Keene, Kentucky

City in Kentucky, United States

37°56′35″N 84°38′28″W / 37.94306°N 84.64111°W / 37.94306; -84.64111CountryUnited StatesStateKentuckyCountyJessamineIncorporated1844^[1]Named forKeene, New HampshireArea

^[2]

• Total0.12 sq mi (0.32 km²) • Land0.12 sq mi (0.32 km²) • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)Elevation

^[3]

892 ft (272 m)Population

(2020)

• Total99 • Density805.6/sq mi (311.06/km²)Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)ZIP code

40339

FIPS code21-41716GNIS feature ID2797229^[3]

Keene is a home rule-class city located in Jessamine County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is home to the Keene Springs Hotel. The U.S. Census Bureau does not record Keene as a city and does not publish a population figure for the community.

History

The community grew up around a stone mill erected in 1794 and was originally laid out as North Liberty in 1813. In 1830, however, the first postmaster, Ephraim Carter, named his new post office after Keene, New Hampshire, the hometown he shared with local store owner Harvey Huggins.^[4] The city was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1844.^[1]

It was also known as "Hard Scrabble".^[5]

Keene was home to the Keene Industrial Institute, an industrial school for African Americans for a couple of years at the beginning of the 20th century.^[6]

Geography

Keene is in northwestern Jessamine County along Keene Troy Pike, 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Lexington and 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Nicholasville, the Jessamine County seat. It sits on the north side of the valley of a tributary of Cave Spring Creek, flowing west to Clear Creek, a tributary of the Kentucky River.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	99		—
U.S. Decennial Census^[7]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Keene has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[8]

Notable people

Jimmy Blythe, composer, pianist

References

^ ^a ^b Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office. "Keene, Kentucky". Accessed 1 August 2013.
^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Keene, Kentucky
^ Rennick, Robert. Kentucky Place Names, p. 158. University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 1 August 2013.
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: GNIS detail showing alternate names
^ "Keene Industrial Institute (Keene, KY)Beattyville Industrial Institute (Beattyville, KY)William H. Parker · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database".
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ "Keene, Kentucky Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved March 21, 2018.