Olive Hill, Kentucky
Olive Hill is a city of 1,636 people in Carter County, Kentucky, founded in March 24, 1884.
Why visit Olive Hill
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 1 park or trail and 3 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Olive Hill C & O Depot.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 82°F; January lows average 21°F.
Weather in Olive Hill
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Olive Hill
Olive Hill is a home rule-class city along Tygarts Creek in Carter County, Kentucky, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Olive Hill had a population of 1,580.
From the Wikipedia article Olive Hill, Kentucky (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
Olive Hill C & O Depot
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Railway station in Olive Hill, the United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes3
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Churches and places of worship1
History
Olive Hill began as a rural trading post established by the Henderson brothers in the first part of the 19th century. Although Olive Hill was allegedly named by Elias P. Davis for his friend Thomas Oliver, there is no evidence to support this popular contention. In 1881, the town was moved from a hillside location to the current location in the Tygarts Creek valley, where the Elizabethtown, Lexington, and Big Sandy Railroad had laid tracks. The hillside location become known as Old Olive Hill and now serves as the city's residential area. On March 24, 1884, Olive Hill incorporated as a city and served as the county seat of the short-lived Beckham County from February 9 to April 29, 1904.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway served Olive Hill and many other places on the railroad's Lexington Subdivision (running from Ashland to Lexington). The C&O merged into the Chessie System, which CSX Transportation later bought out, and after that CSX pulled up the railroad in the mid-1980s. Olive Hill retained and restored a passenger depot as well as a caboose ("John Hop Brown" Memorial Park).
From the History section of Olive Hill, Kentucky on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries7
Carter County Career And Technical Center
School · 2.9 mi
15 Grahn Rd., Olive Hill
Healthcare1
Map of Olive Hill
18 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°F | 21°F | 3.4 in | 5.0 in |
| Feb | 45°F | 23°F | 3.3 in | 5.2 in |
| Mar | 54°F | 29°F | 4.9 in | 3.0 in |
| Apr | 66°F | 38°F | 4.4 in | 0.3 in |
| May | 74°F | 50°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 79°F | 59°F | 5.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 82°F | 63°F | 6.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 60°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 54°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 66°F | 40°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 54°F | 30°F | 3.0 in | 0.4 in |
| Dec | 44°F | 26°F | 4.0 in | 3.6 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Olive Hill 5Ne (4 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
Carter County has had 30 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 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)
- 2025-02-16: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, And Landslides (Severe Storm)
- 2024-11-26: Remnants Of Hurricane Helene (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-05-22: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Landslides, And Mudslides (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Huntington Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 34 miles away.
- Grayson 13 mi east, about 21 min by car
- Morehead 17 mi southwest, about 28 min by car
- Cannonsburg 26 mi east, about 42 min by car
- Flatwoods 28 mi northeast, about 45 min by car
- Franklin Furnace 28 mi northeast, about 45 min by car
- Bellefonte 29 mi northeast, about 47 min by car
- Ashland 30 mi east, about 49 min by car
- Ironton 31 mi northeast, about 50 min by car
- Flemingsburg 32 mi west, about 52 min by car
- Portsmouth 33 mi north, about 53 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
- Railroad west of Cross in Olive Hill, Nyttend, Public domain
- Interstate 64, Olive Hill, Kentucky (14311635338), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Interstate 64, Olive Hill, Kentucky (14498243205), Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Railroad east of Cross in Olive Hill, Nyttend, Public domain
- Olive Hill Depot, CoryClaxon, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.