Throwback Thursday – Twin Cities: Horse Cave and Cave City

Our viewers know we live in the middle of Kentucky cave country. Caves of all types and sizes
live below our ground, and many southern Kentucky towns have grown because of these caves.
Two cities, in particular, in Hart and Barren Counties, both with “cave” in their names, are even
deemed “twin cities.” While those who have lived much of their lives in southern Kentucky may
be familiar with these twin cities, others may not realize Horse Cave and Cave City are more
alike than not.
Thanks to Hart County Tourism for helping us put together this story. When Europeans
colonized North America, the land that was Kentucky was first part of Virginia. It wasn’t until
1798 that Barren County was formed, and not until 1819 for Hart County. Horse Cave was
incorporated in 1864, and Cave City followed soon after in 1866. The city limits of each did not
meet, they were a mere three miles apart. Nowadays, as the cities grew, their limits do meet. It’s
possible to stand with one foot in Cave City and the other in Horse Cave.
The Twin City Motel was built in the mid 20th century near where the two cities’ limits meet. On
highway 31-W, one of the main corridors heavily traveled by those tourists seeking caveland
adventures, the Twin City Motel still welcomes guests.
There are many things these twin cities have in common, like being named for the caves at their
town center, having charming downtowns that have recently been experiencing a revival, having
almost the same population – Horse Cave’s was 2,427 in 2020 when Cave City’s was 2,424,
having a shared school system, city limits being on the edge of their counties, and being near
the heavily trafficked 31-W and I-65.