Kuttawa, Kentucky

Kuttawa local /kəˈtɑːwə/ is a 5th-class city in Lyon County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 649 as of the 2010 U.S. census, up from 596 in 2000.

History

Former Ohio governor Charles Anderson founded the town on land he purchased in 1866. Originally spelled Cuttawa and Kittawa, Kuttawa seems to have been the name of a Cherokee village near the site, whose meaning is a matter of dispute: it has been variously translated as "beautiful", "city in the woods", and "great wilderness". The city was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1872, the same year it received its post office.

In the early 1960s, the Tennessee Valley Authority constructed a dam across the Cumberland River at Grand Rivers, forming Lake Barkley. Eddyville and Kuttawa were both moved from their original locations owing to the impounded lake.

Geography

Kuttawa is located at 37°3′32″N 88°6′49″W / 37.05889°N 88.11361°W / 37.05889; -88.11361 (37.058964, -88.113643).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²), of which 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (25.95%) is water.