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{{About|the U.S. state|the river|Kentucky River|other uses}}
{{Long}}
{{pp-pc|small=yes}}
{{Otheruses1|the U.S. state Commonwealth of Kentucky}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{US state
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
| Name = Kentucky
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
| Fullname = Bitch Ass
{{Infobox U.S. state
| Flag = Flag of Kentucky.svg
| Flaglink = ] | name = Kentucky
| official_name = Commonwealth of Kentucky
| Seal = Kentucky State Seal.svg
| Map = Map of USA KY.svg | image_flag = Flag of Kentucky.svg
| flag_link = Flag of Kentucky
| Nickname = Shit State |
| image_seal = Seal_of_Kentucky.svg
Demonym = Kentuckian
| image_map = Kentucky in United States.svg
| Motto = ]
| nickname = The Bluegrass State
| Brand = Unbridled Spirit
| Capital = ] | Former = Part of ] (])
| population_demonym = Kentuckian
| OfficialLang = English<ref name="kysym">{{cite web | title=Kentucky State Symbols | publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives | url=http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/KYSymbols.htm | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref>
| motto = ''United we stand, divided we fall''<br />''Deo gratiam habeamus''<br />(Let us be grateful to God)
| anthem = ]
| seat = ]
| OfficialLang = English<ref name="kysym">{{cite web |title=Kentucky State Symbols |publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives |url = http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/KYSymbols.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070703084450/http://www.kdla.ky.gov/resources/KYSymbols.htm |archive-date=July 3, 2007 |access-date=November 29, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| LargestCity = ] | LargestCity = ]
| LargestCounty = ]
| LargestMetro = ]
| LargestMetro = ]{{efn|name=MSA|However, a portion of the larger ] does extend into the state.}}
| Governor = ] (D)
| Lieutenant Governor = ] (D) | | Governor = {{nowrap|] (])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|] (D)}}
Senators = ] (R)<br/>] (R)
| Legislature = ]
|Representative=4 Republicans, 2 Democrats
| Upperhouse = ]
| PostalAbbreviation = KY
| Lowerhouse = ]
| AreaRank = 37<sup>th</sup>
| Judiciary = ]
| TotalAreaUS =40,409
| Senators = {{nowrap|] (])}}<br />{{nowrap|] (R)}}
| TotalArea = 104,659
| Representative = 5 Republicans<br />1 Democrat
| LandAreaUS = 39,728
| LandArea = 102,895 | postal_code = KY
| WaterAreaUS = 681 | TradAbbreviation = Ky
| WaterArea = 1,764 | area_rank = 37th
| area_total_sq_mi = 40,408
| PCWater = 1.7
| area_total_km2 = 104,656
| PopRank = 26<sup>th</sup>
| 2000Pop (old) = 4,041,769 | area_land_sq_mi = 39,486
| area_land_km2 = 102,269
| 2000Pop = 4,269,245 (2008 est.)<ref name=08CenEst>{{cite web | title = Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = 2009-02-01 | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2008-01.csv}}</ref> <br> 4,041,769 (2000)
| area_water_sq_mi = 921
| DensityRank = 22<sup>nd</sup>
| 2000DensityUS = 101.7 | area_water_km2 = 2,387
| 2000Density = 39.28 | area_water_percent = 2.2
| population_as_of = 2020
| AdmittanceOrder = 15<sup>th</sup>
| population_rank = 26th
| 2010Pop = {{increaseNeutral}} 4,505,836<ref name="Census2020">{{cite web |title=2020 Census Apportionment Results |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-apportionment-data.html |website=census.gov |publisher=] |access-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426210008/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-apportionment-data.html |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_density_rank = 24th
| MedianHouseholdIncome = $52,295<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/median-annual-income/?currentTimeframe=0|website=The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation|title=Median Annual Household Income|access-date=May 14, 2019|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220091007/http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/median-annual-income/?currentTimeframe=0|url-status=live}}</ref>
| IncomeRank = ]
| 2000DensityUS = 114
| 2000Density = 44
| AdmittanceOrder = 15th
| AdmittanceDate = June 1, 1792 | AdmittanceDate = June 1, 1792
| TimeZone = ]: ]-5/]-4 | timezone1 = ]
| utc_offset1 = −05:00
| TZ1Where = eastern half
| timezone1_DST = ]
| TimeZone2 = ]: UTC-6/]-5
| utc_offset1_DST = −04:00
| TZ2Where = western half
| timezone1_location = eastern half
| timezone2 = ]
| utc_offset2 = −06:00
| timezone2_DST = ]
| utc_offset2_DST = −05:00
| timezone2_location = western half
| Latitude = 36° 30′ N to 39° 09′ N | Latitude = 36° 30′ N to 39° 09′ N
| Longitude = 81° 58′ W to 89° 34′ W | Longitude = 81° 58′ W to 89° 34′ W
| WidthUS = 140 | width_mi = 187
| Width = 225 | width_km = 302
| LengthUS = 379 | length_mi = 397
| Length = 610 | length_km = 640
| HighestPoint = ]<ref name="usgs">{{cite web | title=Science In Your Backyard: Kentucky | publisher=United States Geological Survey | url=http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=KY) | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> | elevation_max_point = ]<ref name=USGS>{{cite web |url = http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title = Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=] |year=2001 |access-date=October 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012701/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=October 15, 2011 }}</ref>{{efn|name=NAVD88|Elevation adjusted to ].}}
| HighestElevUS = 4,145 | elevation_max_ft = 4,145
| elevation_max_m = 1265
| HighestElev = 1,263
| elevation_ft = 750
| MeanElevUS =755
| MeanElev = 230 | elevation_m = 230
| LowestPoint = ]<ref name="usgs"/> | elevation_min_point = ] at {{nowrap|]}}<ref name="USGS" />{{efn|name=NAVD88}}
| LowestElevUS = 257 | elevation_min_ft = 250
| LowestElev = 78 | elevation_min_m = 78
| ISOCode = US-KY | iso_code = US-KY
| Website = Kentucky.gov | website = Kentucky.gov
| Capital =
| Representatives =
| House Speaker =
| Senate Pro Tem =
}} }}
{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States
|state= Kentucky
|image_flag = Flag of Kentucky.svg
|image_seal = Seal of Kentucky.svg
|bird= ]
|butterfly= ]
|wildlife_animal = ]
|horse = ]
|fish= ]
|flower= ]
|insect= ]
|tree= ]
|beverage= {{ubl|]|]}}
|dance= ]
|food= ]
|fossil= ]
|gemstone= ]
|mineral= ]
|rock= ]
|slogan= Kentucky Unbridled Spirit
|soil= ]
|other= ] (state sports car)
|image_route= Elongated circle 3.svg
|image_quarter= 2001 KY Proof.png
|quarter_release_date= 2001
}}
'''Kentucky''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Kentucky.ogg|US|k|ə|n|ˈ|t|ʌ|k|i}}, {{IPAc-en|UK|k|ɛ|n|-}}),<ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref> officially the '''Commonwealth of Kentucky''',{{efn|Kentucky is one of ] to use the term "Commonwealth" in its official name, along with ], ], and ].}} is a landlocked ] in the ] region of the ]. It borders ], ], and ] to the north, ] to the northeast, ] to the east, ] to the south, and ] to the west. Its northern border is defined by the ]. Its capital is ] and its ] is ]. As of 2020, the state's population was approximately 4.5 million.<ref name="Census2020"/>


Previously part of Virginia, Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the fifteenth state on June 1, 1792.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pr51st.com/kentucky/|title=How Kentucky Became a State|date=August 8, 2014|website=Puerto Rico 51st|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221205433/http://www.pr51st.com/kentucky/|url-status=live}}</ref> It is known as the "Bluegrass State" in reference to ], a species of grass introduced by European settlers which has long supported the state's ] horse industry.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bluegrass State |url=https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/kentucky/state-nickname/bluegrass-state |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421220530/https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/kentucky/state-nickname/bluegrass-state |archive-date=April 21, 2020 |access-date=March 19, 2020 |website=State Symbols USA|date=June 2014 }}</ref>
The '''Commonwealth of Kentucky''' ({{Audio-IPA|en-us-Kentucky.ogg|/kɨnˈtʌki/}}) is a ] located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of ] (in particular the ]), but it is sometimes included, geographically and culturally, in the ].<ref>{{cite book |title=''The North American Midwest: A Regional Geography''|publisher=Wiley Publishers |location=] |year=1955 |isbn=0901411931}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Meyer |first=David R. |year=1989 |month=December |title=Midwestern Industrialization and the American Manufacturing Belt in the Nineteenth Century |journal=The Journal of Economic History |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=921–937 |id= |url= |accessdate= }}</ref> Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a ]. Originally a part of ], in 1792 it became the 15<sup>th</sup> state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37<sup>th</sup> largest state in terms of land area, and ranks 26<sup>th</sup> in population.


The fertile soil in the central and western parts of the state led to the development of large tobacco plantations similar to those in Virginia and ], which utilized ] prior to the passage of the ]. Kentucky ranks fifth nationally in goat farming, eighth in ] production,<ref>{{cite web |title=2007 Rankings of States and Counties |url=http://www.bamabeef.org/NewStateandCountyrankings05.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060504170140/http://www.bamabeef.org/NewStateandCountyrankings05.htm |archive-date=May 4, 2006 |access-date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=Alabama Cattlemen's Association}}</ref> and fourteenth in corn production.<ref name="econedlink2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/EM453/docs/em453_Corn_Production_Det_Answers.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605025350/http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/EM453/docs/em453_Corn_Production_Det_Answers.pdf |archive-date=June 5, 2007 |title=Corn Production Detective |publisher=National Council on Economic Education |access-date=May 3, 2007}}</ref> While Kentucky has been a long-standing center for the tobacco industry, its economy has diversified into non-agricultural sectors including auto manufacturing, energy production, and medicine.<ref name="Hunt 2019 9–14">{{Cite journal|title=Are Kentucky Farmers Prepared for Farm-Related Emergencies?|journal = Journal of Agromedicine|volume = 24|issue=1|pages = 9–14|last=Hunt|first=Matthew|date=2019|doi=10.1080/1059924x.2018.1536571|pmid = 30317936|s2cid = 52977999 | issn=1059-924X}}</ref> Kentucky ranks fourth among US states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled.<ref name="Tradeandindustrydev.com">{{cite web |last=Strong |first=Marvin E. "Gene" Jr. |date=December 31, 2003 |title=Kentucky: In the Middle of Auto Alley |url=http://www.tradeandindustrydev.com/region/kentucky/kentucky-in-middle-auto-alley-429 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814053224/https://www.tradeandindustrydev.com/region/kentucky/kentucky-middle-auto-alley-429 |archive-date=August 14, 2022 |access-date=November 28, 2012 |publisher=Trade and Industry Development}}</ref> It is one of several states considered part of the ].
Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on the fact that ] is present in many of the lawns and pastures throughout the state. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources, including the world's longest cave system, the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the ] states, and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River. It is also home to the highest per capita number of ] and ] in the United States, and the nation's most productive ]. Kentucky is also known for ], ], ] distilleries, ], ] manufacturing, ], and ].


The state is home to the world's longest known cave system in ], the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the ], and the nation's two largest artificial lakes east of the ]. ] include ], ], ], ], ], automobile manufacturing, tobacco, ], ], ], ], ] baseball bats, and ].
==Origin of name==

].]]
==Etymology==
The origin of Kentucky's name (variously spelled ''Cane-tuck-ee'', ''Cantucky'', ''Kain-tuck-ee'', and ''Kentuckee'' before its modern spelling was accepted)<ref name="enken">{{cite book |title=''Encyclopedia of Kentucky'' |chapter=State Symbols |publisher=Somerset Publishers |location=] |year=1987 |isbn=0403099811 |author=}}</ref> has never been definitively identified, though some theories have been debunked. For example, Kentucky's name is unlikely to mean "dark and bloody ground" as is commonly believed, because it does not occur with that meaning in any known ]. It also is not a combination of "cane" and "turkey".<ref name="kenten">{{cite book |editor=John E. Kleber (ed.) |title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia |year=1992 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=] |chapter=Place Names |isbn=0813117720 }}</ref> The most likely etymology is that it comes from an ] word for "meadow" or "prairie"<ref name="enken"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554924/Kentucky.html |title=Kentucky |accessdate=2007-02-25 |work=Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006}}</ref> (c.f. ] ''kenhtà:ke'', ] ''këhta'keh'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.krysstal.com/feedback/display_feedback.php?ftype=Borrow&fblock=4 |title=Comments by Michael McCafferty on "Readers' Feedback (page 4)" |accessdate=2007-02-23 |publisher=The KryssTal}}</ref> Other possibilities also exist: the suggestion of early Kentucky pioneer ] that the name means "the river of blood",<ref name="enken"/> a ] name meaning "land of tomorrow", a ] term possibly referring to the head of a river,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Kentucky |title=Kentucky |accessdate = 2007-03-06 |publisher=]}}</ref> or an ] word for a river bottom.<ref name="kenten"/>
Prior to 1769, ] and successor counties in the ], whose geographical extent was south of the ] and ] beyond the ], became known to European Americans as '']''. It was named for the ], a tributary of the Ohio.<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnson and Parrish |title=Kentucky River Development: The Commonwealth's Waterways |url=http://www.uky.edu/WaterResources/KCEWM/PDF/History%20of%20the%20Kentucky%20River.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111161541/http://www.uky.edu/WaterResources/KCEWM/PDF/History%20of%20the%20Kentucky%20River.pdf |archive-date=January 11, 2021 |website=University of Kentucky}}</ref>

The precise etymology of the name is uncertain.<ref>{{OEtymD|Kentucky|access-date=February 25, 2007}}
{{cite web |url=http://0-dictionary.oed.com.clicnet4.clic.edu/cgi/entry/50126019 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5QmSe2SRR?url=http://0-dictionary.oed.com.clicnet4.clic.edu/cgi/entry/50126019 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 2, 2007 |title=Kentucky |access-date=February 25, 2007 |website=] }}</ref> One theory sees the word based on an ] name meaning "(on) the meadow" or "(on) the prairie"<ref name=Mithun>Mithun, Marianne. 1999. ''Languages of Native North America''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pg. 312</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554924/Kentucky.html |title=Kentucky |access-date=February 25, 2007 |encyclopedia=Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091030052538/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554924/Kentucky.html |archive-date=October 30, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (cf. ] ''{{Lang|moh|kenhtà:ke}}'', ] ''{{Lang|see|gëdá'geh}}'' (] {{IPA|/kɛ̃taʔkɛh/}}), "at the field").<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8uvs6Qw3pEC&pg=PA250 | title=Native American Place Names of Indiana | publisher=University of Illinois Press | author=McCafferty, Michael | year=2008 | page=250| isbn=9780252032684 }}</ref> Another theory suggests a derivation from the term ''{{Lang|alg|Kenta Aki}}'', which could have come from an ], in particular from ]. Folk etymology translates this as "Land of Our Fathers". The closest approximation in another Algonquian language, ], translates as "Land of Our In-Laws", thus making a fairer English translation "The Land of Those Who Became Our Fathers".<ref>Nichols, John & Nyholm, Earl. ''Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe'', 1994.</ref> In any case, the word ''{{Lang|alg|aki}}'' means "land" in most Algonquian languages.

==History==
{{Main|History of Kentucky}}

===Native American settlement===
The first archaeological evidence of human occupation of Kentucky is approximately 9500BCE, and it was Clovis culture, primitive hunter-gatherers with stone tools. Around 1800 BCE, a gradual transition began from a hunter-gatherer economy to agriculturalism. Around 900 CE, a ] took root in western and central Kentucky and a ] culture appeared in eastern Kentucky. While the two had many similarities, the distinctive ceremonial earthwork mounds constructed in the former's centers were not part of the culture of the latter. Fort Ancient settlements depended largely on corn, beans, and squash, and practiced a system of agriculture that prevented ecological degradation by rotating crops, ] sections of forest to create ideal habitat for wild game, relocating villages every 10–30 years, and continually shifting the location of fields to maintain plots of land in various stages of ].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Patrick |first1=Andrew P. |title=Birth of the Bluegrass: Ecological Transformations in Central Kentucky to 1810 |journal=The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |date=2017 |volume=115 |issue=2 |pages=155–182|doi=10.1353/khs.2017.0049 |s2cid=133557743 }}</ref>

In about the 10th century, the Kentucky native people's variety of corn became highly productive, supplanting the ] and replacing it with maize-based agriculture in the ]. As of the 16th century, what became Kentucky was home to tribes from diverse linguistic groups. The ], an ] tribe, controlled much of the interior of the state.<ref>Louis, Franquelin, Jean Baptiste. "Franquelin's map of Louisiana.". LOC.gov. Retrieved August 17, 2017.</ref>

French explorers in the 17th century documented numerous tribes living in Kentucky until the ] in the 1670s; however, by the time that European colonial explorers and settlers began entering Kentucky in greater numbers in the mid-18th century, there were no major Native American settlements in the region.

The ] had territory up to the confluence of Mississippi and Ohio rivers. During a period known as the ] (1640–1680), another Algonquian tribe called the ], or ] was chased out of southern Michigan.<ref>"Early Indian Migration in Ohio." GenealogyTrails.com. Retrieved August 17, 2017.</ref> The vast majority of them moved to Kentucky, pushing the Kispoko east and war broke out with the ] of North Carolina and Virginia that pushed them further north and east. The Maumee were closely related to the ] from Indiana. Later, the Kispoko merged with the ], who migrated from the east and the Ohio River valley.

