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editprestonsburg nickname is P Berg
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Bold textEconomy and Industry Prestonsburg and its surrounding townships chief economic industry was the mining of coal. Several coal companies including Coal Creek Mining, Matt/Co Inc, Onyx Coal, NFC Mining, Blackhawk Mining, Elk Horn Coal Corp, Rhino Prestonsburg, Mrm Inc, and International Coal based there business within the city. Coal Mining as an industry in Prestonsburg began in 1908. The Prestonsburg Coal Company began operations mining Town Branch. Colonial Coal and Coke Company also operated inside Prestonsburg, mining both sides of the river. A camp was established by Colonial Coal with only 13 families moving into it. Colonial folded in the great depression leaving behind Prestonsburg's long forgotten ghost town.
Access to Prestonsburg continues to grow. Two major thoroughfares link the city to other local towns and major cities a like. US 23, a major four lane highway, and KY 80 a four lane connecting Hazard to Prestonsburg opened the city for potential expansion. The current widening of the Mountain Parkway into a four lane connector to Lexington and beyond further opens the area's potential for tourist and potential industry.
Prestonsburg was established as the county seat of Floyd County, which originally included what is now Johnson, Martin, Pike, Knott, Magoffin and Morgan Counties, and parts of Elliot, Lawrence, Wolfe, Breathitt, Perry, and Letcher Counties. This made Prestonsburg a hub for political conversation and for economic development.
Other major employers with operations in the city include the Floyd County Board of Education and Wal Mart.
Prestonsburg became a tourist town when the Jenny Wiley State Resort Park and Dewey was created in 1954, offering locals and visitor recreational retreats. Prestonsburg's efforts to bring tourist into the area created the contruction and completion of an 18 hole golf course high atop Maggie Mountain. Stone Crest is built upon a former strip mining location.
Billy Jean Osborn, a local teacher, now deceased championed the local talent found in the area and was largely responsible for the building of the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg and the forming of its featured performers the Kentucky Opry.
Prestonsburg's City Crest dons the West Prestonsburg Arch Bridge. This bridge was one of three that was commissioned in 1929. The arch bridge once had a twin just up south of its location. The Arched twin spanned the Big Sandy from Prestonsburg to Town Branch. Bryanatoms 15:20, 13 October 2017 (UTC)