Kentucky’s “Sorehead” Town of Hartford Has an Opposite “Friendly” Town on the Other Side of the State

I'll start by writing, that I grew up in Hartford, Kentucky in Ohio County and I don't think I'm a "sorehead" Although when I looked up the meaning of sorehead, it says "a person who is in a bad temper or (he/she) is easily irritated". Now, I think in my advanced years, I can relate.

Years ago, the Hartford welcome sign stated and it still states:

By the way, we got spiffy new signs last year. I know I asked Dad one day, "What is a sorehead?" and he said he was; I don't think he's always in a bad temper but the easily irritated part, there's no doubt we are related. "Honorary Sorehead" Awards have been given out to current and former Hartford residents, including my friend, TV writer/producer/author/director Kirker Butler.

Get our free mobile app

But did you know? There's a town with "friendly people", or so their welcome sign says, that's 285.7 miles southeast of Hartford. I present:

Whitesburg in Letcher County, as of the 2020 census, has a population of 1,773. Since this sign is older, and I just recently heard about it, I can't verify whether those newer citizens are friendly or grouchy. So is this where Oscar the Grouch is from? Yes, I know Oscar doesn't have a country bone, or lack thereof, in his body, but it's funny to think about. The twist is, that nobody knows who the town grouches are, which prompts countless guesses from locals.

The two towns have one connection; well, to be fair, Beaver Dam (where there are zero soreheads) and it is Hartford-adjacent, and Whitesburg both used to have RC bottling plants. According to The Mountain Eagle, the Whitesburg sign went up in the 1960s, but there was only one grouch at the time. That number was updated to two in the 1980s. In 2018, the sign was damaged by gusty winds; it has since been restored and moved to a more weather and photo-friendly side of town.