A persistent myth, perpetuated in many popular and scholarly works, alleges that Native Americans never lived permanently in Kentucky, but rather used it only as a "hunting ground."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Henderson |first1=A. Gwynn |title=Dispelling the Myth: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Indian Life in Kentucky |journal=The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |date=2018 |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=1–25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Native Americans of Clay County & Kentucky |url=https://www.claycountykentucky.org/history/indians/ |website=claycountykentucky.org}}</ref> According to early Kentucky historians, early European settlers encountered extensive evidence of permanent, advanced settlements, including numerous burial mounds, ] and stone ], and what early historians describe as "fortifications:" large sites consisting of extensive walls enclosing the flat tops of bluffs, cliffs or mountains, constructed from stone that was ] in the surrounding valleys and brought up to the summit.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cotterill |first1=Robert S. |title=History of Pioneer Kentucky |date=1917 |publisher=Johnson & Hardin |location=Cincinnati |pages=36–37}}</ref> These sites and artifacts were sometimes explained as being the remnants of a "lost" white race,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cotterill |first1=Robert S. |title=History of Pioneer Kentucky |date=1917 |publisher=Johnson & Hardin |location=Cincinnati |page=30}}</ref> or some variously identified ethnic group predating and distinct from the Native Americans.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ranck |first1=George W. |title=History of Lexington Kentucky |date=1872 |publisher=Robert Clarke & Co |location=Cincinnati |page=12}}</ref> More recent scholarship identifies the mound builders as the Mississippian and Fort Ancient peoples, which were distinct from the indigenous cultures encountered by settlers, although sharing the same origin in Paleoindian groups that inhabited the area for at least 12,000 years.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Henderson |first1=A. Gwynn |title=Dispelling the Myth: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Indian Life in Kentucky |journal=The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |date=2018 |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=6–7}}</ref>

Beginning in the seventeenth century, before indigenous groups in Kentucky made direct contact with Europeans, articles of European origin such as glass ]s entered the region via ]s, and the appearance of ]s suggests that European diseases were also introduced.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Henderson |first1=A. Gwynn |title=Dispelling the Myth: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Indian Life in Kentucky |journal=The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |date=2018 |volume=90 |issue=1 |page=17}}</ref> By the eighteenth century, epidemics of disease had destabilized and changed the indigenous groups that inhabited Kentucky, causing some to reassemble into multi-tribal towns, and others to ] further from the sphere of European influence.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Henderson |first1=A. Gwynn |title=Dispelling the Myth: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Indian Life in Kentucky |journal=The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |date=2018 |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=18–22}}</ref> Around the end of the French and Indian War, as European settlers began to claim parts of the Bluegrass State, Native Americans abandoned their larger, more permanent villages south of the Ohio River and continued to maintain only small or transient settlements. This upheaval likely led the settlers to believe that Kentucky was a hunting ground contested by multiple tribes but not permanently inhabited, when in reality it had only recently been abandoned due to social and political turmoil.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Henderson |first1=A. Gwynn |title=Dispelling the Myth: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Indian Life in Kentucky |journal=The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |date=2018 |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=24–25}}</ref>

===Early explorations: the discovery of Kentucky===
{{See also|Kentucke's Frontiers}}
European explorers arrived in Kentucky possibly as early as 1671. While French explorers surely spied Kentucky during expeditions on the Mississippi, there is no evidence French or Spanish explorers set foot in the lands south of the Ohio, notwithstanding speculations about Hernando de Soto and Robert de la Salle. The terrain in those days was not surveyed, so there is some uncertainty whether and to what extent the early English explorers out of Virginia set foot on the land. Confounding the issue is that the region south of the Ohio/Allegheny later known as ''Kentucky country'' was larger than the state of Kentucky today, encompassing most of today's West Virginia and (vaguely) part of southwestern Pennsylvania.<ref>"South of the Ohio" was almost, but not quite, synonymous with ''Kentucky country''.</ref> Notable expeditions were Batts and Fallam 1671, Needham and Arthur 1673.<ref>The First Explorations of the Trans-Allegheny Region by the Virginians 1650–1674</ref> Thomas Walker and surveyor Christopher Gist surveyed the area now known as Kentucky in 1750 and 1751.

===European settlement: The Treaty of Fort Stanwix 1768===
{{further|Transylvania Colony|Lord Dunmore's War|Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1768)}}
{{See also|Indian Reserve (1763)}}
As more settlers entered the area, warfare broke out with the Native Americans over their traditional hunting grounds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merceronline.com/Native/native01.htm |title=The Presence |publisher=Mercer County Online |access-date=November 29, 2006 |website=History of Native Americans in Central Kentucky |archive-date=December 12, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212023438/http://www.merceronline.com/Native/native01.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

June 16, 1774, James Harrod founded Harrod's Town (modern Harrodsburg). The settlement was abandoned during the conflict period of Dunmore's War, and resettled in March 1775, becoming the first permanent European settlement in Kentucky. It was followed within months by Boone's Station, Logan's Fort and Lexington before Kentucky was organized.

This period was the time of Daniel Boone's legendary expeditions starting in 1767 through the Cumberland Gap and down the Kentucky River to reach the bluegrass heartland of Kentucky.

While the ] did not settle in Kentucky, they hunted there. They relinquished their hunting rights there in an extra-legal private contract with speculator Richard Henderson called '']'' in 1775.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Murphree |first1=Daniel S. |title=Native America: A State-by-State Historical Encyclopedia |date=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, CA |isbn=9780313381270 |page=395 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0UNzFCOYTU4C |access-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164802/https://books.google.com/books?id=0UNzFCOYTU4C |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Kentucky County and the Cherokee-American wars===
{{Further information|Kentucky County, Virginia|Cherokee-American wars|Fort Nelson (Kentucky)|History of Louisville, Kentucky}}

On December 31, 1776, by an act of the ], the portion of ] west of the ] (including today's ] tributary) terminating at the North Carolina border (today Tennessee) extending to the Mississippi River, previously most of what was known as ''Kentucky (or Kentucke) country'', was split off into its own county of ]. Harrod's Town (Oldtown as it was known at the time) was named the county seat.

A 1790 U.S. government report states that 1,500{{spaces}}Kentucky settlers had been killed by Native Americans since the end of the ].<ref>{{cite book|author=James, James Alton|title=The Life of George Rogers Clark|location= Chicago|publisher= ]|year= 1928|isbn=978-0-404-03549-5}}</ref>

===Statehood===
[[File:Kentucky Statehood 150th Anniversary, 3c, 1942 issue.jpg|thumb
|In 1942 the U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp ] the 150th anniversary of Kentucky statehood, a 3-cent 1942 issue]]
The county was subdivided into ], ] and ] Counties in 1780, but continued to be administered as the District of Kentucky even as new counties were split off.

On several occasions the region's residents petitioned the General Assembly and the ] for separation from Virginia and ]. Ten constitutional conventions were held in ] between 1784 and 1792.
One petition, which had Virginia's assent, came before the Confederation Congress in early July 1788. Unfortunately, its consideration came up a day after word of ]'s all-important ninth ] of the proposed ], thus establishing it as the new framework of governance for the United States. In light of this development, Congress thought that it would be "unadvisable" to admit Kentucky into the Union, as it could do so "under the Articles of Confederation" only, but not "under the Constitution", and so declined to take action.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kesavan|first1=Vasan|title=When Did the Articles of Confederation Cease to Be Law|journal=Notre Dame Law Review|date=December 1, 2002|volume=78|issue=1|pages=70–71|url=http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndlr/vol78/iss1/3|access-date=October 31, 2015|archive-date=January 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101052616/http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndlr/vol78/iss1/3/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On December 18, 1789, Virginia again gave its consent to Kentucky statehood. The ] gave its approval on February 4, 1791.<ref>{{USStat|1|189}}</ref> (This occurred two weeks before Congress approved ]'s petition for statehood.<ref>{{USStat|1|191}}</ref>) Kentucky officially became the fifteenth state in the Union on June 1, 1792. ], a military veteran from Virginia, was elected its first Governor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Constitution Square State Historic Site |publisher=Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau |url=http://www.danville-ky.com/attractions2.php?category=History%20and%20Museums |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011230008/http://danville-ky.com/attractions2.php?category=History%20and%20Museums |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |access-date=November 29, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Post-colonial plantation economy===
] near ]]]
{{See also|History of slavery in Kentucky}}
The central ] and the western portion of the state were the areas with the most ]. ] cultivated ] and ] on plantations with the use of slave labor, and were noted for their quality ]. During the 19th century, Kentucky slaveholders began to sell unneeded slaves to the ], with Louisville becoming a major slave market and departure port for slaves being transported down the Ohio River.

===The Civil War===
{{Main|Border states (American Civil War)|Kentucky in the American Civil War}}
Kentucky was a heavily divided slave state during the ]. Though the state had dueling Union and Confederate state governments, Kentucky was never an official component of the Confederacy. ] the Southern ] during the war, and it remained neutral within the ].<ref>{{cite web | title=Border States in the Civil War | date=February 15, 2002 | publisher=CivilWarHome.com | url=http://www.civilwarhome.com/borderstates.htm | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-date=December 8, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208033207/http://www.civilwarhome.com/borderstates.htm }}</ref> Despite this, representatives from 68 of 110 counties met at ] calling themselves the "Convention of the People of Kentucky" and passed an ] on November 20, 1861.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ordinances of Secession | publisher=Historical Text Archive | url=http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?action=read&artid=170 | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123052735/http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?action=read&artid=170 | archive-date=November 23, 2010 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> They established a ] with its capital in ], and Kentucky was officially admitted into the Confederacy on December 10, 1861, as the 13th Confederate state with full recognition in Richmond.<ref>{{cite web | title=Civil War Sites – Bowling Green, KY | publisher=WMTH Corporation | url=http://www.trailsrus.com/monuments/reg3/bowling_green.html | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-date=October 9, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009101515/http://www.trailsrus.com/monuments/reg3/bowling_green.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The Confederate shadow government was never popularly elected statewide, though 116 delegates were sent representing 68 Kentucky counties which at the time made up a little over half the territory of the Commonwealth to the Russellville Convention in 1861, and were occupied and governed by the Confederacy at some point in the duration of the war, and Kentucky had full representation within the Confederate Government. Although Confederate forces briefly controlled Frankfort, they were expelled by Union forces before a Confederate government could be installed in the state capital. After the expulsion of Confederate forces after the Battle of Perryville, this government operated in-exile. Though it existed throughout the war, Kentucky's provisional government only had governing authority in areas of Kentucky under direct Confederate control and had very little effect on the events in the Commonwealth or in the war once they were driven out of the state.

Kentucky remained officially "neutral" throughout the war{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} due to the ] sympathies of a majority of the Commonwealth's citizens who were split between the struggle of Kentucky's sister Southern States fully in the ] and a continued loyalty to the Unionist cause that was prevalent in other areas of the South such as in East Tennessee, West Virginia, Western North Carolina, and others. Despite this, some 21st-century Kentuckians observe ] on ] leader ]' birthday, June 3, and participate in Confederate battle re-enactments.<ref>{{cite web | title=KRS 2.110 Public Holidays | publisher=] | url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/002-00/110.PDF | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-date=September 27, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927011246/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/002-00/110.PDF | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Tony Hiss, ''Confederates in the Attic''</ref> Both Davis and U.S. president ] were born in Kentucky. ], the 14th and youngest-ever Vice President was born in Lexington, Kentucky at Cabell's Dale Farm. Breckenridge was expelled from the U. S. Senate for his support of the Confederacy.

Henry W. Grady, editor of the Atlanta Constitution, coined the term ''New South'' in 1874, urging transformation from an agrarian economy to a modern industrial one.

===Reconstruction and the ''New South''===
{{See also|Hatfield-McCoy feud}}
On January 30, 1900, Governor ], flanked by two bodyguards, was mortally wounded by an ] while walking to the State Capitol in downtown Frankfort. Goebel was contesting the ], which ] was initially believed to have won. For several months, ], Goebel's running mate, and Taylor fought over who was the legal governor until the ] ruled in May in favor of Beckham. After fleeing to ], Taylor was indicted as a co-conspirator in Goebel's ]. Goebel is the only governor of a U.S. state to have been assassinated while in office.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Old State Capitol |publisher=] |url=http://history.ky.gov/sub.php?pageid=23&sectionid=8 |access-date=September 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827133601/http://history.ky.gov/sub.php?pageid=23&sectionid=8 |archive-date=August 27, 2007 }}</ref>

The ], a vigilante action, occurred in Western Kentucky in the early 20th century. As a result of the ] monopoly, tobacco farmers in the area were forced to sell their crops at prices that were too low. Many local farmers and activists united in a refusal to sell their crops to the major tobacco companies.

An Association meeting occurred in downtown ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wkms.org/post/understanding-black-patch-tobacco-war-west-kentucky-and-tennessee#stream/0|title=Understanding the Black Patch Tobacco War of West Kentucky and Tennessee|publisher=]|last1=Lochte|first1=Kate|last2=Markgraf|first2=Matt|date=September 22, 2014|access-date=May 6, 2016|archive-date=June 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610004656/http://wkms.org/post/understanding-black-patch-tobacco-war-west-kentucky-and-tennessee#stream/0|url-status=live}}</ref> where a vigilante wing of "Night Riders", formed. The riders terrorized farmers who sold their tobacco at the low prices demanded by the tobacco corporations. They burned several tobacco warehouses throughout the area, stretching as far west as ] to ]. In the later period of their operation, they were known to physically assault farmers who broke the boycott. Governor ] declared ] and deployed the ] to end the wars.


==Geography== ==Geography==
{{see also|List of Kentucky counties}} {{See also|Coal mining in Kentucky}}
] ]
]


Kentucky is situated in the ].<ref>{{cite book |title= Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary |publisher= ] |year= 2003 |edition= 11th |isbn= 978-0-87779-809-5 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=O78rzaI2XmUC&pg=RA1-PA1562 |page= 1562 |author=Frederick C. Mish |access-date= January 17, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The North American Midwest: A Regional Geography|url=https://archive.org/details/northamericanmid0000garl|url-access=registration|publisher=Wiley Publishers |location=New York |year=1955}}</ref> A significant portion of eastern Kentucky is part of ].
Kentucky borders on seven states, from both the ] and the ]. ] lies to the east, ] to the southeast, ] to the south, ] to the west, ] and ] to the northwest, and ] to the north and northeast. Only ] and ], both of which border eight states, touch more states. Kentucky's northern border is formed by the ] and its western border by the ]; however, the official border is based on the courses of the rivers as they existed when Kentucky became a state in 1792. In several places, the border does not follow the current course of the appropriate river. Northbound travelers on ] from Henderson, upon crossing the Ohio River, will find themselves still in Kentucky until they travel about a half-mile (800 m) farther north. A horse racing track, ], is located in this small piece of Kentucky. Waterworks Road is part of the only land border between Indiana and Kentucky.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=%5b1494%2d1557%5d%20Waterworks%20Rd&city=Evansville&state=IN&zipcode=47713&country=US&location=sx5PfJLyNGOdfPC4XlmsmD4sYz8%2fcM%2f9UzxNAshApmBL3N63w0vZEKUJ7ZFErueQQVVT7jNm9im%2frMyLwvsq1tX3B0QnxqQNsp3LVvDC22VDK3WLmnQ83dOStm4oo36rfS7%2fgXA9L8%2b8CqYgeWZpmK5YKDtojM0V&ambiguity=1 |title=Map of <nowiki></nowiki> Waterworks Rd Evansville, IN |accessdate=2009-01-01}}</ref>


Kentucky borders seven states, from the ] and the ]. ] lies to the northeast, ] to the east, ] to the south, ] to the west, ] to the northwest, and ] and ] to the north. Only Missouri and Tennessee, both of which border eight states, touch more.
Kentucky is the only U.S. state to have a non-contiguous part exist as an ] surrounded by other states. ], in the far west corner of the state, includes a small part of land, ], on the Mississippi River bordered by Missouri and accessible via Tennessee, created by the ].<ref>{{cite web | title=Life on the Mississippi | publisher=]| date=2002-01-28 | url=http://www.ket.org/kentuckylife/800s/kylife804.html | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref>


Kentucky's northern border is formed by the north shore of the ]<ref name="Supreme">{{cite web |author1=United States Supreme Court |title=Indiana v. Kentucky, 136 U.S. 479 (1890) KENTUCKY. |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/136/479 |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |publisher=Cornell University Law School |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=en |quote=The Court said that the question whether the land lay within the State of Kentucky or of Indiana...and reached the conclusion that the boundary between the states was at low water mark on the northwest side of the river.}}</ref> and its western border by the ]; however, the official border is based on the courses of the rivers as they existed when Kentucky became a state in 1792. For instance, northbound travelers on ] from Henderson, after crossing the Ohio River, will be in Kentucky for about {{convert|2|mi|km|0|spell=in}}. ], a thoroughbred racetrack, is located in this small piece of Kentucky. Waterworks Road is part of the only land border between Indiana and Kentucky.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mapquest.com/maps?address=%5B1300-1699%5D+Waterworks+Rd&city=Evansville&state=IN&zipcode=47713 |title=Map of <nowiki></nowiki> Waterworks Rd Evansville, IN |access-date=January 1, 2009 |archive-date=January 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122102011/http://www.mapquest.com/maps?address=%5B1300-1699%5D+Waterworks+Rd&city=Evansville&state=IN&zipcode=47713 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Kentucky can be divided into five primary regions: the ] in the east, the north-central ], the south-central and western ], the ] and the far-west ]. The Bluegrass region is commonly divided into two regions, the Inner Bluegrass — the encircling 90 miles (145&nbsp;km) around ] — and the Outer Bluegrass, the region that contains most of the Northern portion of the state, above the ]. Much of the outer Bluegrass is in the ] area, made up of short, steep, and very narrow hills.


