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Happy Top

Ghost town · Powell County, Kentucky

Clay City quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1952, 1:24,000)
Clay City quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1952, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Happy Top is a ghost town in Powell County, Kentucky. It is one of 21 former communities in Powell County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 23rd among the 101 Kentucky counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Happy Top as a historical populated place on the Clay City topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 37.8269° N, 83.9556° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleClay City
Elevation782 ft
Nearest living townClay City, KY
Distance to it2.7 miles
GNIS feature ID2420704
Coordinates37.82691, -83.95561

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Happy Top is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Clay City, KY (population 1,352), about 2.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 782 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Happy Top?

Happy Top is in Powell County, Kentucky, at 37.8269, -83.9556.

How many ghost towns are in Powell County?

Powell County, Kentucky has 21 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.