On Monday I traveled to Whitesburg and different parts of Letcher County, working on a story for the Associated Press on water quality, or I should say…lack thereof. I’ll leave the politics of the situation to the story’s author. Instead, I’d rather talk about the uniqueness of Whitesburg and its surrounding communities. First of all, for those of us who grew up in Powell County, we never strayed too far from Highway 15. The city of Whitesburg takes Highway 15 and twists it like a pretzel. I’m no highway engineer, but technically I know that odd numbered roads typically run north and south, and even numbered roads run east and west. Within the small city limits of Whitesburg, Highway 15 goes all four directions and has the signs to prove it. Also within the city, the northern fork of the Kentucky River crisscrosses under several bridges.

A barbershop in downtown Whitesburg

I even found a sign with name on it.

The North Fork of the Kentucky River is in the heart of Whitesburg