Kentucky has a non-contiguous part known as ], at the far west corner of the state. It exists as an ] surrounded completely by ] and ], and is included in the boundaries of ]. Road access to this small part of Kentucky on the Mississippi River (populated by 18 people {{as of|2010|lc=y}})<ref>{{cite journal |author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= October 1, 2013 |title= Exclaves |journal= Virginia Quarterly Review |volume= 89 |issue= 4 |pages= 22–23 |issn= 0042-675X }}</ref> requires traveling through Tennessee.
Kentucky has 120 counties, third in the U.S. behind ]' 254 and ]'s 159.<ref>{{cite web | title=How Many Counties are in Your State? | publisher=Click and Learn | url=http://www.clickandlearn.com/documents2/Counties.htm | accessdate=2006-11-29 }} ] also has more county-level subdivisions than Kentucky; it has only 95 counties, but also has 39 ], for a total of 134 county-level subdivisions.</ref> The original motivation for having so many counties was to ensure that residents in the days of poor roads and horseback travel could make a round trip from their home to the county seat and back in a single day.<ref name="kye-counties">{{cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: ], Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter |title=''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'' |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=0813117720 |chapter=Counties}}</ref> Later, however, politics began to play a part, with citizens who disagreed with the present county government simply petitioning the state to create a new county. The 1891 ] placed stricter limits on county creation, stipulating that a new county:
]
*must have a land area of at least {{convert|400|sqmi|km2|-2}};
*must have a population of at least 12,000 people;
*must not by its creation reduce the land area of an existing county to less than {{convert|400|sqmi|km2|-2}};
*must not by its creation reduce the population of an existing county to fewer than 12,000 people;
*must not create a county boundary line that passes within {{convert|10|mi|km|-1}} of an existing county seat.


The epicenter of the ] was near this area, causing the Mississippi River to flow backwards in some places. Though the series of quakes changed the area geologically and affected the small number of inhabitants of the area at the time, the Kentucky Bend is the result of a surveying error, not the New Madrid earthquake.<ref>{{cite web | title=Life on the Mississippi | publisher=] | date=January 28, 2002 | url=http://www.ket.org/kentuckylife/800s/kylife804.html | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-date=February 13, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213074544/http://www.ket.org/kentuckylife/800s/kylife804.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>
These regulations have reined in the proliferation of counties in Kentucky. Since the 1891 Constitution, only ] has been created.<ref name="countgov">{{cite book |title=''County Government in Kentucky: Informational Bulletin No. 115'' |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |location=] |year=1996 |chapter=Fiscal Court}}</ref> Because today's largest county by area, ], is {{convert|788|sqmi|km2|0}}, it is now impossible to create a new county from a single existing county under the current constitution. Any county created in this manner will by necessity either be smaller than {{convert|400|sqmi|km2|-2}} or reduce the land area of the old county to less than {{convert|400|sqmi|km2|-2}}. It is still theoretically possible to form a new county from portions of more than one existing county (McCreary County was created from portions of three counties), but the area and boundary restrictions would make this extremely difficult.

===Regions===
]

Kentucky can be divided into five primary regions: the ] in the east, which is wholly underlain by coal and constitutes the Eastern Coal Field; the north-central ], where the major cities and the capital are located; the south-central and western ] (a Mississippian-age plateau that is divided into eastern, central and western sub-regions, the latter known as the Pennyrile); the ]; and the far-western ], the northernmost extension of the Mississippian Embayment, west and south of the Tennessee River.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gnadinger |first=Zac |date=February 13, 2023 |title=The Ecological Regions of Kentucky |url=https://www.kynativeplants.com/post/ecological-regions-of-kentucky |access-date=December 17, 2023 |website=KY Native Plants |language=en |archive-date=December 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217184609/https://www.kynativeplants.com/post/ecological-regions-of-kentucky |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Bluegrass region is commonly divided into two regions, the Inner Bluegrass encircling {{convert|90|mi|km}} around ], and the Outer Bluegrass that contains most of the northern portion of the state, above the ]. Much of the outer Bluegrass is in the ] sub-region, made up of short, steep, and very narrow hills. The alluvial plain of the ] is another geological region, as is the area south and east of Pine Mountain, part of the ] of Appalachia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gaftp.epa.gov/EPADataCommons/ORD/Ecoregions/ky/ky_eco_lg.pdf |title=Ecoregions of Kentucky |access-date=January 5, 2023 |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817131839/https://gaftp.epa.gov/EPADataCommons/ORD/Ecoregions/ky/ky_eco_lg.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


===Climate=== ===Climate===
] of Kentucky, using 1991–2020 ].]]
Located within the southeastern interior portion of North America, Kentucky has a climate that can best be described as a ] (Koppen ''Cfa''), or that all monthly average high temperatures are above freezing. Monthly average temperatures in Kentucky range from a summer daytime high of 87 °F (30.9 °C) to a winter low of 23 °F (-4.9 °C). The average precipitation is 46 inches (116.84 cm) a year.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Geography of Kentucky - Climate |date=2006-06-15 |publisher=NetState.com | url=http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ky_geography.htm | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> Kentucky experiences all four seasons, usually with striking variations in the severity of summer and winter from year to year.<ref>{{cite book |title=''Encyclopedia of Kentucky'' |chapter=Geographical Configuration |publisher=Somerset Publishers |location=] |year=1987 |isbn=0403099811 |author=}}</ref>
Most of Kentucky has a ] (Köppen: ''Cfa''), with small ] highland areas of the southeast of the state having an ] (''Cfb'').<ref>]{{Circular reference|date=March 2024}}</ref> Temperatures in Kentucky usually range from daytime summer highs of {{convert|87|°F}} to the winter low of {{convert|23|°F}}. The average precipitation is {{convert|46|in}} a year.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Geography of Kentucky – Climate | date=June 15, 2006 | publisher=NetState.com | url=http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ky_geography.htm | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-date=November 14, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114204234/http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ky_geography.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> Kentucky has four distinct seasons, with substantial variations in the severity of summer and winter.<ref>{{cite book |title=''Encyclopedia of Kentucky'' |chapter=Geographical Configuration |publisher=Somerset Publishers |location=New York |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-403-09981-8 }}</ref> The state's highest recorded temperature was {{convert|114|F|C}} in ] on July 28, 1930, while its lowest recorded temperature was {{convert|-37|F|C}} in ] on ]. The state seldom experiences the extreme cold of far northern states or the high heat of the states in the ]; temperatures rarely drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit or rise above 100 degrees. Rain and snowfall averages about 45 inches per year.


The climate varies markedly within the state. The northern parts tend to be about five degrees cooler than those in the western parts of the state. ] in the south-central part receives ten more inches of rain per year than ] to the north. Average temperatures for the entire state range from the low 30s in January to the high 80s in mid-July. The annual average temperature varies from {{convert|55|to|60|°F}}: of {{convert|55|°F}} in the far north as an average annual temperature and of {{convert|60|°F}} in the extreme southwest.<ref>Klotter, James C. and Freda C. (2015). ''Faces of Kentucky''. University Press of Kentucky. Page 53. {{ISBN|9780813160528}}.</ref><ref>]. (2008). ''Discover America: Kentucky: The Bluegrass State''. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Page 8. {{ISBN|9781593397630}}.</ref>
{| class="wikitable"

! Event
In general, Kentucky has relatively hot, ], rainy summers, and moderately cold and rainy winters. Mean maximum temperatures in July vary from {{convert|83|to|90|°F}}; the mean minimum July temperatures are {{convert|61|to|69|°F}}. In January the mean maximum temperatures range from {{convert|36|to|44|°F}}; the mean minimum temperatures range from {{convert|19|to|26|°F}}. Temperature means vary with northern and far-eastern mountain regions averaging five degrees cooler year-round, compared to the relatively warmer areas of the southern and western regions of the state. Precipitation varies north to south with the north averaging of {{convert|38|to|40|in}}, and the south averaging of {{convert|50|in}}. Days per year below the freezing point vary from about sixty days in the southwest to more than a hundred days in the far-north and far-east.<ref>Jones, Ronald (2005). ''Plant Life of Kentucky: An Illustrated Guide to the Vascular Flora''. University Press of Kentucky. Page 11. {{ISBN|9780813123318}}.</ref>

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|
| colspan="13" style="text-align:center; font-size:120%; background:#e8eafa;"|Monthly average high and low temperatures for various Kentucky cities ( °F)
|-
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black; height:17px;"| City
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Jan
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Feb
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Mar
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Apr
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| May
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Jun
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Jul
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Aug
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Sep
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Oct
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Nov
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:Black;"| Dec
|-<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/lexington-climate|title=Lexington, KY – Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast|publisher=Yu Media Group|website=Weather Atlas|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=August 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808201402/https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/lexington-climate|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"| Lexington
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 40.9/24.8
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 45.5/27.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 55.3/35.4
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 65.7/44.7
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 74.3/54.2
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 82.8/62.7
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 86.1/66.5
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 85.6/65.2
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 78.8/57.6
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 67.5/46.6
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 55.4/37.2
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 43.9/28
|-<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/louisville-climate|title=Louisville, KY – Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast|publisher=Yu Media Group|website=Weather Atlas|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=August 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811211458/https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/louisville-climate|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"| Louisville
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 43/26.8
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 47.8/29.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 57.9/37.8
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 68.8/47.3
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 77.1/57
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 85.3/66
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 88.7/69.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 88.3/68.5
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 81.5/60.5
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 70.1/48.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 57.9/39.5
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 45.8/30
|-<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/owensboro-climate|title=Owensboro, KY – Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast|publisher=Yu Media Group|website=Weather Atlas|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802205905/https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/owensboro-climate|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"| Owensboro
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 41.2/23.2
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 46.6/26.8
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 58.3/36.7
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 69.3/45.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 78.1/54.5
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 86.4/62.8
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 89.2/66.6
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 88.2/64.4
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 82.4/58.3
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 71.6/45.7
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 58.1/37.4
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 45.9/28.2
|-<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/paducah-climate|title=Paducah, KY – Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast|publisher=Yu Media Group|website=Weather Atlas|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802212926/https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/paducah-climate|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"| Paducah
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 43.4/25.8
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 48.9/29.5
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 59/37.7
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 69.4/46.6
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 78/56.3
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 86.2/64.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 89.3/68.5
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 89/66.1
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 82.1/57.8
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 71/46.7
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 58.4/37.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 46.3/28.6
|-<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/pikeville-climate|title=Pikeville, KY – Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast|publisher=Yu Media Group|website=Weather Atlas|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802200351/https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/pikeville-climate|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:Black; height:16px;"| Pikeville
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 44/23
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 50/25
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 60/32
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 69/39
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 77/49
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 84/58
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 87/63
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 86/62
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 80/56
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 71/42
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 60/33
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:Black;"| 49/26
|-<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/ashland-climate|title=Ashland, KY – Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast|publisher=Yu Media Group|website=Weather Atlas|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802205355/https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/ashland-climate|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"| Ashland
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 42/19
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 47/21
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 57/29
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 68/37
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 77/47
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 84/56
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 88/61
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 87/59
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 80/52
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 69/40
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 57/31
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 46/23
|-<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/bowling-green-climate|title=Bowling Green, KY – Detailed climate information and monthly weather forecast|publisher=Yu Media Group|website=Weather Atlas|access-date=May 19, 2020|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802200012/https://www.weather-us.com/en/kentucky-usa/bowling-green-climate|url-status=live}}</ref>
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:Black; height:16px;"| Bowling Green
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 45/26.4
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 50/29.6
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 59.8/37
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 69.7/45.6
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 77.8/55
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 86.1/63.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 89.4/67.9
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 88.9/66.1
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 82.1/58
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 71.2/46.3
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 59.4/37.5
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:Black;"| 47.9/29.2
|}

====Natural disasters====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Deadliest weather events in Kentucky history
! Date
! Death Toll ! Death Toll
! Affected Regions
|- |-
| ] || est. 76–120+ | ] || March 27, 1890 || 200+ || Louisville, W KY
|- |-
| ] || June 7, 1907 || 20 || Gradyville
| ] || 72
|- |-
| ] || May 27, 1917 || 66 || Fulton area
| April 7, 1977 Flooding (Cumberland River toppled Pineville floodwall) || ?
|- |-
| ] || May 9, 1933, Tornado || 38 || South Central KY
| March 1, 1997 Flooding || 18
|- |-
| ] || Early 1937 || unknown || Statewide
| ] || 7
|- |-
| ] || April 3, 1974 || 72 || Statewide
| ] || 24+
|- |-
| March 1, 1997, Flooding || Early March 1997 || 18 || Statewide

Major weather events that have affected Kentucky include:
*The ]
*The ]
*The ] of ]es in 1974
*
*The ] (mostly ice in Kentucky)
*The September 2008 Windstorm
*The ]

{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|
| colspan = "13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;"|Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Kentucky Cities
|- |-
| ]<ref>{{cite web |author=John Denman |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/lmk/climate/2004_review.pdf |title=2004 in Review for Central Kentucky and South-Central Indiana |publisher=weather.gov |access-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412030426/https://www.weather.gov/media/lmk/climate/2004_review.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>|| May 30, 2004 || 0 || ]
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color: #000000" height="17" | City
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jan
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Feb
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Mar
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Apr
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | May
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jun
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Jul
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Aug
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Sep
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Oct
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Nov
! style="background: #E5AFAA; color:#000000;" | Dec
|- |-
| ]<ref>{{cite web |author=((US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service)) |url=https://www.weather.gov/lmk/22dec2004_winterstorm |title=December 22, 2004 Snow Storm |publisher=weather.gov |access-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716194624/https://www.weather.gov/lmk/22dec2004_winterstorm |url-status=live }}</ref>|| December 21–24, 2004 || unknown || Statewide
! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Lexington
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 40/24
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 45/28
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 55/36
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 65/44
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 74/54
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 82/62
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 86/66
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 85/65
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 78/58
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 67/46
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 54/37
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 44/28
|- |-
| Widespread Flash Flooding<ref>{{cite web |author=((US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service)) |url=https://www.weather.gov/media/pah/Top10Events/2006/September22Flood.pdf |title=September 2006 was the wettest September on record at some locations |publisher=weather.gov |access-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412030428/https://www.weather.gov/media/pah/Top10Events/2006/September22Flood.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>|| September 22–23, 2006 || 6 || Statewide
! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Louisville
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 41/25
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 47/28
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 57/37
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 67/46
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 75/56
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 83/65
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 87/70
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 86/68
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 79/61
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 68/48
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 56/39
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 45/30
|- |-
| ]<ref>{{cite web |author=((US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service)) |url=https://www.weather.gov/lmk/jan_2009_ice_and_snow |title=Ice and Snow Storm of January 28–29, 2009 |publisher=weather.gov |access-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716170132/https://www.weather.gov/lmk/jan_2009_ice_and_snow |url-status=live }}</ref>|| January 26–28, 2009 || 35 || Statewide
! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Paducah
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 42/24
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 48/28
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 58/37
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 68/46
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 77/55
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 85/64
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 89/68
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 87/65
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 81/57
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 71/45
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 57/36
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 46/28
|- |-
| ]<ref>{{cite web |author=((US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service)) |url=https://www.weather.gov/lmk/august_4_2009_flash_flood |title=Flash Flood of August 4, 2009 |publisher=weather.gov |access-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716165729/https://www.weather.gov/lmk/august_4_2009_flash_flood |url-status=live }}</ref>|| August 4, 2009 || 36 || ]
! style="background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Pikeville
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 46/23
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 50/25
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 60/32
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 69/39
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 77/49
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 84/58
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 87/63
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 86/62
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 80/56
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 71/42
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 60/33
| style="text-align:center; background: #C5DFE1; color:#000000;" | 49/26
|- |-
| ] || March 2, 2012 || 22 || Statewide
! style="background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Ashland
|-
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 42/19
|]
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 47/21
|December 10–11, 2021
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 57/29
|74
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 68/37
|Kentucky, 5 other states
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 77/47
|-
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 84/56
|] || July 24 – August 2, 2022 || 37 || Kentucky, 5 other states
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 88/61
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 87/59
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 80/52
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 69/40
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 57/31
| style="text-align:center; background: #F8F3CA; color:#000000;" | 46/23
|} |}


===Lakes and rivers=== ===Lakes and rivers===
{{See also|List of lakes in Kentucky|List of rivers of Kentucky|List of dams and reservoirs in Kentucky}}
] is the largest artificial lake, in terms of volume, east of the ].]]
] is the largest artificial American lake east of the ] by volume.]]
Kentucky's {{convert|90000|mi|km|-4}} of streams provides one of the most expansive and complex stream systems in the nation. Kentucky has both the largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi in water volume (]) and surface area (]). It is the only ] to be bordered on three sides by rivers — the ] to the west, the ] to the north, and the ] and ] to the east.<ref name="kye-rivers">{{cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: ], Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter |title=''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'' |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=] |isbn=0813117720 |chapter=Rivers}}</ref> Its major internal rivers include the ], ], ], ] and ].


