About this city
Also known as: The Crater City
Middlesboro is a historic, geographically anomalous city located in Bell County at the extreme southeastern tip of Kentucky, positioned entirely within a massive prehistoric meteorite impact crater. Established in 1888 by British industrialist Alexander Arthur as a planned iron-manufacturing capital, the city expanded rapidly within its mountain basin along the Cumberland Gap. Today, it acts as an essential gateway to Appalachian history, military wilderness protection, and regional coal and trade infrastructures.
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Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1 day
Play a historic game of golf at the 1889 Middlesboro Country Club, the oldest continuously operational golf course in the United States. Drive out to view spectacular panoramic gap vistas from the nearby Pinnacle Overlook at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Explore regional mining and Appalachian heritage exhibits at the Bell County Historical Museum.
