Ravenna, Kentucky

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ravenna, Kentucky is a small city in Estill County, in the central United States. It sits in the Kentucky River valley near Irvine. The town is a quiet community with a few hundred residents.

Population and geography
- As of 2020, about 568 people lived in Ravenna, a bit fewer than in 2010 (around 605).
- The city covers about 0.31 square miles, all land, and sits at about 636 feet above sea level.
- Main Street (Kentucky Route 52) runs through the city, connecting Ravenna to nearby towns like Beattyville and Richmond.

History
- Ravenna began as a railroad town. In 1915, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad built shops and a terminal just east of Irvine, and a village grew up around it.
- The community was officially incorporated as a city in 1920. In 1924, Ravenna became a higher-class city with a mayor, council, and police and fire departments.
- In its early years, Ravenna was mostly white, and many Black railroad workers left the area around 1920.
- Ravenna is home to a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post and a National Guard armory in Veterans Memorial Park.

Ravenna Tile
- After a tornado hit the area in 1961, the Italian city of Ravenna donated a glazed tile showing a Late Antique mosaic from the Basilica of San Vitale as a sign of sympathy. The tile is displayed at Ravenna’s city hall.

Geography and climate
- Ravenna has a humid subtropical climate, which means hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters.

Demographics
- In 2000, Ravenna had 693 people in 301 households and 207 families. The population was mostly White, with small percentages of other races.
- The median household income was around $30,000, with some families and individuals living in poverty.

Notable natives
- Kevin Richardson, a member of the Backstreet Boys, attended Ravenna Elementary School.

See also
- Ravenna and other places named Ravenna.