Though it has only three major natural lakes,<ref name="kye">{{cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: ], Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter |title=''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'' |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=] |isbn=0813117720 |chapter=Lakes}}</ref> the state is home to many ]s. Kentucky also has more navigable miles of water than any other state in the union, other than Alaska.<ref>{{cite web | title=Corbin, Kentucky: A Fisherman's Paradise | publisher=Corbin, Kentucky Economic Development | url=http://www.corbinkentucky.us/fishing.htm | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> Kentucky has the second-most navigable miles of water among U.S. states, second to ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Corbin, Kentucky: A Fisherman's Paradise |publisher=Corbin, Kentucky Economic Development |url=http://www.corbinkentucky.us/fishing.htm |access-date=November 29, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626140323/http://corbinkentucky.us/fishing.htm |archive-date=June 26, 2006 }}</ref>

Kentucky is the only state to have a continuous border of rivers running along three of its sides{{snd}}the ] to the west, the ] to the north, and the ] and ] to the east.<ref name="kye-rivers">{{cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: ], ], and ] |title=''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'' |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=] |isbn=978-0-8131-1772-0 |chapter=Rivers |page=774 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CcceBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA774 |access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref> Its major internal rivers include the ], ], ], ], and ].

Though it has only three major natural lakes,<ref name="kye-lakes">{{cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: ], ], and ] |title=''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'' |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=] |isbn=978-0-8131-1772-0 |chapter=Lakes|page=531|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CcceBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA531|access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref> Kentucky is home to many ]s. It has the largest artificial lakes east of the Mississippi in both water volume (]) and surface area (]). Kentucky Lake's {{convert|2064|mi|km}} of shoreline, {{convert|160300|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of water surface, and {{convert|4,008,000|acre-ft|e9m3|lk=on|sigfig=2|abbr=off|sp=us}} of flood storage are the most of any lake in the ] system.<ref>Tennessee Valley Authority, ''The Kentucky Project: A Comprehensive Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, and Initial Operations of the Kentucky Project'', Technical Report No. 13 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1951), pp. 1–12, 68, 115–116, 509.</ref>

Kentucky's {{convert|90000|mi|km|-4}} of streams provides one of the most expansive and complex stream systems in the nation.


===Natural environment and conservation=== ===Natural environment and conservation===
] ]
Kentucky has an expansive park system which includes one national park, two National Recreation areas, two National Historic Parks, two national forests, 45 state parks, {{convert|37696|acre|km2|0}} of state forest, and 82 Wildlife Management Areas.


Kentucky hosts multiple habitats with a high number of ] species, including some of the most extensive cave systems in the world. 102 known species are endemic to the state.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Abernathy |first1=Greg |last2=White |first2=Deborah |last3=Laudermilk |first3=Ellis L. |last4=Evans |first4=Marc |title=Kentucky's Natural Heritage: An Illustrated Guide to Biodiversity |date=2010 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |pages=42–43}}</ref> The Bluegrass region, which is believed to have once been a lush open woodland environment similar to ] with abundant thickets of ], a species of ], was once described by ] as having the most "anomalous" plant life of the whole Eastern United States.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kimmerer |first1=Tom |title=Venerable Trees: History, Biology, and Conservation in the Bluegrass |date=2015 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=978-0-8131-6566-0 |page=73}}</ref> Kentucky's natural environment has suffered greatly from destructive human activities that began after European colonization, particularly the conversion of natural habitat to farmland and ].


Kentucky has an expansive park system, which includes one national park, two National Recreation Areas, two National Historic Parks, two ], two National Wildlife Refuges, 45 ]s, {{convert|37896|acre|km2|0}} of state forest, and 82 ]s.
Kentucky has been part of two of the most successful wildlife reintroduction projects in United States history. In the winter of 1997, the state's eastern counties began to re-stock ], which had been extinct from the area for over 150 years. As of 2006, the state's herd was estimated at 5,700 animals, making it the largest herd east of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fw.ky.gov/elkinfo.asp?lid=1653&NavPath=C117C147C301C547 |title=Elk Restoration Update and Hunting Information |publisher=Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources |accessdate=2006-12-09}}</ref>


Kentucky has been part of two of the most successful wildlife reintroduction projects in United States history. In the winter of 1997, the ] began to re-stock ] in the state's eastern counties, which had been extirpated from the area for over 150 years. {{as of|2009}}, the herd had reached the project goal of 10,000 animals, making it the largest herd east of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://fw.ky.gov/elkinfo.asp?lid=1653&NavPath=C117C147C301C547 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926064155/http://fw.ky.gov/elkinfo.asp?lid=1653&NavPath=C117C147C301C547 |archive-date=September 26, 2006 |title=Elk Restoration Update and Hunting Information |publisher=Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources |access-date=December 9, 2006 }}</ref>
The state also stocked ]s in the 1950s. Once extinct in the state, today Kentucky has more turkeys than any other eastern state.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}


The state stocked ]s in the 1950s, after reportedly having fewer than 900. Once nearly extinct, wild turkeys thrive throughout Kentucky.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pearce|first=Tom|title=Once nearly extinct, turkeys gobbling throughout state|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19940327&id=T_4aAAAAIBAJ&pg=6989,2846713&hl=en|access-date=May 15, 2016|work=Bowling Green Daily News|date=March 27, 1994|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153301/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19940327&id=T_4aAAAAIBAJ&pg=6989%2C2846713&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Hunters reported a record 29,006 birds taken during the 23-day season in spring 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://fw.ky.gov/app/news/newsdetail.aspx?id=542 |title=Hunters Take Record Number of Spring Turkey |website=Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Service |access-date=January 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130117104812/http://fw.ky.gov/app/news/newsdetail.aspx?id=542 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 }}</ref>
===Significant natural attractions===
] is one of Kentucky's most visited places]]
*], chief passageway through the ] in early American history.
*] State Park, one of the few places in the Western Hemisphere where a "]" may be regularly seen.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cumberland Falls State Resort Park | date=2005-10-19 | publisher=Kentucky Department of Parks | url=http://parks.ky.gov/resortparks/cf/ | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref>
*], featuring the world's longest known cave system.<ref>{{cite web | title=Mammoth Cave National Park | date=2006-10-12 | publisher=National Park Service | url=http://www.nps.gov/maca/ | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref>
*] Geological Area, part of the ].
*], a National Recreation Area managed by the ].
*] near ].
*], state's highest point.<ref name="usgs"/> Runs along the border of ] and ] counties.
*], {{convert|2639|acre|km2|0|sing=on}} state nature preserve on southern slope of Pine Mountain in ]. Includes one of the largest concentrations of rare and endangered species in the state,<ref>{{cite web | title=Bad Branch State Nature Preserve | publisher=Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission | url=http://www.naturepreserves.ky.gov/stewardship/badbranch.htm | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> as well as a {{convert|60|ft|m|0|sing=on}} waterfall and a Kentucky Wild River.
*], located south of ] in the ], the largest municipally run forest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title=Jefferson Memorial Forest | url=http://www.memorialforest.com/ | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref>
*], {{convert|1255|mi|km|0}} of shoreline located in ].
*], located in ] ]


In 1991 the Land Between the Lakes partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Red Wolf Recovery Program, a captive breeding program.<ref>{{cite web|date=October 6, 2015|title=Wolf Week Spotlight: The Endangered Red Wolf|url=https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/wolf-week-spotlight-the-endangered-red-wolf/|access-date=November 30, 2020|website=Land Between the Lakes|archive-date=December 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211185359/https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/wolf-week-spotlight-the-endangered-red-wolf/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==History==
] Escorting Settlers through the ]'' (], oil on canvas, 1851–52).]]
] were born in Kentucky.]]
{{expand|date=April 2008}}
{{mainarticle|History of Kentucky}}
{{see also|Kentucky in the American Civil War|Kentucky Historical Society|Hatfield-McCoy feud}}


===Natural attractions===
Although inhabited by ] in prehistoric times, when explorers and settlers began entering Kentucky in the mid-1700s, there were no major Native American settlements in the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merceronline.com/Native/native01.htm |title=The Presence |publisher=Mercer County Online |accessdate=2006-11-29 |work=History of Native Americans in Central Kentucky }}</ref> Instead, the country was used as hunting grounds by ]s from the north and ]s from the south. Much of what is now Kentucky was purchased from Native Americans in the treaties of ] (1768) and ] (1775).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web-books.com/Classics/Nonfiction/History/Southwest2/Southwest2C7P1.htm |title=The Dark and Bloody Hunting Ground |accessdate=2006-11-29 |last=Skinner |first=Constance |work=Pioneers of the Old Southwest |publisher=WebBooks.com}}</ref> Thereafter, Kentucky grew rapidly as the first settlements west of the ] were founded, with settlers (primarily from ], ], ], ], and ]) entering the region either over land via ] and the ], or by water down the ] from points upstream, or up the Ohio River from the Mississippi. The first part to be settled was the northern part, along the Ohio River, with ] and ] being the first major settlements. A detailed account of this can be read in the memoirs of ]. Next, the southern part of the state was settled, via the ], which went along the ] and across the ], blazed by ], traditionally considered one of the founders of the state.<ref>>{{cite web | title=Book Description for ''The Life of Daniel Boone: The Founder of the State of Kentucky and Colonel's Boone Autobiography''| publisher=Amazon.com | url=http://www.amazon.com/Life-Daniel-Boone-Kentucky-Autobiography/dp/1589639901 | accessdate=2006-11-29}}</ref> ]s north of the Ohio River, however, were unhappy about the settlement of Kentucky, and allied themselves with the British in the ] (1775–1783).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/wv/Monongalia/monhistory.html |title=Monongalia County History |accessdate=2006-11-29 |last=Dilger |first=Dr. Robert Jay |publisher=West Virginia University }}</ref> Kentucky was a battleground during the war; the ], one of the last major battles of the Revolution, was fought in Kentucky.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Battle of Blue Licks | publisher=EarlyAmerica.com| url=http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/winter2000/bluelick.html | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref>
] is one of Kentucky's most visited places.]]
], Meade County, Kentucky]]
* ], chief passageway through the ] in early American history.
* ], the only place in the Western Hemisphere where a "]" may be regularly seen, due to the spray of the falls.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cumberland Falls State Resort Park |date=October 19, 2005 |
publisher=Kentucky Department of Parks |url = http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/cf/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061005015537/http://parks.ky.gov/resortparks/cf/ |archive-date=October 5, 2006 |access-date=November 29, 2006 }}</ref>
* ], featuring the world's longest known cave system.<ref>{{cite web | title=Mammoth Cave National Park | date=October 12, 2006 | publisher=National Park Service | url=http://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-date=June 28, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628130736/http://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>
* ] Geological Area, part of the ].
* ], a ] managed by the ].
* ] near ].
* ], state's highest point of elevation.<ref name="usgs">{{cite web | title=Science in Your Backyard: Kentucky | publisher=United States Geological Survey |date=July 3, 2006 | url=http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=KY | access-date=November 29, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219020614/http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=KY |archive-date= February 19, 2007 }}</ref> Runs along the south ridge of Pine Mountain in Letcher County, Kentucky. The highest point located in Harlan County.
* ], {{convert|2639|acre|km2|0|adj=on}} state nature preserve on southern slope of Pine Mountain in ]. Includes one of the largest concentrations of rare and endangered species in the state,<ref>{{cite web| title=Bad Branch State Nature Preserve | publisher=Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission | url=http://www.naturepreserves.ky.gov/stewardship/badbranch.htm |date=August 14, 2006 | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061024022402/http://www.naturepreserves.ky.gov/stewardship/badbranch.htm| archive-date = October 24, 2006}}</ref> as well as a {{convert|60|ft|m|0|adj=on}} waterfall and a Kentucky Wild River.{{clarify|reason=What does 'a Kentucky Wild River' mean?|date=June 2014}}
* ], located in the southern fringes of ] in the ], the largest municipally run forest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | title=Jefferson Memorial Forest | url=http://www.louisvilleky.gov/metroparks/parks/jeffersonmemorialforest/ |website=City of Louisville, Kentucky | access-date=November 29, 2006 | archive-date=October 1, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001025352/http://www.louisvilleky.gov/MetroParks/parks/jeffersonmemorialforest/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* ], {{convert|1255|mi|km|0}} of shoreline located in South Central Kentucky.
* ], located in ] Powell County.
* ], located in southeastern ] and Southwestern ]. The Breaks is commonly known as the "Grand Canyon of the South".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/virginia/grand-canyon-of-virginia/ |author1=Beth |date=April 25, 2022 |title=The Grand Canyon of the South Is Right Here in Virginia And It's Breathtaking |newspaper=OnlyInYourState |access-date=February 16, 2017 |archive-date=February 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216215358/http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/virginia/grand-canyon-of-virginia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Blanton Forest, located in ], the state's largest ] and one of only 13 remaining large tracts of old-growth forest in the eastern USA.<ref>{{cite web |title=Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve |url=https://eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/Locations/Pages/Blanton-Forest.aspx |website=Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231206182422/https://eec.ky.gov/Nature-Preserves/Locations/Pages/Blanton-Forest.aspx |archive-date= December 6, 2023 }}</ref>


==Administrative divisions==
After the American Revolution, the counties of ] beyond the ] became known as ].<ref>{{cite web | title=About Kentucky| publisher=Ezilon Search| url=http://search.ezilon.com/about-kentucky.html | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> Eventually, the residents of Kentucky County petitioned for a separation from Virginia. Ten constitutional conventions were held in the Constitution Square Courthouse in ] between 1784 and 1792. In 1790, Kentucky's delegates accepted Virginia's terms of separation, and a state constitution was drafted at the final convention in April 1792. On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state to be admitted to the union and ], a military veteran from Virginia, was elected the first Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.<ref>{{cite web | title=Constitution Square State Historic Site | publisher=Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau | url=http://www.danville-ky.com/attractions2.php?category=History%20and%20Museums | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref>


===Counties===
Kentucky was a ] during the ].<ref>{{cite web | title=Border States in the Civil War | date=2002-02-15 | publisher=CivilWarHome.com | url=http://www.civilwarhome.com/borderstates.htm | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> Although frequently described as never having seceded, a group of Kentucky soldiers stationed at ] did pass an ] under the moniker "Convention of the People of Kentucky" on November 20, 1861,<ref>{{cite web | title=Ordinances of Secession | publisher=Historical Text Archive | url=http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=170 | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> establishing a ] with its capital in ].<ref>{{cite web | title=Civil War Sites - Bowling Green, KY | publisher=WMTH Corporation | url=http://www.trailsrus.com/monuments/reg3/bowling_green.html | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref> Though Kentucky was represented by the central star on the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ngeorgia.com/history/flagsofga.html |title=A Concise History of the Flags of the Confederate States of America and the Sovereign State of Georgia |accessdate=2006-11-29 |last=Irby, Jr. |first=Richard E. |work=About North Georgia |publisher=Golden Ink}}</ref> the legitimacy of the ] may well be questioned. Only a year earlier, philosopher ] wrote in a letter to ] that the result of a vote deciding how Kentucky would be represented at a convention of the ] was "100,000 for the Union ticket, only a few thousand for secession."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1861/letters/61_07_05.htm |title=Marx To Engels In Manchester |accessdate=2006-11-29 |last=Marx |first=Karl |authorlink=Karl Marx |date=1861-07-05 |publisher= Marxists Internet Archive}}</ref> Kentucky officially remained "neutral" throughout the war due to Union sympathies of many of the Commonwealth's citizens. Even today, however, ] is observed by some in Kentucky on ] President Jefferson Davis' birthday, June 3.<ref>{{cite web | title=KRS 2.110 Public Holidays | publisher=] | url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/002-00/110.PDF |format=PDF | accessdate=2006-11-29 }}</ref>


{{See also|List of counties in Kentucky|Fiscal Court}}
Kentucky provided the second largest number of African-American soldiers to the Union during the Civil War. Many enlisted at ] in the inner ]. Union army refused to enlist black soldiers in state regiments, ten percent of black Kentuckians still enlisted, either directly with the Union army or in regiments from other states. This percentage is greater than the seven percent of white Kentuckians who served in the Civil War. Camp Nelson provided the Union Army with over 10,000 African-American soldiers, making it the third largest recruiting and training depot for African Americans in the nation. The state of Kentucky refused to pass laws to abolish slavery and would not ratify the ]. This refusal was directly linked to the slave owners in Kentucky, who equaled only 20% of the state’s population. Slavery officially ended in Kentucky after 13th Amendment was ratified by enough state to become national law.


Kentucky is subdivided into 120 ], the largest being ] at {{convert|787.6|sqmi|km2}}, and the most populous being ] (which ] the ]) with 772,144 residents {{as of|2023|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kentucky Counties |url=http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/kentucky-counties.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706080928/http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/kentucky-counties.html |archive-date=July 6, 2013 |website=Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer |publisher=University of Kentucky}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html#v2023|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 14, 2024|archive-date=March 18, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318232436/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html#v2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
The ], a vigilante action, occurred in the area in the early 1900s. As result of the monopolization of the tobacco industry, tobacco farmers in the area were forced to sell their tobacco at greatly reduced prices. In response, many local farmers and activists united to refuse to sell tobacco to the tobacco industry. A vigilante wing, the "Night Riders" were a group of people who terrorized farmers who sold their tobacco at the low prices demanded by the tobacco corporations. They participated in the firing of several tobacco warehouses, notably in ] and ]. In the later period of their operation, they also were known to physically assault farmers in the middle of the night who broke the boycott.


