Hazard

Hazard is a city in Perry County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Perry County. The town of Hazard, as well as Perry County, is named after U.S. Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, known for his victory report during the War of 1812 stating, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." A post office named Perry Court House was established in the area in the 1820s, though some reports note that locals had always referred to the area as "Hazard". The town's name was officially changed to Hazard in 1854. Long isolated by the surrounding mountains, Hazard met the outside world with the arrival of the railroad in 1912. Previously, the only ways in or out of the valley were 45 miles...