Lynch, Kentucky

Lynch is a home rule-class city in Harlan County, Kentucky, in the United States. In the 2010 census, the city population was 747, down from 900 in 2000.HistoryIt 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 named for then-head of the company, Thomas Lynch. By the 1940s, Lynch had a population of more than 10,000 and had such amenities as a hospital and movie theater. The population declined dramatically in the 1960s and 1970s as mining techniques shifted to less labor-intensive methods.GeographyLynch is located in eastern Harlan County at, in the valley of Looney Creek. Lynch is the nearest city to Kentucky's highest point, Black Mountain . Sitting at an elevation of above sea level, Lynch is Kentucky's highest incorporated city. It is bordered by 3488ft Looney Ridge to the north and 3640ft Benham Spur to the south. The city of Benham borders the west side of Lynch, and Cumberland is 4mi to the west via Kentucky Route 160, the main road through Lynch. KY 160 leads southeast up the valley of Looney Creek to the Virginia border on the crest of Black Mountain at an elevation of, then continues to Appalachia, Virginia, southeast of Lynch.