Welcome to Portsmouth ...
Portsmouth is located in Breathitt County<1>.
The location of Portsmouth has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Portsmouth, you might consider that their post office opened in 1911.
When the people of Portsmouth refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Portsmouthite<3>
Portsmouth is 740 feet [226 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Portsmouth lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
The area code for Portsmouth: (606)
Communities Also Named Portsmouth ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 9 communities that are also named Portsmouth - they are located in Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Rhode Island and Virginia (2).
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Portsmouth.
Communities near Portsmouth ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Portsmouth.
- Jackson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Jackson is located in Breathitt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,917 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <5>
- Campton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campton
- Campton is located in Wolfe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campton <5>
- Buckhorn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckhorn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
- Buckhorn is located in Perry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buckhorn <5>
- Clayhole
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south) - Wolverine
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolverine
- Wolverine is located in Breathitt County
- Hardshell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Rousseau
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast) - Frozen Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frozen Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frozen Creek
- Frozen Creek is located in Breathitt County
- Taulbee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taulbee
- Taulbee is located in Breathitt County
- Bays
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Portsmouth. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Portsmouth.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Portsmouth. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Portsmouth.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Portsmouth. See our Newspapers Page for Portsmouth.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Portsmouth ...
Looking for more information about Portsmouth? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Portsmouth, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Portsmouth.
Adding Portsmouth to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Portsmouth in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Portsmouth was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<6>
From that list, the Portsmouth post office opened in 1911.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Portsmouth.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Portsmouth. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Kentucky: https://kentucky.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Kentucky's counties, including Breathitt, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Portsmouth refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Portsmouth may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Portsmouth - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |