Pippa Passes, KY

Pippa Passes is a city in Knott County, eastern Kentucky, United States. The 2020 census counted 468 residents. Its formal name was chosen to honor benefactors of Alice Lloyd College. The small city is located in the mountainous Appalachia region, an area of coal mining. Taken together, these details give a newcomer a usable picture of Pippa Passes, where its history, geography, and current gathering places meet. For Pippa Passes, the memorable detail is the way older history and current gathering places share one local map.

This settlement was known as "Caney" or "Caney Creek" before 1916, when Alice Lloyd arrived from Boston, Massachusetts. She solicited funds for the construction of a local post office and the founding of Caney Creek Junior College, which were opened in 1917 and 1923, respectively. Kentucky Route 899 passes through the community, leading northeast down the valley of the Caney Fork 11 miles to Wayland and southwest then northwest 8 miles to Hindman, the Knott county seat.