city, Madison county, central Kentucky, U.S., near the Cumberland Mountains, 14 miles (23 km) south of Richmond. The history of the city is centred on Berea College, founded by abolitionists in 1855 and one of the most highly regarded private colleges in the South. The school gives each student a full-tuition scholarship. In exchange, students work 10 to 15 hours per week in one of more than 140 departments, including those producing traditional regional crafts (weaving, ceramics, woodworking, ironworking, and broomcraft); in the school-owned Boone Tavern Hotel and its restaurant; on its 1,200-acre (485-hectare) farm; or in its 7,700-acre (3,115-hectare) forest. Tourism related to the college is important, and Churchill Weavers, one of the nation's largest handweaving companies, is also in Berea. Pop. (1990) 9,126; (2000) 9,851.