A Tale of Six Cities

A Tale of Six Cities. . , Harlan County is made up of 6 cities and each one is unique in its own right., Benham , Benham was formerly a coal camp that was built by some major coal mining companies. It was incorporated in 1961. At one point, this town was booming in population and housed almost 20 nationalities. Currently the population is around 500., Cumberland , Cumberland was settled in 1837 and was originally named Poor Fork but became Cumberland in 1926. Currently, Cumberland is the home to Southeast Community and Technical College and has a population of 2,240., Evarts , This city was incorporated in 1921 and is currently the home to Harlan's most visited attractions: The Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Area and the Black Mountain Thunder Zip Line. Currently there is a population of about 960. It is also known for the Battle of Evarts which concerns a mining strike in 1931., Harlan , Harlan was from settled in 1796 by Samuel and Chloe Howard. It is one of three Kentucky county seats to share its name with its county. Currently, the population is around 1750., Loyall , Loyall was incorporated in 1924 and was originally named Shonn which is local slang for rail siding. Currently it has a population of around 770., Lynch , Lynch was plotted in 1917 by the U.S. Coal and Coke Company (a subsidiary of U.S. Steel) as a company town to house workers at the company's nearby coal mines. It was incorporated in 1963 and was named after Thomas Lynch, the head of U.S. Coal and Coke. Currently the population is around 750.