County government, under the ] of 1891, is vested in the ], (formerly called the County Judge) who serves as the ] head of the county, and a ] called a ]. Despite the unusual name, the Fiscal Court no longer has ] functions.
]'s architect ] in 1845, the ] in Louisville is considered the best remaining ] hospital in the United States]]
On January 30, 1900, Governor ], flanked by two bodyguards, was mortally wounded by an assailant while walking to the State Capitol in downtown Frankfort. Goebel was in the process of contesting the election of 1899, initially assumed to be won by ]. For several months, ], Goebel's running mate, and Taylor fought over who was the real governor until the ] decided in May that Beckham was the rightful governor. Taylor fled to ] and was later indicted as a co-conspirator in Goebel's ]. Goebel remains the only governor of a U.S. state to have been assassinated while in office.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Old State Capitol | publisher=] | url=http://history.ky.gov/sub.php?pageid=23&sectionid=8 |date= | accessdate=2007-11-09 }}</ref>


===Consolidated city-county governments===
==Law and government==
===Government===
]]]
Kentucky is a ], meaning its government is run according to the common consent of its people. It is one out of only four states that call themselves commonwealths. Kentucky is also one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd numbered years (The others are ], ], ], and ]). Kentucky holds elections for these offices every 4 years in the years preceding Presidential election years. Thus, the last year when Kentucky elected a Governor was 2007; the next gubernatorial election will occur in 2011, with future gubernatorial elections to take place in 2015, 2019, 2023, etc.


Kentucky's two most populous counties, Jefferson and Fayette, have their ]. ''Louisville-Jefferson County Government'' (]) and ''Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government'' (]) are unique in that their city councils and county Fiscal Court structures have been merged into a single entity with a single ], the ] and Urban County Mayor, respectively. Although the counties still exist as subdivisions of the state, in reference the names Louisville and Lexington are used to refer to the entire area coextensive with the former cities and counties.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cgr.org/consensuscny/docs/CaseStudies_cd-louisvillemerger1013.pdf |title=A 10-Year Perspective of the Merger of Louisville and Jefferson County, KY: Louisville Metro Vaults From 65th to 18th Largest City in the Nation |last=Wachter |first=Jeff |publisher=CGR |date=September 2013 |access-date=January 5, 2024 |archive-date=February 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214082623/https://www.cgr.org/consensuscny/docs/CaseStudies_cd-louisvillemerger1013.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council-district-17/what-metro-council |title=What is Metro Council? |publisher=Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government |access-date=January 5, 2024 |archive-date=December 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217185605/https://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council-district-17/what-metro-council |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Organizational structure, system and positions |url=https://www.lexingtonky.gov/organizational-structure-system-and-positions |access-date=December 17, 2023 |publisher=Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government |archive-date=December 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217185604/https://www.lexingtonky.gov/organizational-structure-system-and-positions |url-status=live }}</ref>
====State government====
] building in ]]]
{{see also|List of Governors of Kentucky}}
Kentucky's legislative branch consists of a ] body known as the ]. The ] is considered the ]. It has 38 members, and is led by the ], currently ] ]. The ] has 100 members, and is led by the Speaker of the House, currently ] ].
The executive branch is headed by the ] and ]. Under the current ], the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of the governor only if the governor is incapacitated. (Prior to 1992, the lieutenant governor assumed power any time the governor was out of the state.) The governor and lieutenant governor usually run on a single ticket (also per a 1992 constitutional amendment), and are elected to four-year terms. Currently, the governor and lieutenant governor are Democrats ] and ].
The judicial branch of Kentucky is made up of courts of limited jurisdiction called District Courts; courts of general jurisdiction called Circuit Courts; an intermediate appellate court, the ]; and a court of last resort, the ]. Unlike federal judges, who are usually appointed, justices serving on Kentucky state courts are chosen by the state's populace in non-partisan elections.
The state's chief prosecutor, law enforcement officer, and law officer is the attorney general. The ] is elected to a four-year term and may serve two consecutive terms under the current Kentucky Constitution. The current Kentucky attorney general is Democrat ].


====Federal representation==== ===Major cities===
]]]
Kentucky's two ] are ] ] and ], both ]. The state is divided into six ], represented by ] ] (]), ] (]), ] (]), and ] (]), and ] ] (]) and ] (]).
Judicially, Kentucky is split into two Federal court districts: the ] and the ]. Appeals are heard in the ] based in ].


{{See also|List of cities in Kentucky}}
====Political leanings====
{{Largest cities
]]]
| country = Kentucky
Where politics are concerned, Kentucky historically has been very hard fought and leaned slightly toward the ], although it was never included among the "]." In 2006, 57.05% of the state's voters were officially registered as Democrats, 36.55% registered ], and 6.39% registered with some other ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kentucky.gov/Newsroom/sos/article61.htm |title=2006 General Election Registration Figures Set |accessdate=2006-11-30 |date=2006-10-19 |publisher=Kentucky Secretary of State}}</ref>
| stat_ref = Source:<ref name="USCensusEst2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html|date=May 18, 2023|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2022|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=June 23, 2023|archive-date=July 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711040810/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
From 1964 through 2004, Kentucky voted with the winner of the election for President of the United States. In the ], however, the state lost its ] status when ], who won Kentucky, lost the national popular and electoral vote to ]. Kentucky has voted Republican in six of the last eight presidential elections, including ] in 2000 and 2004. Bush won the state's eight electoral votes overwhelmingly in 2004 by a margin of 20 percentage points and 59.6% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/KY/P/00/ |title=Election Results for Kentucky |publisher=] |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> However the Commonwealth has also supported the previous three Democratic candidates elected to the White House, all elected from Southern states: ] (]) in 1964, ] (]) in 1976, and ] (]) in 1992 and 1996.
| div_name =
| div_link = Counties of Kentucky{{!}}County
| city_1 = Louisville, Kentucky{{!}}Louisville
| div_1 = Jefferson County, Kentucky{{!}}Jefferson
| pop_1 = 633,045
| img_1 = Louisville Skyline 2021 (3).jpg
| city_2 = Lexington, Kentucky{{!}}Lexington
| div_2 = Fayette County, Kentucky{{!}}Fayette
| pop_2 = 322,570
| img_2 = LexingtonDowntown.JPG
| city_3 = Bowling Green, Kentucky{{!}}Bowling Green
| div_3 = Warren County, Kentucky{{!}}Warren
| pop_3 = 72,294
| img_3 = Shops_along_Fountain_Square_in_Bowling_Green,_Kentucky_2008.JPG
| city_4 = Owensboro, Kentucky{{!}}Owensboro
| div_4 = Daviess County, Kentucky{{!}}Daviess
| pop_4 = 60,183
| img_4 = Owensboro2ndStAnn.JPG
| city_5 = Covington, Kentucky{{!}}Covington
| div_5 = Kenton County, Kentucky{{!}}Kenton
| pop_5 = 40,961
| img_5 =
| city_6 = Georgetown, Kentucky{{!}}Georgetown
| div_6 = Scott County, Kentucky{{!}}Scott
| pop_6 = 37,086
| img_6 =
| city_7 = Richmond, Kentucky{{!}}Richmond
| div_7 = Madison County, Kentucky{{!}}Madison
| pop_7 = 34,585
| img_7 =
| city_8 = Florence, Kentucky{{!}}Florence
| div_8 = Boone County, Kentucky{{!}}Boone
| pop_8 = 31,946
| img_8 =
| city_9 = Elizabethtown, Kentucky{{!}}Elizabethtown
| div_9 = Hardin County, Kentucky{{!}}Hardin
| pop_9 = 31,394
| img_9 =
| city_10 = Hopkinsville, Kentucky{{!}}Hopkinsville
| div_10 = Christian County, Kentucky{{!}}Christian
| pop_10 = 31,180
| img_10 =
| city_11 = Nicholasville, Kentucky{{!}}Nicholasville
| div_11 = Jessamine County, Kentucky{{!}}Jessamine
| pop_11 = 31,093
| img_11 =
| city_12 = Independence, Kentucky{{!}}Independence
| div_12 = Kenton County, Kentucky{{!}}Kenton
| pop_12 = 28,676
| img_12 =
| city_13 = Frankfort, Kentucky{{!}}Frankfort
| div_13 = Franklin County, Kentucky{{!}}Franklin
| pop_13 = 28,602
| img_13 =
| city_14 = Jeffersontown, Kentucky{{!}}Jeffersontown
| div_14 = Jefferson County, Kentucky{{!}}Jefferson
| pop_14 = 28,474
| img_14 =
| city_15 = Henderson, Kentucky{{!}}Henderson
| div_15 = Henderson County, Kentucky{{!}}Henderson
| pop_15 = 27,981
| img_15 =
| city_16 = Paducah, Kentucky{{!}}Paducah
| div_16 = McCracken County, Kentucky{{!}}McCracken
| pop_16 = 27,137
| img_16 =
| city_17 = Radcliff, Kentucky{{!}}Radcliff
| div_17 = Hardin County, Kentucky{{!}}Hardin
| pop_17 = 23,042
| img_17 =
| city_18 = Ashland, Kentucky{{!}}Ashland
| div_18 = Boyd County, Kentucky{{!}}Boyd
| pop_18 = 21,625
| img_18 =
| city_19 = Erlanger, Kentucky{{!}}Erlanger
| div_19 = Kenton County, Kentucky{{!}}Kenton
| pop_19 = 19,611
| img_19 =
| city_20 = Madisonville, Kentucky{{!}}Madisonville
| div_20 = Hopkins County, Kentucky{{!}}Hopkins
| pop_20 = 19,542
| img_20 =
}}


The ] government area has a 2018 population of 1,298,990. Under ] methodology, the population of Louisville was 623,867. The latter figure is the population of the so-called ]{{snd}}the parts of Jefferson County that were either unincorporated or within the City of Louisville before the formation of the merged government in 2003. In 2018 the ] (CSA) had a population of 1,569,112; including 1,209,191 in Kentucky, which means more than 25% of the state's population now lives in the Louisville CSA. Since 2000, over one-third of the state's population growth has occurred in the Louisville CSA. In addition, the top 28 wealthiest places in Kentucky are in Jefferson County and seven of the 15 wealthiest counties in the state are located in the Louisville CSA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ksdc.louisville.edu/|title=Kentucky State Data Center|publisher=Ksdc.louisville.edu|access-date=August 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828171408/http://www.ksdc.louisville.edu/|archive-date=August 28, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Nonspecific|date=March 2017}}
{{Further|]}}


The state's second-largest city is Lexington with a 2018 census population of 323,780, its metro had a population of 516,697, and its ], which includes the ] and ] statistical areas, having a population of 746,310. The ] area, which comprises the seven Kentucky counties in the ], had a population of 447,457 in 2018. The metropolitan areas of Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky have a combined population of 2,402,958 {{as of|2018|lc=y}}, which is 54% of the state's total population on only about 19% of the state's land. This area is often referred to as the Golden triangle as it contains a majority of the state's wealth, population, population growth, and economic growth, it is where most of the state's largest cities by population are located. It is referred to as the Golden triangle as the metro areas of Lexington, Louisville, and Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati outline a triangle shape. Interstates I-71, I-75, and I-64 form the triangle shape. Additionally, all counties in Kentucky that are part of an MSA or CSA have a total population of 2,970,694, which is 67% of the state's population.
===Law===

Kentucky's body of laws, known as the ] (KRS), were enacted in 1942 to better organize and clarify the whole of Kentucky law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/statrev/revoff.htm |title=Reviser of Statutes Office - History and Functions |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref> The statutes are enforced by local ], ]s, ], deputy sheriffs and deputy constables. Unless they have completed a ] elsewhere, these officers are required to complete training at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training Center on the campus of ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://docjt.jus.state.ky.us/history.html |title=History of the DOCJT |publisher=Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref> Additionally, in 1948, the ] established the ], making it the 38<sup>th</sup> state to create a force whose jurisdiction extends throughout the given state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org/history.htm |title=History of the Kentucky State Police |publisher=Kentucky State Police |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref>
{{as of|2017}} ] had a population of 67,067, making it the third most populous city in the state. The ] had an estimated population of 174,835; and the ] it shares with ] has an estimated population of 228,743.

Kentucky is one of 36 states in the United States that sanctions the ] for certain crimes. Those convicted of capital crimes after March 31, 1998 are always executed by ]; those convicted before this date may opt for the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=8&did=245#state |title=Authorized Methods of Execution by State |publisher=Death Penalty Information Center |accessdate=2006-12-28}}</ref> Only ] have been executed in Kentucky since the ] reinstituted the practice in 1976. The most notable execution in Kentucky, however, was that of ] on August 14, 1936. Bethea was publicly hanged in ] for the ] and ] of Lischia Edwards.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kypost.com/2001/jun/11/bethea061101.html |title='The Last Public Execution in America' |work=] |publisher=] |author=Paul A. Long |last=Long |first=Paul A |date=2001-06-11 |accessdate=2006-12-27 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060117233210/http://www.kypost.com/2001/jun/11/bethea061101.html |archivedate=2006-01-17}}</ref> Irregularities with the execution led to this becoming the last public execution in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/apr/010430.execution.html |title=The Last Public Execution in America |publisher=] |last=Montagne |first=Renee |date=2001-05-01 |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref>
The two other fast-growing urban areas in Kentucky are the ] area and the "Tri-Cities Region" of southeastern Kentucky, comprising ], ] and ].

Kentucky has been on the front lines of the debate over displaying the ] on public property. In the 2005 case of '']'', the ] upheld the decision of the ] that a display of the ] in the ] courthouse of ] was unconstitutional.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-1693.ZS.html |title=''McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky'' |publisher=] Law School |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref> Later that year, Judge ], writing for the ] in the case of ''] of Kentucky v. ]'', wrote that a display including the ], the ], the ], the ], '']'', and the ] could be erected in the ] courthouse.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/05a0477p-06.pdf |format=PDF |title=Text of decision in ''ACLU of Kentucky v. Mercer County'' |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref>
Although only one town in the "Tri-Cities" (Somerset) currently has more than 12,000 people, the area has been experiencing heightened population and job growth since the 1990s. Growth has been especially rapid in Laurel County, which outgrew areas such as Scott and Jessamine counties around Lexington or Shelby and Nelson Counties around Louisville. London significantly grew in population in the 2000s, from 5,692 in 2000 to 7,993 in 2010. London landed a ] distribution center in 1997, bringing thousands of jobs to the community.

In northeast Kentucky, the greater ] area is an important transportation, manufacturing, and medical center. ] and ] production, as well as the transport of coal by rail and ], have been historical pillars of the region's economy. Due to a decline in the area's industrial base, Ashland has seen a sizable reduction in its population since 1990; however, the population of the area has since stabilized with the medical service industry taking a greater role in the local economy. The Ashland area, including the counties of ] and ], is part of the ] (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. More than 21,000 of those people ({{as of|2010|lc=y}}) reside within the city limits of Ashland.

The largest county in Kentucky by area is ], which contains ] and suburb ]. The county and surrounding area is the most populated region in the state that is not part of a ] or a ] containing nearly 200,000 people in five counties: ], ], ], and neighboring ]. Pike County contains slightly more than 68,000 people.

Only three U.S. states have capitals with smaller populations than Kentucky's ] (pop. 25,527): ] (pop. 18,560), ] (pop. 13,876), and ] (pop. 8,035).


