Upon the creation of Breathitt County in 1839, local landowner Simon Cockrell Sr. donated 10 acres (4.0ha) to serve as its seat of government. The community was originally known as Breathitt, Breathitt Town, or Breathitt Court House after the county, but upon its incorporation as a city by the Kentucky Assembly in 1843, it was renamed Jackson to honor former U.S. president Andrew Jackson.
Local feuds led the national press to publish stories about Jackson and "Bloody Breathitt". In fact, state troops were dispatched twice in the 1870s and again in 1903 – after the assassination of U.S. Commissioner James B. Marcum on the courthouse steps – to restore order.
The Kentucky Union Railroad reached the city in 1891, and Jackson boomed until the Louisville and Nashville Railroad continued the line on to Hazard in 1912. A fire on Halloween, 1913, burned down much of the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Jackson has a total area of 2.7 square miles (6.9km2), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5km2) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4km2), or 6.11%, is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively moderate temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The Köppen climate classification places the city in the humid subtropical zone, which is abbreviated as Cfa. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from 34.9°F (1.6°C) in January to 75.4°F (24.1°C) in July. On average, there are 17days where temperatures remain at or below freezing and 15days with highs at or above 90°F (32°C) per year. In addition, although the area falls under USDA hardiness zone 6b, the record longest streak without 0°F (−18°C) lows occurred from February 6, 1996, to January 15, 2009 (12years, 344days). The highest recorded temperature was 104°F (40°C) on June 29, 2012, and the lowest recorded temperature was −18°F (−28°C) on January 19, 1994, and January 20 and 21, 1985.
Precipitation averages 48.3 inches (1,230mm) annually, falling on an average 144days, and the wettest month by normal rainfall is May. Normal winter snowfall is 23.5 inches (60cm), though, as is typical in areas in the humid subtropical zone, snow cover does not remain for long, as there is an average of only 18days with at least 1 inch (2.5cm) of snow cover.
As of the 2020 census, Jackson had a population of 2,237. The median age was 42.7 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 80.4 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 998 households in Jackson, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 32.2% were married-couple households, 21.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 40.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,145 housing units, of which 12.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.0%.
Data USA reported that Jackson's median household income increased from $30,898 in 2019 to $32,644 in 2020, a 5.65% increase.
Arts and culture
Jackson is home to numerous festivals. The Breathitt County Honey Festival takes place annually (since 1978) during the Labor Day Weekend. It begins on the Thursday before Labor Day and runs through Labor Day. Breathitt County Heritage Festival takes place in conjunction with the July 4th celebration with Pig Out in the Park, the city's Independence Day celebration. Downtown Christmas includes a parade and festivities held around the first weekend of December.
There is a private school, Oakdale Christian Academy. There is also a vocational school, Breathitt County Area Technology Center on the campus of Breathitt County High School; the vocational school serves both Breathitt County Schools and Jackson Independent Schools.
Breathitt County Museum – currently located in the Senior Citizens Center on the second floor. Through the use of grant money the defunct Breathitt County Jail has been partially renovated to host the museum, but is yet to be completed.
KY15 The highway goes north to Campton and the Mountain Parkway and south to Hazard and the Hal Rogers Parkway. It is the main artery into the city and, currently, it is being relocated and changed to four lanes around and inside the city. It has been locally named (within the county) as the Breathitt County Veterans Highway.
KY30 The highway goes east to Salyersville and west to Booneville. It merges with KY 15 (at the present time) throughout most of the city. The west end is known, locally, as Booneville Road.
KY52 The highway's eastern terminus starts in the city of Jackson at the intersection with KY 30 and heads west towards Beattyville. It is locally known as Beattyville Road.
KY205 The highway goes north to the Mountain Parkway by way of Lee City in Wolfe County and eventually to West Liberty in Morgan County. The highway's southern terminus starts at the intersection of KY 15. Recently, an old section of KY 15 was annexed to the highway, and it is possible, once more of the re-routed KY 15 is finished, that it could annex more of the old KY 15 sections.
KY1812 -Not a Primary State Highway – The highway goes north to Campton and south to intersect and end near the KY 15 and KY 30 junction in Jackson. In the north, it connects with KY 205 and follows it until it intersects with the new section of KY 15; it follows KY 15 for a mile and then splits only to intersects KY 15 in Jackson once more; it then breaks away only to connect (partially) with Main Street and then heads south. It is part of what was once the original KY 15 when it was built in 1925. It can be a winding and curvy road in many places with a few hairpin turns as well. It is known locally by different names depending on which road it intersects or what section. i.e. Old Quicksand Rd., Broadway, College Ave, Brown St., Main Street, Washington Ave., Panbowl Rd., and so on.
Airports
Julian Carroll Airport is a publicly owned airport off KY 30. It is home to the National Weather Service Forecast Office that oversees most of the eastern part of the state.
Railroads
CSX is a freight and minerals only line that goes north to Beattyville and eventually to Winchester and south to Hazard. Before CSX owned the line, it was part of the L&N Railway as a passenger and freight line. Before that, it was owned by the defunct Lexington and Eastern Railway Company as a passenger and freight line. The old Jackson Depot and Freight Station located in the South Jackson section on Armory Drive was torn down in the late 1980s.
1234"Station: Jackson, KY". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
