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a demand.
" We ' re at the crossroads of Hal Rogers Parkway and Interstate 75 so we ' re a place that businesses are looking at," she said. " We ' ve started on the county ' s 9th industrial park— the others are at capacity, but we ' re still getting calls about businesses wanting to locate here."
The county ' s newest industrial park, a 180- acre farm off West KY 80, has much potential with infrastructure being completed in 2025. Excavation is underway as weather allows during winter months with plans to construct the first building in 2026.
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The challenges of 2025 and early 2026 demonstrate the strength of the Laurel community. February 2025 brought flooding to some areas of the county, followed by snowfall and cold temperatures that exemplified the situation. The May tornado caused millions of dollars in damage as well as causing the deaths of 18 people. The community responded immediately to these disasters, clearing roads, offering assistance to victims and clearing debris from the devastation. Road crews, church groups and volunteers from every facet of the London and Laurel community joined |
together to assist their fellow residents— again proving the strong ties and family and friendship.
In fact, Laurel and Pulaski counties are the sole two counties in the southeastern region whose population has continued to grow, while surrounding counties have experienced a decline between 2007 and 2024. Its strategic location as the " crossroads " of southeastern Kentucky offers easy access for trucking companies and other industries to transport goods across the country.
" As we increase industry, we increase jobs," Westerfield said. " New jobs create more money for the
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county and allows us to create more things for people in the community."
Laurel County currently has three automotive manufacturing facilities, eight call centers, and five distribution centers as well as a wide variety of retail stores and restaurants to enhance the quality of life. That quality of life is largely dependent on road crews keeping the passageways clear during inclement weather.
" The magistrates do an outstanding job in their districts, and the road crews do an excellent job. We ' ve been able to have school when other counties
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