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–Not graded
History · Fleming-Neon

Fleming-Neon dates to 1913, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1912 on and the census since 1980.

1913founded
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Fleming-Neon began

When was Fleming-Neon founded?

1913

Fleming-Neon dates its founding to 1913 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1980.

First census: 1,195 in 19802020 census: 548113 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1902.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fleming-Neon’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Fleming-Neon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Fleming-Neon, and 2 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19124 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1992. Watch Fleming-Neon change.Old housesHalf of Fleming-Neon’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fleming-Neon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fleming-Neon’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Chip
1902–1915
Fleming
1914–1986
Neon
1926–today
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
FlemingNeon
Gone or out of use
Chip Post Officepost officeFleming Post Officepost officeNeon Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the map

Fleming-Neon on the map, 1912 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fleming-Neon. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fleming-Neon on the 1912 USGS mapFleming-Neon on the 1954 USGS mapFleming-Neon on the 1979 USGS mapFleming-Neon on the 1992 USGS map1912Pound sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fleming-Neon.

The story

How Fleming-Neon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fleming-Neon.

Read it all →

The area that became Neon was originally known as Chip, which served as a lumber yard and storage site for yellow poplar. A post office operated under the name "Chip" from 1902 until 1915. Unlike many surrounding "company towns," Neon was developed by the Letcher Coal and Development Company (also known as the Letcher County Coal and Improvement Company), a local enterprise founded by businessmen from Whitesburg. In 1910, James H. Frazier purchased the 31-acre site from Robert Younts for $3,100.

ChaptersEarly history and development of NeonNaming of NeonDevelopment of FlemingConsolidation and modern era

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Fleming-Neon, 1902 to 1986

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1902Post officeThe Chip post office opens
  3. 1912On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1913
    FoundingFleming-Neon is established
  5. 1914Post officeThe Fleming post office opens
  6. 1915Post officeThe Chip post office closes
  7. 1926Post officeThe Neon post office opens
  8. 1986Post officeThe Fleming post office closes
By decade

Fleming-Neon, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Fleming-Neon-shop-ky2020Fleming-Neon-shop-kyFleming-Neon-from-Potter-ky2020Fleming-Neon-from-Potter-kyFleming-Neon-Main-Street-ky2020Fleming-Neon-Main-Street-kyFleming-Neon-Dairy-Bar-ky2020Fleming-Neon-Dairy-Bar-ky
People over time

Fleming-Neon, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200198020002020Peak: 1,195

Between 548 and 1,195 people in every census since 1980.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fleming-Neon’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

McRobertsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Fleming-Neon’s history

What year was Fleming-Neon founded?

In 1913, according to Wikidata. Fleming-Neon’s post office opened in 1902, and the census of 1980 counted 1,195 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.