==Demographics== ==Demographics==

]
{{Main|Demographics of Kentucky}}
{{USCensusPop
]
{{US Census population
| 1790 = 73677 | 1790 = 73677
| 1800 = 220955 | 1800 = 220955
Line 314: Line 565:
| 1970 = 3218706 | 1970 = 3218706
| 1980 = 3660777 | 1980 = 3660777
| 1990 = 3685296 | 1990 = 3685295
| 2000 = 4041769 | 2000 = 4041770
| estyear = 2008 | 2010 = 4339367
| estimate = 4269245 | 2020 = 4505836
| estyear = 2024
| estref = <ref name=08CenEst/>
| estimate = 4588372
| footnote = http://ukcc.uky.edu/census/21.txt
| estref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=QuickFacts: Kentucky |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KY | website=Census.gov | publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = Sources: 1790–2000<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ukcc.uky.edu/census/21.txt |title=Kentucky population |access-date= |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122005311/http://ukcc.uky.edu/census/21.txt |archivedate=January 22, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><br />1910–2020<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}} }}
As of July 1, 2006, Kentucky has an estimated population of 4,206,074, which is an increase of 33,466, or 0.8%, from the prior year and an increase of 164,586, or 4.1%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 77,156 people (that is 287,222 births minus 210,066 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 59,604 people into the state. ] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 27,435 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 32,169 people. As of 2004, Kentucky's population included about 95,000 foreign-born (2.3%). The population density of the state is 101.7 people per square mile.<ref>{{cite book |title=The New York Times 2008 Almanac |editor=John W. Wright |year=2007 |pages=178}}</ref>


The ] determined that the population of Kentucky was 4,505,836 in 2020, increasing since the ].<ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ky,US/PST045218|title=QuickFacts Kentucky; UNITED STATES|website=2018 Population Estimates|publisher=], Population Division|date=February 21, 2019|access-date=February 21, 2019|archive-date=January 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116200810/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ky,US/PST045218|url-status=live}}</ref>
Kentucky's total population has grown during every decade since records began. However, during most decades of the 20th century there was also net out-migration from Kentucky. Since 1900, rural Kentucky counties have experienced a net loss of over 1 million people from migration, while urban areas have experienced a slight net gain.<ref>{{cite web
]
| url = http://www.kltprc.net/books/exploring/Chpt_3.htm
[[File:Kentucky Counties by race (2020 census).svg|thumb|upright=1.1|Racial plurality in Kentucky by county, per the 2020 U.S. census{{Collapsible list
| title = Migration in Kentucky: Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}
| accessdate = 4-30
| accessdaymonth =
| accessmonthday =
| accessyear = 2007
| author = Michael Price
| last = Price
| first = Michael
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| date =
| year =
| month =
| format =
| work = Exploring the Frontier of the Future: How Kentucky Will Live, Learn and Work
| publisher = University of Louisville
| pages = pp. 5–10
| language =
| archiveurl =
| archivedate =
| quote =
}}
</ref>


'''Non-Hispanic White'''
The ] of Kentucky is located in ], in the city of ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |format=TXT |title=Population and Population Centers by State: 2000 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref>

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}
{{col-end}}
}}]]
As of July 1, 2016, Kentucky had an estimated population of 4,436,974, which is an increase of 12,363 from the prior year and an increase of 97,607, or 2.2%, since the year 2010. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 73,541 people (that is 346,968 births minus 273,427 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 26,135 people into the state. ] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 40,051 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 13,916 people. {{as of|2015}}, Kentucky's population included about 149,016 foreign-born persons (3.4%). In 2016 the population density of the state was {{convert|110|/sqmi|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|abbr=out}}.<ref name="PopEstUS" /> ], ], ], ], and ] are the top five countries of origin for Kentucky's immigrants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.immigrationresearch.org/system/files/immigrants_in_kentucky.pdf|title=Immigrants in Kentucky|access-date=August 11, 2023|archive-date=August 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811215402/https://www.immigrationresearch.org/system/files/immigrants_in_kentucky.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Kentucky's population has grown every decade since records began, though during most decades of the 20th century there was net out-migration from the state. Since 1900, rural Kentucky counties have suffered a net loss of more than a million people to migration, while urban areas have experienced a slight net gain.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.kltprc.net/books/exploring/Chpt_3.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090327130302/http://www.kltprc.net/books/exploring/Chpt_3.htm| archive-date = March 27, 2009 | title = Migration in Kentucky: Will the Circle Be Unbroken?| access-date = April 30, 2007| last = Price| first = Michael| website = Exploring the Frontier of the Future: How Kentucky Will Live, Learn and Work| publisher = University of Louisville| pages = 5–10}}</ref>

Kentucky's ] is in ], in the city of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |format=TXT |title=Population and Population Centers by State: 2000 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=December 27, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223204810/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |archive-date=February 23, 2010 }}</ref>

According to ]'s 2022 ], there were an estimated 3,984 ] people in Kentucky.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007–2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf|title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=March 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

] in Kentucky is 72.5 years in 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://eu.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2022/09/06/life-expectancy-kentucky-dropped-why-what-to-know/65466402007/ | title=Life expectancy for Kentuckians just dropped. Here's why and what to know | access-date=March 31, 2023 | archive-date=April 1, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401192234/https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2022/09/06/life-expectancy-kentucky-dropped-why-what-to-know/65466402007/ | url-status=live }}</ref>


===Race and ancestry=== ===Race and ancestry===
{| font-size:80%;"
The five largest ancestries in the commonwealth are: ] (20.9%), ] (12.7%), ] (10.5%), ] (9.7%), ] (7.8%).<ref name="census-ancestries"></ref> Only eight Kentucky counties list an ancestry other than "American" as the county's largest, those being ] and ], where African American is the largest reported ancestry, and the state's most urban counties of ], ], ], ], ], and ], where German is the largest reported ancestry.<ref name="census-ancestries"/> Southeastern Kentucky was populated by a large group of Native Americans of mixed heritage, also known as ], in the early 19th century. Groups like the ] are organizing the descendants of those early Native American settlers.
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Ethnic composition as of the ]
|-
! Race and Ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| ]
|align=right| {{bartable|81.3|%|2||background:gray}}
|align=right| {{bartable|85.0|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| ]
|align=right| {{bartable|7.9|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|align=right| {{bartable|9.4|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| ]{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}}
|align=right| {{bartable}}
|align=right| {{bartable|4.6|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| ]
|align=right| {{bartable|1.6|%|2||background:purple}}
|align=right| {{bartable|2.1|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| ]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2|%|2||background:gold}}
|align=right| {{bartable|1.8|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| ]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|align=right| {{bartable|0.3|%|2||background:brown}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.9|%|2||background:brown}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
|+ '''Historical racial demographics'''
|-
! Racial composition !! 1990<ref>{{cite web|author1=Campbell Gibson and Kay Jung |title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |website=census.gov |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141224151538/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-date=December 24, 2014 |date=September 2002 |url-status=dead }}</ref>!! 2000<ref>{{cite web|last1=Office Bureau Public Information|title=Census 2000 data for Kentucky|url=https://www.census.gov/census2000/states/ky.html|website=www.census.gov|access-date=January 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118074958/http://www.census.gov/census2000/states/ky.html|archive-date=January 18, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html|title=2010 Census Data|website=Census.gov|access-date=February 24, 2015|archive-date=May 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522200920/https://census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html|url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2010<ref name="2010DP1">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDPCD1152010.DP1?g=040XX00US21 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Kentucky |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref>!! 2020<ref name="2020DP1">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=040XX00US21 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Kentucky |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| ] || 92.0% || 90.1% || 87.8% || 82.4%
|-
| ] || 7.1% || 7.3% || 7.8% || 8.0%
|-
| ] || 0.5% || 0.7% || 1.1% || 1.7%
|-
| ] and<br />] || 0.2% || 0.2% || 0.2% || 0.3%
|-
| ] and<br />] || – || – || 0.1% || 0.1%
|-
| ] || 0.2% || 0.6% || 1.3% || 2.1%
|-
| ] || – || 1.0% || 1.7% || 5.4%
|}

According to U.S. Census Bureau official statistics, the state's largest ancestry in 2013 was ], totalling 20.2%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/ |title=U.S. Census website |author=Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS) |website=census.gov |access-date=June 25, 2016 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1980, before the status of ethnic American was an available option on the official census, the largest claimed ancestries in the commonwealth were ] (49.6%), ] (26.3%), and ] (24.2%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf|title=Ancestry of the Population by State: 1980 – Table 3|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=October 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715201633/http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf|archive-date=July 15, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016002633/https://books.google.com/books?id=SVoAXh-dNuYC&pg=PA57&dq=Sharing+the+dream:+white+males+in+multicultural+America++english+ancestry&cd=1 |date=October 16, 2015 }} By Dominic J. Pulera.</ref><ref>Reynolds Farley, 'The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us?', ''Demography'', Vol. 28, No. 3 (August 1991), pp. 414, 421.</ref><ref>Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns', ''Social Science Research'', Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44–6.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |first1=Stanley |last1=Lieberson |name-list-style=amp |first2=Mary C. |last2=Waters |title=Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites |journal=Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science |volume=487 |issue=79 |year=1986 |pages=82–86 |doi=10.1177/0002716286487001004 |s2cid=60711423 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_B04001 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212214531/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_B04001 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=American FactFinder |publisher=U.S. Census |access-date=August 7, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP3|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212210601/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP3|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020|title=American FactFinder |publisher=U.S. Census |access-date=August 7, 2014}}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=August 2024}} In the urban counties of ], ], ], ], ], and ], German is the largest reported ancestry.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} Americans of ] and ] ancestry are present throughout the entire state. Many residents claim Irish ancestry on account of Scotch-Irish (]) descent. In the 1980s, the only counties in the United States where over half of the population cited "English" as their only ancestry group were in eastern Kentucky.<ref name="Eugene James Turner 1988">James Paul Allen and Eugene James Turner, ''We the People: An Atlas of America's Ethnic Diversity'' (Macmillan, 1988), 41.</ref>

In the 2000 census, some 20,000 people (0.49%) in the state self-identified as Native American. The state has no ] or ].<ref>{{cite web |title=State Recognized Tribes |url=http://www.ncsl.org/research/state-tribal-institute/list-of-federal-and-state-recognized-tribes.aspx |publisher=National Conference of State Legislatures |access-date=April 6, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901061023/https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislators/quad-caucus/list-of-federal-and-state-recognized-tribes.aspx |archive-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref>

African-Americans, who were mostly enslaved at the time, made up 25% of Kentucky's population before the ]; they were held and worked primarily in the central ], an area of hemp and tobacco cultivation, as well as raising blooded livestock. The number of African Americans living in Kentucky declined during the 20th century amid the ]; today, 8% of the state's total population is African-American.<ref name="Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census">{{cite web |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=September 23, 2022 |archive-date=August 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The state's African-American population is highly urbanized, with 44.2% living in ] and 52% living in the broader Louisville metropolitan area. Other areas with high concentrations include ] and ] counties and the cities of ] and ].

The Hispanic and Asian populations in Kentucky are small, but have grown significantly since the late 20th century. Most of Kentucky's Hispanic residents are of ] ancestry, while most of Kentucky's Asian residents are of Chinese and Indian heritage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kentucky/Plant-and-animal-life#ref279943 | title=Kentucky – Forests, Mammals, Birds &#124; Britannica | access-date=November 19, 2023 | archive-date=November 19, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119145244/https://www.britannica.com/place/Kentucky/Plant-and-animal-life#ref279943 | url-status=live }}</ref> There is also a Vietnamese community in Lexington and Louisville, and Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Lao populations in Bowling Green.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

===Language===
In 2000, 96% of all residents of the state five years old and older spoke only ] at home, a small decrease from 98% in 1990. Speech patterns in the state generally reflect the first settlers' Virginia backgrounds. South Midland features are best preserved in the mountains, with ] in most other areas of Kentucky, but some common to Midland and Southern are widespread. After a vowel, the /r/ may be weak or missing. For instance, ''Coop'' has the vowel of ''put'', but the root rhymes with ''boot''. In southern Kentucky, earthworms are called ''redworms'', a burlap bag is known as a ''tow sack'' or the ''Southern grass sack'', and green beans are called ''snap beans''. In Kentucky English, a young man may ''carry'', not escort, his girlfriend to a party.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}


] is the second-most-spoken language in Kentucky, after English.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}
African Americans, who made up one-fourth of Kentucky's population prior to the ], declined in number as many moved to the industrial North in the ]. Today 44.2% of Kentucky's African American population is in Jefferson County and 52% are in the Louisville Metro Area. Other areas with high concentrations, besides Christian and Fulton Counties, are the city of ], the Bluegrass, and the city of ]. Many mining communities in far Southeastern Kentucky also have populations between five and 10 percent African American.
{{US Demographics}}


===Religion=== ===Religion===
{{See also|Religion in Louisville, Kentucky}}
]
In 2000, The Association of Religion Data Archives reported<ref name="ARDA">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/21_2000.asp |title=State Membership Report |publisher=The Association of Religion Data Archives |year=2000 |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref> that of Kentucky's 4,041,769 residents:


] (then College of the Bible), 1904]]
*33.68% were members of ] churches
{{bar box
**] (979,994 members, 24.25%)
|title=Religion in Kentucky (2014)<ref name="pew2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/|title=Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics|work=Pew Research Center|access-date=December 3, 2017|archive-date=March 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329123045/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/|url-status=live}}</ref>
**] (106,638 members, 2.64%)
|titlebar=
**] (58,602 members, 1.45%)
|left1=Religion
*10.05% were ]
|right1=Percent
*8.77% belonged to ] churches
|float=right
**] (208,720 members, 5.16%)
|bars=
**] (67,611 members, 1.67%)
{{bar percent|Protestant|DarkViolet|65}}
*0.05% were members of ]
{{bar percent|]|black|22}}
*0.88% were affiliated with other theologies
{{bar percent|Catholic|DodgerBlue|10}}
*46.57% were not affiliated with any church.
{{bar percent|Other faith|green|2}}
}}
{{as of|2010}}, the ] (ARDA)<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/21/rcms2010_21_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |access-date=November 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113203617/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/21/rcms2010_21_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=January 13, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> reported the following groupings of Kentucky's 4,339,367 residents:
* 48% not affiliated with any religious group, 2,101,653 persons
* 42% ], 1,819,860 adherents
** 33% ], 1,448,947 adherents (23% within the ], 1,004,407 adherents)
** 7.1% ], 305,955 adherents (4.4% in the ], 189,596 adherents)
** 1.5% ], 64,958 adherents
* 8.3% ], 359,783 adherents
* 0.74% ], 31,991 adherents
* 0.60% other religions, 26,080 adherents (0.26% ], 0.16% ], 0.06% ], 0.01% other)


Today Kentucky is home to several seminaries. ] in ] is the principal seminary for the ]. Louisville is also the home of the ]. Lexington has two seminaries, ], and the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky. ] is located in nearby ]. In addition to seminaries, there are several colleges affiliated with denominations. ] in ] is affiliated with the ]. In Louisville, ] and ] are affiliated with the ]. In ], ] is associated with the Methodist Church and ] is associated with the Roman Catholic Church. Louisville is also home to the headquarters of the ] and their printing press. Louisville is also home to a sizable ]<ref></ref> and ]ish population. Being a Southern state in the ], Kentucky is predominantly Christian and is home to several seminaries. ] in ] is the principal seminary for the ]. Louisville is the home of the ], an institution of the ]. Lexington has one seminary, ] (affiliated with the ]). The Baptist Seminary of Kentucky is located on the campus of ] in Georgetown. ], a multi-denominational seminary in the ] tradition, is located in nearby ].


In addition to seminaries, there are several colleges affiliated with denominations:
====Religious movements====
* In Louisville, ] and ] are affiliated with the ].
Religious movements were important in the early history of Kentucky. Perhaps the most famous event was the interdenominational revival in August 1801 at the ] Meeting house in ]. As part of what is now known as the "Western Revival", thousands began meeting around a ] ] service on August 6, 1801, and ended six days later on August 12, 1801 when both humans and horses ran out of food.<ref>See E. Michael Rusten, ''The One Year Book of Christian History'', Tyndale House, 2003, pp. 438–439. ISBN 0842355073.</ref> Some claim that the ] revival was propagated from an earlier ] at ] in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.piney.com/CaneRidge1.html |title=Kentucky Revival - Red River to Cane Ridge |accessdate=2006-12-27}}</ref>
* In ], ] is affiliated with the ].
* In ], ] is associated with the ], and ] is associated with the Roman Catholic Church.
* In Pikeville, the ] is affiliated with the ].
* In Wilmore, ] (a separate institution from the seminary) is associated with the ].
* The ] denomination is associated with several colleges:
** ], in ]
** ], in ]
** ], in ]
** ], in ]
* ] in ] is home to ] which is affiliated with the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ.
*The ] is located in ]. Author ], known as a social activist, worked to reconcile Christianity with other major religions, had converted to Catholicism as a young man, and became a Trappist monk; he lived and worked here from 1941 until his death in 1968.

Louisville is home to the ], the third-oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States. The city holds the headquarters of the ] and their printing press. Reflecting late 19th, 20th and 21st-century immigration from different countries, Louisville also has ]ish, ],<ref>{{cite web|title=Muslims in Louisville|url=http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_101_150/muslims_in_louisville.htm|access-date=December 7, 2011|publisher=Irfi.org|archive-date=January 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120155254/http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_101_150/muslims_in_louisville.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and ] communities.

In 1996 the Center for Interfaith Relations established the Festival of Faiths, the first and oldest annual interfaith festival to be held in the United States.<ref>Scanlon, Leslie. “Festival to Showcase Religious Diversity.” ''The Courier-Journal'', November 14, 1996, p. 1</ref>

The Christian creationist apologetics group, ], along with its ], is headquartered in ].


==Economy== ==Economy==
]
], is manufactured in ].]]
], is manufactured in ].]]
The total gross state product for 2006 was US$146 billion, 27<sup>th</sup> in the nation. Its per-capita personal income was US$28,513, 43<sup>rd</sup> in the nation.<ref></ref> Kentucky's agricultural outputs are ]s, ], ], ]s, ], ]s, and ]. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery, food processing, tobacco products, ], and ]. The ] are recognized as being among the most productive in the nation.


{{See also|Economy of Louisville, Kentucky|Economy of Lexington, Kentucky|Kentucky locations by per capita income}}
Kentucky ranks 4<sup>th</sup> among U.S. states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled.<ref>{{cite web
], is manufactured in ].]]
| url = http://www.tradeandindustrydev.com/issues/article.asp?ID=66
| title = Kentucky: In the Middle of Auto Alley
| accessdate =
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</ref> The ], ], ], Ford Super Duty trucks, ], ], ], and ] are assembled in Kentucky.


