Rowan County | |
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![]() Rowan County Arts Center (formerly Rowan County Courthouse) in Morehead | |
![]() Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky | |
![]() Kentucky's location within the U.S. | |
Coordinates: 38°11′N 83°25′W / 38.19°N 83.42°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Founded | 1856 |
Named for | John Rowan |
Seat | Morehead |
Largest city | Morehead |
Area | |
• Total | 286 sq mi (740 km2) |
• Land | 280 sq mi (700 km2) |
• Water | 6.5 sq mi (17 km2) 2.3% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 24,662 |
• Estimate (2023) | 24,409 ![]() |
• Density | 86/sq mi (33/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Congressional district | 5th |
Website | www.moreheadrowan.org /rowancounty |
Rowan County (/raʊn/, /ˈroʊ.ɪn/) is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky, in the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,662.[1] Its county seat is Morehead.[2]
The county was created in 1856 from parts of Fleming and Morgan counties, and named after John Rowan, who represented Kentucky in the House of Representatives and the Senate.[3]
With regard to the sale of alcohol, it is classified as a moist county in which alcohol sales are prohibited, but unlike a dry county, it contains a "wet" city, Morehead, where packaged alcohol sales are allowed.[4]