Why visit Hazard
Townapedia lists 6 parks and trails, 18 places to eat, 3 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Hillside Theater.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 87°F; January lows average 24°F.
Weather in Hazard
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Hazard
Hazard is a home rule-class city in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,263 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Hazard, Kentucky (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Restaurants and cafes18
Taco Bell
Fast food · Tex-Mex · 0.5 mi
105 Black Gold Court, Hazard
Mo-Th 07:00-24:00; Fr-Sa 07:00-01:00; Su 07:00-24:00
Taco Bell
Fast food · Tex-Mex · 2.2 mi
137 Village Lane, Hazard
Mo-Th 07:00-02:00; Fr-Sa 07:00-03:00; Su 07:00-02:00
6 more on the map.
Where to stay3
History
Local landowner Elijah Combs Sr. laid out the town in 1824 as the planned seat of the newly established Perry County. Both the town and the county were named for Cdre. Oliver Hazard Perry, a commander in the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. The post office was initially known as Perry Court House but the name was officially changed to Hazard in 1854. The city was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1884.
Long isolated by the surrounding mountains, Hazard was opened to the outside world by the arrival of the railroad in 1912. The only access to the valley had previously been 45 miles down the North Fork of the Kentucky River or a two-week trip over the surrounding mountains. The railroad brought prosperity to the town, which ended up on the start of the Great Depression.
The song "High Sheriff of Hazard" was written by Tom Paxton in reference to a coal miner's strike in 1964.
Although the television series The Dukes of Hazzard was set in Georgia, cast members made appearances in the community. In 1981, Catherine Bach, James Best, Sorrell Booke and Rick Hurst, visited Hazard during its Black Gold Festival. In January 1982, series' star Tom Wopat delivered a $25,000 check from Warner Communications to the families of eight miners killed in a December 1981 explosion.
From the History section of Hazard, Kentucky on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship9
Consolidated Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 0.8 mi
180 Winterberry Street, Hazard
First Presbyterian Church
Church · Presbyterian · 0.8 mi
160 Broadway Street, Hazard
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries17
Kentucky Tech - Hazard Regional Tech Ctr
School · 0.9 mi
101 Vo-Tech Drive, Hazard
Healthcare3
Map of Hazard
69 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44°F | 24°F | 4.0 in |
| Feb | 49°F | 26°F | 3.9 in |
| Mar | 59°F | 32°F | 4.8 in |
| Apr | 70°F | 41°F | 4.5 in |
| May | 78°F | 52°F | 5.0 in |
| Jun | 84°F | 60°F | 5.0 in |
| Jul | 87°F | 65°F | 5.3 in |
| Aug | 85°F | 64°F | 4.4 in |
| Sep | 80°F | 58°F | 3.3 in |
| Oct | 70°F | 45°F | 3.3 in |
| Nov | 58°F | 34°F | 3.3 in |
| Dec | 49°F | 28°F | 4.7 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Buckhorn Lake (16 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Perry County has had 33 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-05-29: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2025-04-24: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2025-04-03: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2025-02-24: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
- 2025-02-16: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Pike County Airport (PVL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 40 miles away.
- Diablock 3 mi southeast, about 4 min by car
- Jeff 5 mi southeast, about 8 min by car
- Hyden 12 mi southwest, about 19 min by car
- Hindman 13 mi northeast, about 21 min by car
- Cumberland 22 mi southeast, about 35 min by car
- Harlan 29 mi south, about 47 min by car
- Beattyville 36 mi northwest, about 58 min by car
- Coal Run Village 40 mi northeast, about 1 h by car
- Barbourville 47 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Corbin 55 mi southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Hazard main2006, Robert Hall, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.