Formed September 1, 1870 (115th county)
Lee County (7,887), Beattyville (1,307)
The Modern style of the 1976 red brick courthouse is located on Main, Walnut, Vine, and Center streets. Kentucky State Highway 52 is Main Street in the town. Wickman-Salle are the architects. The grounds have veteran memorials and a Liberty Bell replica. There was an earlier courthouse built in 1871 also in Beattyville, the only county seat. Lee County was founded on September 1, 1870 and named for General Robert E. Lee of the Civil War. The county was taken from parts of Breathitt, Owsley, Wolfe, and Estill counties as the 115th county. The county seat is named for settler Samuel Beatty.
Lee County government consists of a County Judge Executive, a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive). It has 4 Magistrates (legislative.) One Circuit Court Judge and One District Court Judge serve Lee, Estill, and Owsley counties and a court clerk serves Lee County (judicial.) The county is in east central Kentucky. Lexington, Kentucky is northwest and Huntington, West Virginia is northeast of the county. The county center is 2.1 miles North-Northwest of Beattyville. The county is surrounded clockwise by Powell, Wolfe, Breathitt, Owsley, Jackson, and Estill counties.
The area of the county is 211 square miles. It is 98 out of 120 in the state. It ranks 111 out of 120 in population in the state. It has a density of 37.38 persons per square mile making it 93 out of 120 in the state. Lee County has 16.6% of its population in its incorporated areas. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. The county looks like an arrowhead. Beattyville is south of center in the county. Beattyville is the county seat and the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. It is 16.6% of the county population.
Beattyville