Early in its history, Kentucky gained recognition for its excellent farming conditions. It was the site of the first commercial ] in the United States (started in present-day ] in 1799) and due to the high calcium content of the soil in the Bluegrass region quickly became a major horse breeding (and later racing) area. Today Kentucky ranks 5th nationally in goat farming, 8th in ] production,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.bamabeef.org/NewStateandCountyrankings05.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060504170140/http://www.bamabeef.org/NewStateandCountyrankings05.htm| archive-date = May 4, 2006| title = 2007 Rankings of States and Counties
Unlike many bordering states which developed a widespread industrial economy, much of rural Kentucky has maintained a farm based economy, with cattle, corn, and soybeans being the main crops. The area immediately outside Lexington is also the leading region for breeding ] racing horses, due to the high ] content in the soil (from the underlying limestone) making the pastures especially productive. Despite being the 14<sup>th</sup> smallest state in terms of land area, Kentucky still ranks 5<sup>th</sup> in the total number of farms, with more farms per square mile than any other U.S. state.<ref></ref> The average farm size in Kentucky is only {{convert|153|acre|km2|1}}.<ref>{{cite journal |year=2003 |month=March |title=Kentucky Farm Numbers Increase |journal=Kentucky Agri-News |volume=22 |issue=5 |accessdate=2007-05-03 |url=http://www.nass.usda.gov/ky/AgriNews/mar122.pdf |format=PDF|format={{dead link|date=June 2008}} – <sup></sup> }}</ref>
| access-date = May 1, 2007| publisher = bamabeef.org}}</ref> and 14th in corn production.<ref name="econedlink2007"/> Kentucky has been a long-standing major center of the tobacco industry{{snd}}both as a center of business and tobacco farming.


Kentucky ranks 5th nationally in goat farming, 8th in beef cattle production,<ref> {{cite web Kentucky's economy has expanded to in non-agricultural terms as well, especially auto manufacturing, energy fuel production, and medical facilities.<ref name="Hunt 2019 9–14"/>
| url = http://www.bamabeef.org/NewStateandCountyrankings05.htm
| title = 2007 Rankings of States and Counties
| accessdate =
| dateformat =
| dateformat =
| accessdate = 1 M a y 2007
| author =
| last =
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}} </ref> and 14th in corn production.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/EM453/docs/em453_Corn_Production_Det_Answers.pdf |title=Corn Production Detective |publisher=National Council on Economic Education |format=PDF |accessdate=2007-05-03}}</ref>


Kentucky ranks 4th among U.S. states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled.<ref name="Tradeandindustrydev.com"/> The ], ] (2004–09), ], ] trucks, ], ], ],<ref name="YearInKyBusiness" /> ],<ref name="YearInKyBusiness" /> ], ],<ref name="YearInKyBusiness" /> and ]<ref name="YearInKyBusiness" /> are assembled in Kentucky.
===State taxes===
There are 5 ] brackets, ranging from 2% to 6% of personal income.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/swzl_statetaxrate_KY.html
| title = Kentucky Income Tax Rates
| dateformat = mdy
| accessdate = May 1 2007
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</ref> The sales tax rate in Kentucky is 6%.<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://revenue.ky.gov/business/salesanduse.htm
| title = Sales & Use Tax
| dateformat = mdy
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</ref> Kentucky has a broadly based classified ] system. All classes of property, unless exempted by the Constitution, are taxed by the state, although at widely varying rates.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://revenue.ky.gov/business/proptax.htm
| title = Property Tax
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</ref> Many of these classes are exempted from taxation by local government. Of the classes that are subject to local taxation, three have special rates set by the ], one by the ] and the remaining classes are subject to the full local rate, which includes the tax rate set by the local taxing bodies plus all voted levies. Real property is assessed on 100% of the fair market value and property taxes are due by December 31. Once the primary source of state and local government revenue, property taxes now account for only about 6% of the Kentucky's annual General Fund revenues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bankrate.com/yho/itax/edit/state/profiles/state_tax_Ky.asp |title= State Taxes - Kentucky - Overview|accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=bankrate.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}
</ref>


], is manufactured in ].]]
Until January 1, 2006, Kentucky imposed a tax on intangible personal property held by a taxpayer on January 1 of each year. The Kentucky intangible tax was repealed under House Bill 272.<ref>{{cite web
Kentucky has historically been a major coal producer, but the industry has been in decline since the 1980s, and the number employed dropped by more than half between 2011 and 2015.<ref name="YearInKyBusiness" />
| url = http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/05rs/HB272.htm
| title = Text of the House Bill 272
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</ref> Intangible property consisted of any property or investment which represents evidence of value or the right to value. Some types of intangible property included: bonds, notes, retail ]s, accounts receivable, trusts, enforceable contracts sale of real estate (land contracts), money in hand, money in ]es, annuities, interests in estates, loans to stockholders, and commercial paper.


{{as of|2010}}, 24% of electricity produced in the U.S. depended on either enriched uranium rods coming from the ] (the only domestic site of low-grade uranium enrichment),{{Update inline|date=May 2021|reason=closed in 2013}} or from the 107,000 tons of coal extracted from the state's two coal fields (which combined produce 4% percent of the electricity in the US).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geology.utah.gov/emp/energydata/statistics/coal2.0/pdf/T2.7.pdf |title= U.S. Coal Production by State, 1994–2009 |website=Utah Geological Survey |access-date=December 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103115412/http://geology.utah.gov/emp/energydata/statistics/coal2.0/pdf/T2.7.pdf |archive-date=November 3, 2010 }}</ref>
==="Unbridled Spirit"===
]


Kentucky produces 95% of the world's supply of ], and the number of barrels of bourbon being aged in Kentucky (more than 5.7{{spaces}}million) exceeds the state's population.<ref name="YearInKyBusiness">{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Eblin |url=http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/tom-eblen/article51795000.html |title=Year in Kentucky business saw Toyota expand, bourbon boom, coal decline |newspaper=] |date=December 27, 2015 |access-date=January 3, 2016 |archive-date=December 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231033339/http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/tom-eblen/article51795000.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="APBourbon">{{Cite web |date=February 3, 2015 |title=Bourbon, Tennessee whiskey sales soar in U.S.; exports top $1B |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/bourbon-tennessee-whiskey-sales-soar-in-us-exports-top-1b/ |agency=Associated Press |first1=Bruce |last1=Schreiner |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230522200347/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/bourbon-tennessee-whiskey-sales-soar-in-us-exports-top-1b/ |archive-date= May 22, 2023 }}</ref> Bourbon has been a growing market{{snd}}with production of Kentucky bourbon rising 170 percent between 1999 and 2015.<ref name="YearInKyBusiness" /> In 2019 the state had more than fifty distilleries for bourbon production.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.columbusmonthly.com/entertainmentlife/20190319/best-driving-vacations-kentucky-bourbon-trail?template=ampart|title=Best Driving Vacations: Kentucky Bourbon Trail|date=March 19, 2019 |website=Columbus Monthly |first1=Sara |last1=Havens |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210428220903/https://www.columbusmonthly.com/entertainmentlife/20190319/best-driving-vacations-kentucky-bourbon-trail?template=ampart |archive-date= April 28, 2021 }}</ref>
To boost Kentucky's image, give it a consistent reach, and help Kentucky "stand out from the crowd", former Governor ] launched a comprehensive ]ing campaign with the hope of making its $12 - $14 million advertising budget more effective. The "Unbridled Spirit" brand was the result of a $500,000 contract with New West, a Kentucky-based public relations advertising and marketing firm to develop a viable brand and tag line. The Fletcher administration aggressively marketed the brand in both the public and private sectors. The "Welcome to Kentucky" signs at border areas have Unbridled Spirit's symbol on them.


Kentucky exports reached a record $22.1{{spaces}}billion in 2012, with products and services going to 199 countries.<ref>{{cite web|last=Snchez |first=Francisco J. |url=http://www.kentucky.com/2013/03/15/2558257/ky-one-of-fastest-growing-states.html |title=Ky. one of fastest-growing states in exporting products &#124; Op-Ed |publisher=Lexington Herald Leader |date=March 15, 2013 |access-date=July 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308122022/http://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article44410905.html |archive-date= March 8, 2016 }}</ref>
The previous campaign was neither a failure nor a success. Kentucky's "It's that friendly" slogan hoped to draw more people into the state based on the idea of southern hospitality. Though most Kentuckians liked the slogan, as it embraced southern values, it was also not an image that encouraged tourism as much as initially hoped for. Therefore it was necessary to reconfigure a slogan to embrace Kentucky as a whole while also encouraging more people to visit the Bluegrass.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kentucky.gov/unbridledspirit/info.htm |title=Unbridled Spirit→Information |accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=State of Kentucky |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}

According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, the primary state agency in Kentucky responsible for creating new jobs and new investment in the state, new business investment in Kentucky in 2012 totaled nearly $2.7{{spaces}}billion, with the creation of more than 14,000 new jobs. One such investment was L'Oréal in Northern Kentucky, which added 200 jobs on top of the 280 already in existing facilities in Florence and Walton.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-11-15/maker-of-hair-care-products-to-expand-in-kentucky |title=Maker of hair care products to expand in Kentucky |magazine=Businessweek |date=November 15, 2012 |access-date=July 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603095042/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-11-15/maker-of-hair-care-products-to-expand-in-kentucky |archive-date=June 3, 2013 }}</ref>

], a ] post best known as the site of the ], which is used to house a large portion of the United States official ], is located in Kentucky between Louisville and ]. In May 2010, the ], the largest office building in the state at nearly {{convert|900000|sqft}} opened at Fort Knox. The complex employs nearly 4,300 soldiers and civilians.<ref>{{cite news |website=Louisville Business First |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2010/05/24/daily42.html |title=Human resource center opens at Fort Knox |date=May 27, 2010 |access-date=November 28, 2012 |archive-date=October 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010163955/http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2010/05/24/daily42.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kentucky contains two of the twenty ]: ] (in the east in ] near ]) and ] (in the south in ] in the ]).

The total gross state product for 2020 was $213{{spaces}}billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/KYNGSP |title=Gross Domestic Product: All Industry Total in Kentucky (KYNGSP) |publisher=FRED &#124; St. Louis Fed |date= |accessdate=January 27, 2022 |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120223427/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/KYNGSP |url-status=live }}</ref> Its per capita income was $25,888 in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KY/INC110217|title=QuickFacts: Kentucky|website=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=September 22, 2019|archive-date=September 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922190952/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KY/INC110217|url-status=live}}</ref> An organization called the ] estimated that the state government's debts exceeded its available assets by $26,300 per taxpayer {{as of|2011|lc=y}}, ranking the state as having the 5th highest such debt burden in the nation.<ref name="The Institute for Truth in Accounting">{{cite web|url=http://www.statedatalab.org/state_data_and_comparisons/detail/kentucky|website=State Data Lab |title=Kentucky : State Data and Comparisons |access-date=April 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606054715/http://www.statedatalab.org/state_data_and_comparisons/detail/kentucky |archive-date= June 6, 2013 }}</ref>

As of March 2024, the state's unemployment rate is 4.5%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kystats.ky.gov/KYLMI/PressRelease/b6324192-88d1-431f-ad51-89d98bfc766f|title=Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet Releases March 2024 Unemployment Report |date=April 18, 2024 |website=Kentucky Center for Statistics |access-date=April 30, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430193723/https://kystats.ky.gov/KYLMI/PressRelease/b6324192-88d1-431f-ad51-89d98bfc766f |archive-date=April 30, 2024 }}</ref> In 2014 Kentucky was the most affordable U.S. state in which to live.<ref>{{cite web |first1=Scott |last1=Cohn |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/24/americas-cheapest-states-to-live-in-2014.html?slide=11 |title=America's cheapest states to live in 2014 |date=June 24, 2014 |publisher=CNBC |access-date=November 19, 2015 |archive-date=November 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120001643/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/24/americas-cheapest-states-to-live-in-2014.html?slide=11 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Update inline|date=January 2024}}

===Taxation===
Tax is collected by the Kentucky Department of Revenue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://revenue.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx|title=Welcome – Department of Revenue|website=revenue.ky.gov|access-date=January 3, 2020|archive-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202163714/https://revenue.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Kentucky has a flat 4% individual ] rate. The sales tax rate in Kentucky is 6%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://revenue.ky.gov/business/salesanduse.htm
|title=Sales & Use Tax
|access-date=May 1, 2007
|publisher=Kentucky Department of Revenue
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070420210040/http://www.revenue.ky.gov/business/salesanduse.htm
|archive-date=April 20, 2007
}}</ref>

Kentucky has a broadly based classified ] system. All classes of property, unless exempted by the Constitution, are taxed by the state, although at widely varying rates.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://revenue.ky.gov/business/proptax.htm| title = Property Tax| access-date = May 1, 2007| publisher = Kentucky Department of Revenue| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070403180310/http://revenue.ky.gov/business/proptax.htm| archive-date = April 3, 2007}}</ref> Many of these classes are exempted from taxation by local government. Of the classes that are subject to local taxation, three have special rates set by the ], one by the ] and the remaining classes are subject to the full local rate, which includes the tax rate set by the local taxing bodies plus all voted levies. Real property is assessed on 100% of the fair market value and property taxes are due by December 31. Once the primary source of state and local government revenue, property taxes now account for only about 6% of the Kentucky's annual General Fund revenues.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bankrate.com/yho/itax/edit/state/profiles/state_tax_Ky.asp |title=State Taxes – Kentucky – Overview |access-date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=bankrate.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408040707/http://www.bankrate.com/yho/itax/edit/state/profiles/state_tax_Ky.asp |archive-date=April 8, 2007 |url-status=dead }}
</ref> </ref>

Until January 1, 2006, Kentucky imposed a tax on intangible personal property held by a taxpayer on January{{spaces}}1 of each year. The Kentucky intangible tax was repealed under House Bill 272.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/05rs/HB272.htm| title = Text of the House Bill 272| access-date = August 10, 2007| publisher = State of Kentucky| archive-date = August 11, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070811212831/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/05rs/hb272.htm| url-status = dead}}</ref> Intangible property consisted of any property or investment that represents evidence of value or the right to value. Some types of intangible property included: bonds, notes, retail ]s, accounts receivable, trusts, enforceable contracts sale of real estate (land contracts), money in hand, money in ]es, annuities, interests in estates, loans to stockholders, and commercial paper.

In 2023, Kentucky launched a regulated local and online sports betting industry. Taxing sportsbooks at 9.75% (in person) and 14.25% (online), the first two months of action saw the state collect $7.94 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules in place, Kentucky sports betting will start in September |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2023/07/10/kentucky-sports-betting-rules-regulations-approved-andy-beshear/70392840007/ |access-date=December 11, 2023 |website=The Courier-Journal |language=en-US |archive-date=April 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401192236/https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2023/07/10/kentucky-sports-betting-rules-regulations-approved-andy-beshear/70392840007/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Zachary |date=December 11, 2023 |title=Kentucky Made $7.9 Million in Two Months with Sports Betting |url=https://www.legalsportsbetting.com/news/kentucky-made-7-9-million-in-two-months-with-sports-betting-12-11-2023/ |access-date=December 11, 2023 |website=LegalSportsBetting.com |language=en-US |archive-date=December 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211213643/https://www.legalsportsbetting.com/news/kentucky-made-7-9-million-in-two-months-with-sports-betting-12-11-2023/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Tourism===

{{See also|Kentucky Bourbon Trail}}
] in ]]]

Tourism has become an increasingly important part of the Kentucky economy. In 2019 tourism grew to $7.6{{spaces}}billion in economic impact. Key attractions include ] with events like ] and the ] Fall and Spring Meets, ] distillery tours, including along the ] and Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Louisville, KY's Urban Bourbon Trail (UBT) |url=https://www.bourboncountry.com/things-to-do/urban-bourbon-trail/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219050143/http://www.bourboncountry.com/things-to-do/urban-bourbon-trail/index.aspx |archive-date=February 19, 2015 |access-date=July 2, 2022 |website=BourbonCounty.com}}</ref> and natural attractions such as the state's many lakes and parks to include ], ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lanereport.com/116031/2019/08/kentucky-tourism-announces-increased-visitor-growth-and-spending-in-2018/|title=Kentucky Tourism says visitor spending rose to $7.6 billion in 2018|date=August 14, 2019|access-date=August 26, 2020|archive-date=September 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190914053739/https://www.lanereport.com/116031/2019/08/kentucky-tourism-announces-increased-visitor-growth-and-spending-in-2018/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The state also has several religious destinations such as the ] and ] of ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Itinerary: Northern Kentucky Biblical Wonders |url=https://www.kentuckytourism.com/culture/spirituality/spiritual-itineraries/northern-kentucky-biblical-wonders |access-date=September 20, 2020 |archive-date=September 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918144205/https://www.kentuckytourism.com/culture/spirituality/spiritual-itineraries/northern-kentucky-biblical-wonders |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Answers in Genesis|url=https://answersingenesis.org/|access-date=September 20, 2020|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220152012/https://answersingenesis.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2002, the Kentucky governor ] unveiled the state slogan "It's that friendly",<ref name="nbcnews.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna8598104 |title=Kentucky frowns on smiley license plates |publisher=NBC News |date=July 16, 2005 |access-date=July 10, 2013 |archive-date=February 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218183645/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8598104/ns/us_news-weird_news/t/kentucky-frowns-smiley-license-plates/#.UXW--KJwiIQ |url-status=live }}</ref> in the hope of drawing more people into the state based on the idea of ]. Though it was meant to embrace southern values, many Kentuckians rejected the slogan as cheesy and generic.<ref name="nbcnews.com" /> It was seen that the slogan did not encourage tourism as much as initially hoped for.

