| Keene, Kentucky | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Named For: | Keene, New Hampshire |
| Pushpin Map: | Kentucky#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Keene |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kentucky |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Jessamine |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1844 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 0.32 |
| Area Land Km2: | 0.32 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 99 |
| Population Density Km2: | 311.06 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 892 |
| Coordinates: | 37.9431°N -84.6411°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 40339 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 21-41716 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2797229 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.12 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.12 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
Keene is a home rule-class city located in Jessamine County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is home to the Keene Springs Hotel. The U.S. Census Bureau does not record Keene as a city and does not publish a population figure for the community.
The community grew up around a stone mill erected in 1794 and was originally laid out as North Liberty in 1813. In 1830, however, the first postmaster, Ephraim Carter, named his new post office after Keene, New Hampshire, the hometown he shared with local store owner Harvey Huggins.[2] The city was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1844.[3]
It was also known as "Hard Scrabble".
Keene was home to the Keene Industrial Institute, an industrial school for African Americans for a couple of years at the beginning of the 20th century.[4]
Keene is in northwestern Jessamine County along Keene Troy Pike, southwest of Lexington and 6miles northwest of Nicholasville, the Jessamine County seat. It sits on the north side of the valley of a tributary of Cave Spring Creek, flowing west to Clear Creek, a tributary of the Kentucky River.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Keene has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[5]