Manchester, Kentucky
Manchester is a city of 1,541 people in Clay County, Kentucky, founded in 1807.
Why visit Manchester
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 2 parks and trails, 10 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Red Bird River Shelter Petroglyphs.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 87°F; January lows average 22°F.
Weather in Manchester
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Manchester
Manchester is a home rule-class city in Clay County, Kentucky, in the United States. Manchester is part of the Corbin KY Micropolitan statistical area, as is the entirety of Clay County, and is the seat of its county and the home of a minimum- and medium-security federal prison. As of the 2020 census, Manchester had a population of 1,512.
From the Wikipedia article Manchester, Kentucky (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
Red Bird River Shelter Petroglyphs
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Archaeological site in Clay County, United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes10
Where to stay1
History
The town was founded to be the seat of the newly formed Clay County in 1807 on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) parcel near the Lower Goose Creek Salt Works. The county court stipulated that the town be named Greenville in honor of the War of 1812 general who gave the county its name. The Greenville in Muhlenberg County had already preempted that name, however, and it was changed to "Manchester" in December. There was a local legend in the town that this was in honor of the hometown of Gen. Garrard's second wife Lucy Lees, but a prominent local family, the Hollingsworth, were originally from Manchester, England. Rennick points out that Lees was born well after the naming of the city. He opines that it is more likely that the local businessmen simply wanted a name evocative of the English industrial success.
From the History section of Manchester, Kentucky on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship11
Manchester Seventh-day Adventist Church
Church · Seventh Day Adventist · 1.3 mi
619 Memorial Drive, Manchester
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries11
Healthcare2
Map of Manchester
44 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°F | 22°F | 3.9 in | 2.4 in |
| Feb | 51°F | 25°F | 4.0 in | 2.7 in |
| Mar | 60°F | 32°F | 4.6 in | 1.2 in |
| Apr | 71°F | 39°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 78°F | 49°F | 5.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 84°F | 58°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 87°F | 63°F | 5.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 87°F | 61°F | 3.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 82°F | 54°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 71°F | 41°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 60°F | 31°F | 3.6 in | 0.2 in |
| Dec | 50°F | 25°F | 4.8 in | 2.1 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Manchester 4 W (3 mi away), rain and snow from Oneida, 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
Clay County has had 37 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)
- 2025-05-23: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Severe 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)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
London-Corbin Airport (LOZ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Barbourville 20 mi south, about 33 min by car
- Corbin 24 mi southwest, about 38 min by car
- Beattyville 31 mi north, about 49 min by car
- Hazard 32 mi east, about 52 min by car
- Harlan 33 mi southeast, about 53 min by car
- Jackson 36 mi northeast, about 58 min by car
- Irvine 40 mi north, about 1 h by car
- Brodhead 40 mi northwest, about 1 h by car
- Berea 42 mi northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Somerset 46 mi west, about 1 h 15 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, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Clay County Kentucky Courthouse, W.marsh, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Clay County Courthouse, Manchester, Nyttend, Public domain
- Clay County Old Jail, Manchester, Nyttend, Public domain
- RedBirdMcC5, HuMcCulloch, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Red Bird River Shelter Petroglyphs 1, DRainer at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
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