Miscellaneous Information
Although we found mention of Happy Top during our research, we have little information about it.<1> Given the context of how Happy Top was mentioned, we believe that it was a community rather than a locale or some type of landmark. We have done a cursory search and if it was a community, we haven't been able to find any evidence that it still exists..
Various Identification Codes ...
GNIS Codes ...
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) was created to address the problems caused by spelling and naming variations. The BGN will usually recognize an existing name or, when necessary, establish a name for a geographic feature (such as a mountain, lake, river, stream, city, town, village, dam, bridge, etc).
The BGN names are kept in a database called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and it is the official Federal repository. The GNIS is operated and maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
A unique and permanent code has been assigned for each name in the GNIS database. These names and identifiers are definitive and it is intended that they are to be used by all departments of the Federal Government:
GNIS ID for Happy Top: 2420704
GNIS ID for Powell County: 516945
GNIS ID for Kentucky: 1779786
FIPS Codes ...
In a past effort, various federal agencies worked together to create a set of codes with a purpose similar to the GNIS codes. These codes are called the Federal Information Processing Standard (or the FIPS 55 codes). Although they are still used by some organizations, the FIPS codes are obsolete and will ultimately be replaced by the GNIS codes.
While FIPS codes have been assigned to all counties and states, a specific code has not been assigned to Happy Top. The following FIPS codes apply to the State and County:
| State Code: | 21 (Kentucky) |
| County Code: | 197 (Powell County) |
GPS Location - GNIS Coordinates ...
An important aspect of the GNIS code is that it assigns a GPS location (the latitude/longitude) to the geographic feature. This location is simply a point on the map and does not represent the size or shape of the feature. In the case of Happy Top, it is a point within Happy Top that might be a post office, the city hall or simply an intersection - the point should really be considered arbitrary and only indicating a general location.
For Happy Top, the GNIS GPS location is given as:
Lat: 37° 49' 36" (or 37.83°)
Lon: -83° 57' 20" (or -83.96°)
Regional Codes ...
For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Happy Top is located in Region #3 (the South Region).
In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Happy Top is located in Division #6 (the East South-Central Division).
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Happy Top is located in Region IV (Region 4).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Happy Top is located in Region IV (Region 4).
Referenced GNIS Records ...
GNIS ID #2420704 (Name of Record: Happy Top)
Class: populated place
A place or area having clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent population (such as a city, settlement, town or village). The boundaries may or may not coincide with the perceived population.
A 'populated place' record may have a corresponding 'census' or 'civil' record. The information contained in the 'populated place' record applies only to the class and should not be confused with either the 'census' and 'civil' classes.
County: Powell
Map Name: Clay City
Lat: 37.8269109 Lon: -83.9556066
Elev: 239 ft.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for State of Kentucky: https://kentucky.gov/
The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)
The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
The official website of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
The official website of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer. For example, we might find a sentence like "He went north past Happy Top and then turned west". While Happy Top could be some kind of landmark, we think that it's more likely to be a community. We've added Happy Top as a placeholder with the hope that we'll be able to add more information in the future. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Bird Creek to see Pete ... Bird Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Happy Top could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. Just in case there has been confusion between counties, we found that there are two Kentucky communities named Happy Top: This one is located in Powell County and the other is located in Estill County. For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Happy Top. |