Beattyville, the seat of Lee county, is on the forks of the Kentucky River. The site was originally known as Taylors Landing (the source of the name is not known). In 1850 it was renamed Beatty for Samuel Beatty, an early settler and landowner, and in 1872 was incorporated as Beattyville. The county seat was moved to Beattyville in 1872 from nearby Proctor. The population in 1990 was 1,131.

The Lee County Courthouse in Beattyville.