Ashland (pop: 21,981), the county seat of Boyd County, is part of the Tri-Cities area of Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. Huntington-Ashland-Ironton area has a metropolitan area of about 289,000 people. All three cities have rather large and interesting downtowns and Ashland is no exception. Downtown has the beautiful Paramount Theater, hotels, restaurants and cafes, along with the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center. Around 1854, Ashland was built by the Kentucky Iron, Coal, and Manufacturing Company and the city keeps its industrial heritage alive.
