Editing Middlesboro, Kentucky (section)

==Transportation==
[[File:Cumberland Gap Tunnel.jpg|thumb|left|[[Cumberland Gap Tunnel]]]]
The city's main thoroughfare is [[U.S. Route 25E|U.S. 25E]]. The U.S. 25E Tunnel (a.k.a. the [[Cumberland Gap Tunnel]]) is a {{convert|.87|mi|km|adj=on}} tunnel that travels underneath the famous [[Cumberland Gap]]. The northern terminus is located in Middlesboro and the southern terminus is in [[Cumberland Gap, Tennessee]].<ref name=tunnel/> Middlesboro is one of the few cities in Kentucky that was not built on or near a significant waterway, so it is not reachable by water. The only major body of water near the city is Fern Lake, a small lake that sits on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. A man-made canal flows through the heart of the city. The canal channels Yellow Creek from the western part of the city through downtown and then heads north, northeast out of the city. The Middlesboro Canal was built by a large number of immigrants soon after the city was founded. The canal is home to numerous populations and species of ducks, all of which are considered to be honorary citizens of the city, despite the traffic headaches they may cause. Traffic and pedestrians must yield the right of way to the ducks at all times and anyone caught harming the ducks could face fines or jail time. Due to Middlesboro being known around the region for the large duck population, the canal serves as the "raceway" for the Downtown Ducky Dash rubber duck race held annually in August by Discover Downtown Middlesboro.

[[File:middlesboro kentucky welcome sign.JPG|thumb|Welcome sign coming into the city.]]

Middleboro's main thoroughfare is named Cumberland Avenue, which runs through Middlesboro's historic downtown district. Discover Downtown Middlesboro, Inc. (DDM) is a non-profit downtown revitalization effort charged with the restoration of the downtown area. DDM has been around since 2004 and since then, has restored Middlesboro's famed Fountain Square, completed many historical murals in town, started and formed a farmer's market, updated signage in the downtown area, and received grants for new plantings for the numerous planters that line Cumberland Avenue. Many of the streets which run parallel to Cumberland Avenue (east-west) are named for [[Peerage (disambiguation)|peerages]] and locales in [[United Kingdom|Britain]], while perpendicular (north-south) streets are named numerically.  [[U.S. Route 25E|U.S. 25E]] is also known as 12th street, with higher numbers found as one moves west.

===Airport===
Middlesboro is served by the [[Middlesboro-Bell County Airport]], which is a single runway, [[general aviation]] airport and is the second oldest airport still in use in Kentucky, ranking behind Bowman Field in Louisville.. The airport was established in 1944, however, the first recorded flight into the city was in 1912. It serves as the home for 26 aircraft and more than 18,000 operations annually. The Middlesboro-Bell County Airport was also the home of the famed P-38 Lightning, [[Glacier Girl]]. The aircraft was restored on site at the airport, where she made her first maiden flight in October 2002. The airport has recently undergone a major renovation, including the addition of a brand new terminal that features public restrooms, lounge, kitchen, and a radio room that can be used for up-to-date weather information. Other renovations/additions include a jet fuel tank, which will allow more air traffic to use the facility. In the near future, the airport plans to widen and expand the current runway and taxiway, plus add new hangars for aircraft, new runway lighting, and an Aircraft Weather Observation System (AWOS). The closest major airport to Middlesboro is the [[McGhee Tyson Airport]] in [[Knoxville, Tennessee]], which is {{convert|75.5|mi|km}} away.