History

Queen City of the Mountains

Founded on Combs land

Hazard was founded in 1884 on land deeded by Elijah and Sarah Combs along the North Fork of the Kentucky River, and became the seat of Perry County.

Named for a naval hero

Both the city and the county take their names from Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the naval commander of the War of 1812.

The railroad and coal

The arrival of the railroad opened the coalfields and turned a small river town into a regional center. Hazard still celebrates that heritage every September at the Black Gold Festival.

Bobby Davis Museum

The Bobby Davis Museum and Park on Walnut Street preserves the city's history. Curator Martha Quigley gives a unique guided look at Hazard's past.

Visit the museum and park

Hazard today

Today Hazard is the regional center for health care, education, and industry in southeastern Kentucky, home to Hazard Independent Schools, Hazard Community and Technical College, and the Coal Fields Industrial Park beside Wendell H. Ford Airport.