Irvine, KY

Irvine is the Estill County seat, set on the northeast side of the Kentucky River where the valley narrows into eastern Kentucky hills. The 2020 census counted 2,360 residents. William Irvine laid out the town in 1812 on land that gave it his name, and the courthouse square still serves as the county's center. Ravenna sits just southeast, so the two communities share the river valley's roads, errands, and local institutions. A 1940 bridge across the Kentucky River keeps that crossing central to town.

The river is the long line that holds the county together. Carhartt's manufacturing plant is one of Estill County's major employers, while Marcum and Wallace Memorial Hospital handles local medical needs. The Estill County Public Library, Estill County High School, and the stone courthouse keep civic, school, and daily business close to the river crossing. Irvine's local scoop is a county-seat town where a courthouse square, a Carhartt sewing legacy, and the Kentucky River define the same small valley.