Earlington, KY

Earlington is a home rule-class city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, in the United States. The 2020 census counted 1,257 residents. Earlington was named a year later, upon its incorporation, for John Baylis Earle, the man who stuck the first pick into the hillside at the opening of Hopkins County's first commercial coal mine. Earle was a lawyer who was central to developing the coal industry in the region. Until the mid-1970s, Earlington operated an independent school system. The system served students from the primary grades until high school graduation.

That mix gives Earlington a clear local shape within Kentucky, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present. Earlington bordered to the north by Madisonville, the county seat. U.S. Route 41 passes through the center of Earlington, leading north 4 miles to the center of Madisonville and southeast 7 miles to Nortonville.