the largest city. It is 16.7% of the county population.
Irvine
Ravenna
