Kentucky Bend
The Kentucky Bend, variously called the New Madrid Bend, Madrid Bend, Bessie Bend, or Bubbleland, is an exclave of Fulton County, Kentucky, encircled by the states of Tennessee and Missouri. It is a portion of a peninsula defined by an oxbow loop meander of the Mississippi River, and its inclusion in the state of Kentucky stems from uncertainties of the course of the Mississippi River when the boundary between Tennessee and Kentucky was established.
Kentucky Bend | |
|---|---|
Peninsula | |
| Nickname(s): New Madrid Bend, Madrid Bend, Bessie Bend, Bubbleland | |
Kentucky Bend (center) and surrounding area | |
| Coordinates: 36.53°N 89.51°W | |
| County | Fulton |
| State | Kentucky |
| Country | United States |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 9 |
| ZIP code | 38079 |
As of the 2020 census, the population was 9 persons in this area, tabulated as the Kentucky Bend Census County Division. The mailing address of the area is Tiptonville, Tennessee. New Madrid, Missouri, is directly across the river to the north, but it is not connected to the bend by road or ferry. The closest crossings of the Mississippi River are the Dorena–Hickman Ferry and the Caruthersville Bridge located in nearby Dyer County.