Hindman Promoting Cultural Heritage to Revive Economy

In 2014, the tourism and travel industry contributed over $13 billion to Kentucky’s economy and its impact is growing.  Eastern Kentucky’s coalfield towns are increasingly looking to tourism as a possible way to diversify their economies.  In this feature, WMMT reporter Kelli Haywood visits the city of Hindman, the Knott County seat, to witness the efforts being […]

Can Elk Help Build East Kentucky Economy?

In 1997, seven elk were released within eastern Kentucky’s 16 county Elk Restoration Zone, an area that includes Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Perry, Pike, and Whitley counties.  Since then, the elk have thrived and Kentucky now has the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi River […]

Collaboration is Key To Elkhorn City Eco-Tourism

Elkhorn City, nestled on the banks of the Russell Fork River and just down the mountain from Breaks Interstate Park on the Kentucky-Virginia border, was once a thriving tourist town as well as a railroad hub. Tim Belcher and Steve Ruth, volunteers with the Elkhorn City Area Heritage Council, and Stephanie Richards from Artists Collaborative […]

Reclaiming KY River As A Community Resource

Architecture graduate Hazel Ryerson created a design for downtown Whitesburg, KY, that shows how cleaning our water could also create public spaces to re-connect us to our Appalachian waterways.