In 2004, then Governor ] launched a comprehensive ]ing campaign with the hope of making the state's $12–14{{spaces}}million advertising budget more effective.<ref>{{cite web|title = Branding campaign puts Kentucky in step with national trend – Louisville – Louisville Business First|url = http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2004/12/06/story3.html|website = Louisville Business First|access-date = November 27, 2015|archive-date = January 1, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160101052615/http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2004/12/06/story3.html|url-status = live}}</ref> The resulting "Unbridled Spirit" brand was the result of a $500,000 contract with New West, a Kentucky-based public relations advertising and marketing firm, to develop a viable brand and tag line.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/02/business/02addes.html?_r=0 | work=The New York Times | title='Unbridled Spirit' Wins Kentucky Slogan Vote | date=December 2, 2004 | access-date=February 19, 2017 | archive-date=February 18, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218191446/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/02/business/02addes.html?_r=0 | url-status=live }}</ref> The Fletcher administration aggressively marketed the brand in both the public and private sectors. Since that time, the "Welcome to Kentucky" signs at border areas have an "Unbridled Spirit" symbol on them.

====Horse industry====

{{See also|Horse racing in the United States}}
] in Lexington]]

Horse Racing has long been associated with Kentucky. ], the home of the Derby, is a large venue with a capacity exceeding 165,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/211485/second-highest-derby-attendance-handle |title=Second-Highest Derby Attendance, Handle |website=bloodhorse.com |date=May 7, 2016 |access-date=August 9, 2021 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624144615/https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/211485/second-highest-derby-attendance-handle |url-status=live }}</ref> The track hosts multiple events throughout the year and is a significant draw to the city of Louisville. ], in Lexington, hosts two major meets, the Spring and Fall running. Beyond hosting races Keeneland also hosts a significant horse auction drawing buyers from around the world. In 2019 $360{{spaces}}million was spent on the September Yearling sale.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-biggest-horse-sale-keeneland-kentucky-photos-2019-10|title=What it's like going to the 'Super Bowl of horse sales,' where royals and millionaires bid on horses they hope might be the next Kentucky Derby winner|first=Katie|last=Warren|website=Business Insider|access-date=August 27, 2020|archive-date=September 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910093425/https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-biggest-horse-sale-keeneland-kentucky-photos-2019-10|url-status=live}}</ref> The ] in ] hosts multiple events throughout the year, including international equestrian competitions and also offers horseback riding from April to October.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kyhorsepark.com/|title=Home|website=Kentucky Horse Park|access-date=August 27, 2020|archive-date=February 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211005859/https://kyhorsepark.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==

{{Main| Education in Kentucky|History of education in Kentucky}}
{{See also|Education Reform in Kentucky|List of colleges and universities in Kentucky|List of high schools in Kentucky|List of school districts in Kentucky}}
] at the ], Kentucky's ] university.]]
] at the ], Kentucky's urban research university.]]

Kentucky maintains eight public four-year universities. There are two general tiers: major research institutions (the ] and the ]) and regional universities, which encompass the remaining six schools. The regional schools have specific target counties that many of their programs are targeted towards (such as Forestry at ] or Cave Management at ]), however, most of their curriculum varies little from any other public university.

The University of Kentucky (UK) and the University of Louisville (UofL) have the highest academic rankings and admissions standards although the regional schools are not without their national recognized departments{{snd}}examples being Western Kentucky University's nationally ranked Journalism Department or ] offering one of the nation's only Space Science degrees. UK is the flagship and land grant of the system and has agriculture extension services in every county. The two research schools split duties related to the medical field, UK handles all medical outreach programs in the eastern half of the state while UofL does all medical outreach in the state's western half.

The state's sixteen public two-year colleges have been governed by the ] since the passage of the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997, commonly referred to as House Bill 1.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recarch/97ss/HB1/bill.doc |title=Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 |access-date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=State of Kentucky |archive-date=June 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605025349/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recarch/97ss/HB1/bill.doc |url-status=dead }}</ref> Before the passage of House Bill 1, most of these colleges were under the control of the ].

], a liberal arts university located in Lexington, was founded in 1780 as the oldest university west of the ].

], located at the extreme southern edge of the Bluegrass below the Cumberland Plateau, was the first coeducational college in the ] to admit both Black and white students, doing so from its very establishment in 1855.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diversityweb.org/digest/vol10no1/mendel.cfm |title=Berea College:Learning, Labor, and Service |access-date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=Diversity Web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705210337/http://www.diversityweb.org/digest/vol10no1/mendel.cfm |archive-date=July 5, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A state law in 1904 ended integration, and the law was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in the case of '']'' in 1908.The state law was repealed in 1950 and Berea resumed integration.<ref>Shannon H. Wilson, ''Berea College: An Illustrated History'' (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2006).</ref>

There are 173 school districts and 1,233 public schools in Kentucky.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kde.state.ky.us/KDE/About+Schools+and+Districts/Kentuckys+Schools+and+Districts/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302123424/http://www.kde.state.ky.us/KDE/About%2BSchools%2Band%2BDistricts/Kentuckys%2BSchools%2Band%2BDistricts/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 2, 2007 |title=Kentucky's Schools and Districts |publisher=Kentucky Department of Education |access-date=June 6, 2012 }}</ref> For the 2010 to 2011 school year, there were approximately 647,827 students enrolled in public school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kde.state.ky.us/KDE/HomePageRepository/News+Room/Kentucky+Education+Facts.htm |title=Kentucky Education Facts |publisher=Kentucky Department of Education |access-date=June 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420022820/http://www.kde.state.ky.us/KDE/HomePageRepository/News%20Room/Kentucky%20Education%20Facts.htm |archive-date=April 20, 2012 }}</ref>

Kentucky has been the site of much educational reform over the past two decades. In 1989 the ] ruled the state's education system was unconstitutional.<ref>{{citation | last=Miller | first=Mary Helen | last2=Noland | first2=Kevin | last3=Schaaf | first3=John | date=April 1990 | title=A Guide to the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 | publication-place=Frankfort, Kentucky | publisher=Legislative Research Commission | s2cid=151134069 | oclc=21743013 | id={{ERIC|ED327352}}}}</ref> The response of the ] was passage of the ] (KERA) the following year. Years later, Kentucky has shown progress, but most agree that further reform is needed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_37.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207091202/http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_37.htm |archive-date=December 7, 2008 |title=Education Reform and Equitable Excellence: The Kentucky Experiment |access-date=May 1, 2007 |last=Roeder |first=Phillip}}</ref>

The ] teachers' strike in 2018 inspired ], including Kentucky, to take similar action.<ref>{{cite news |title=At least 4 Kentucky school districts close amid protests |url=https://www.apnews.com/3622dc9b61204787a5b5f3da24e409e1 |work=Associated Press |date=March 7, 2019 |access-date=September 4, 2019 |archive-date=September 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904120515/https://www.apnews.com/3622dc9b61204787a5b5f3da24e409e1 |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Transportation== ==Transportation==

{{Main|Transportation in Kentucky}}
] is the longest route in Kentucky, pictured here west of ].]]

===Roads=== ===Roads===
] is the longest route in Kentucky, pictured here west of ].]]
{{see also|List of Kentucky State Highways}}
Kentucky is served by five major ] (], ], ], ], ]), nine ], and three bypasses and spurs. The parkways were originally ]s, but on November 22, 2006, Governor ] ended the toll charges on the ] and the ], the last two parkways in Kentucky to charge tolls for access.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kctcs.net/todaysnews/index.cfm?tn_date=2006-09-28#6693 |title=Fletcher:Tolls to end November 22 |accessdate=2007-05-01 |last=Stinnett |first=Chuck|authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Henderson Gleaner |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}
</ref> The related ]s have been demolished.<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/nov/22/onlookers-cheer-booth-destruction-at-ceremony/
| title = Onlookers Cheer Booth Destruction at Ceremony
| accessdate =
| dateformat =
| dateformat =
| accessdate = 10 A u g u s t 2007
| author = Chuck Stinnett
| last = Stinnett
| first = Chuck
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| date = 2006-11-22
| month = November
| format =
| work =
| publisher = Courier Press
| pages =
| language =
| archiveurl =
| archivedate =
| quote =
}}
</ref>


{{See also|List of Kentucky State Highways}}
Ending the tolls some seven months ahead of schedule was generally agreed to have been a positive economic development for transportation in Kentucky. In June 2007, a law went into effect raising the speed limit on rural portions of Kentucky Interstates from 65 to 70 ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706260437|publisher=]|title=Many new laws go on books today|author=Steitzer, Stephanie|date=2007-06-26}}</ref>

Kentucky is served by six major ] (], ], ], ], ], and ]), seven ], and six bypasses and spurs (], ], ], ], ], and ]). The parkways were originally ]s, but on November 22, 2006, Governor ] ended the toll charges on the ] and the ], the last two parkways in Kentucky to charge tolls for access.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kctcs.net/todaysnews/index.cfm?tn_date=2006-09-28#6693 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008233115/http://www.kctcs.net/todaysnews/index.cfm?tn_date=2006-09-28#6693 |archive-date=October 8, 2006 |title=Fletcher:Tolls to end November 22 |access-date=May 1, 2007 |last=Stinnett |first=Chuck}}</ref> The related ] have been demolished.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/nov/22/onlookers-cheer-booth-destruction-at-ceremony/| title = Onlookers Cheer Booth Destruction at Ceremony| access-date = August 10, 2007| last = Stinnett| first = Chuck| date = November 22, 2006| publisher = Courier Press| archive-date = September 1, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070901145219/http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/nov/22/onlookers-cheer-booth-destruction-at-ceremony/| url-status = live}}</ref>

Ending the tolls some seven months ahead of schedule was generally agreed to have been a positive economic development for transportation in Kentucky. In June 2007, a law went into effect raising the speed limit on rural portions of Kentucky Interstates and parkways from {{convert|65|to|70|mph}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20070626/NEWS01/706260437|newspaper=]|title=Many new laws go on books today|author=Steitzer, Stephanie|date=June 26, 2007}}</ref>


Road tunnels include the interstate ] and the rural ].
] provides bus service to most major towns in the state.


===Rails=== ===Rails===
] over the ] was the tallest rail bridge in the world when it was completed in 1877.]]
{{see also|List of Kentucky railroads}}


{{See also|List of Kentucky railroads}}
*]
] over the ] was the tallest rail bridge in the world when it was completed in 1877.]]
*]
*]


], the national passenger rail system, provides service to ], ] and ]. The ], Trains 50 and 51, is the line that offers Amtrak service to Ashland and South Portsmouth. Amtrak Trains 58 and 59, the ], serve Fulton. The ] area, is served by the Cardinal at the ]. The Museum Center is just across the ] in ]. ], the national passenger rail system, provides service to ], ], ] and ]. The '']'' (trains 50 and 51) is the line that offers Amtrak service to Ashland, South Shore, Maysville and South Portsmouth. The '']'' (trains 58 and 59) serve Fulton. The ] area is served by the ''Cardinal'' at ]. The terminal is just across the ] in ].


] passes through the Central and Southern parts of the Commonwealth, via its Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Texas Pacific (CNO&TP) subsidiary. The line originates in ] and terminates 338 miles south in ].
As of 2004, there were approximately 2,640 miles (4,250.4 km) of railways in Kentucky, with about 65% of those being operated by ]. ] was by far the most common cargo, accounting for 76% of cargo loaded and 61% of cargo delivered.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.aar.org/PubCommon/Documents/AboutTheIndustry/RRState_KY.pdf |format=PDF|title= Railroad Service in Kentucky|accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |work= |publisher= Association of American Railroads|pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }} Also, Norfolk Southern's main north-south line runs through central and southern Kentucky, starting in Cincinnati. Formerly the CNO&TP subsidiary of Southern Railway, it is NS's most profitable line.

{{as of|2004}}, there were approximately {{convert|2640|mi}} of railways in Kentucky, with about 65% of those being operated by ]. ] was by far the most common cargo, accounting for 76% of cargo loaded and 61% of cargo delivered.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aar.org/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx|format=PDF |title=Railroad Service in Kentucky |access-date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=Association of American Railroads |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117104804/https://www.aar.org/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=January 17, 2013}} Also, Norfolk Southern's main north-south line runs through central and southern Kentucky, starting in Cincinnati. Formerly the CNO&TP subsidiary of Southern Railway, it is NS's most profitable line.
</ref> </ref>


] features a tourist attraction known as ''My Old Kentucky Dinner Train''. Run along a {{convert|20|mi|km|-1|sing=on}} stretch of rail purchased from ] in 1987, guests are served a four-course meal as they make a two-and-a-half hour round-trip between ] and Limestone Springs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/visitorsguide/stories/071100_dinnertrain.html |title= On the Right Track - Kentucky Dinner Train serves up railroad nostalgia|accessdate=2007-05-01 |last=Knight|first=Andy |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Cincinnati.com|pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }} ] features a ] known as ''My Old Kentucky Dinner Train''. Run along a {{convert|20|mi|km|-1|adj=on}} stretch of rail purchased from ] in 1987, guests are served a four-course meal as they make a two-and-a-half-hour round-trip between Bardstown and Limestone Springs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cincinnati.com/visitorsguide/stories/071100_dinnertrain.html|title=On the Right Track – Kentucky Dinner Train serves up railroad nostalgia |access-date=May 1, 2007 |last=Knight |first=Andy |newspaper=Cincinnati.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410021419/http://www.cincinnati.com/visitorsguide/stories/071100_dinnertrain.html |archive-date=April 10, 2007}}
</ref> The ] is located in nearby ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kyrail.org/ |title= Kentucky Railway Museum|accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }} </ref> The ] is located in nearby ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kyrail.org/ |title=Kentucky Railway Museum |access-date=May 1, 2007 |archive-date=April 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426023631/http://www.kyrail.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
</ref>


Other areas in Kentucky are reclaiming old railways in ] projects. One such project is Louisville's ]. If completed, the ] ] will contain the second longest pedestrian-only bridge in the world.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Courier-Journal|title=Bridges money may be shifted|last=Shafer|first=Sheldon|date=2007-03-05}}</ref> The longest pedestrian-only bridge is also found in Kentucky — the ], popularly known as the "Purple People Bridge", connecting ] to ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/04/20/loc_purplebridge20.html |title= Meet the Purple People Bridge|accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= Crowley|first= Patrick|authorlink= |coauthors= |date=April 23, 2003 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= Cincinnati Enquirer|pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }} Other areas in Kentucky are reclaiming old railways in ] projects. One such project is Louisville's ]. When the bridge's Indiana approach ramps opened in 2014, completing the pedestrian connection across the Ohio River, the Big Four Bridge ] became the second-longest pedestrian-only bridge in the world.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Courier-Journal|title=Bridges money may be shifted|last=Shafer|first=Sheldon|date=March 5, 2007}}</ref> The longest pedestrian-only bridge is also found in Kentucky{{snd}}the ], popularly known as the "Purple People Bridge", connecting ] to ].<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/04/20/loc_purplebridge20.html|title= Meet the Purple People Bridge|access-date= May 1, 2007|last= Crowley|first= Patrick|date= April 23, 2003|newspaper= Cincinnati Enquirer|archive-date= February 20, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210220152134/https://www.cincinnati.com/|url-status= live}}</ref>
</ref>


===Air=== ===Air===
{{see also|List of airports in Kentucky}}
Kentucky's primary airports include ] (Standiford Field), ] (CVG), and ] in Lexington. Louisville International Airport is home to ]'s ], its international air-sorting hub.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.flylouisville.com/about/fastfacts.asp |title= Fast Facts|accessdate=2007-09-11 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Louisville International Airport |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}
</ref> There are also a number of regional airports scattered across the state.


{{See also|List of airports in Kentucky}}
On August 27, 2006, Kentucky's ] in ] was the site of a crash that killed 47 passengers and 2 crew members aboard a ] designated ], or Delta Air Lines Flight 5191, sometimes mistakenly identified by the press as Comair Flight 5191.<ref></ref> The lone survivor was the flight's ], James Polehinke, who doctors determined to be brain damaged and unable to recall the crash at all.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/03/national/main2059120.shtml |title=Comair Crash Survivor Leaves Hospital |accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=CBS |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>

Kentucky's primary airports include ] (Standiford Field (SDF)) of ], ] (CVG) of ]/], and ] (LEX) in ]. Louisville International Airport is home to ]'s ], its international air-sorting hub.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flylouisville.com/about-the-airport/ |title=Fast Facts |access-date=September 11, 2007 |publisher=Louisville International Airport |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920170324/https://www.flylouisville.com/about-the-airport/ |archive-date=September 20, 2012 }}</ref> Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is the largest airport in the state, and is a focus city for passenger airline ] and headquarters of its ]. The airport is one of ]'s three super-hubs, serving destinations throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, making it the 7th busiest airport in the U.S. and 36th in the world based on passenger and cargo operations.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} CVG is also a focus city for ] and is the largest O&D airport and base for ], along with home to a maintenance for ] subsidiary ] and ] subsidiary ]. There are also a number of regional airports scattered across the state.

On August 27, 2006, Blue Grass Airport was the site of a crash that killed 47 passengers and 2{{spaces}}crew members aboard a ] designated ], or Delta Air Lines Flight 5191, sometimes mistakenly identified by the press as Comair Flight 5191.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/special_packages/crash/15378422.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061105013158/http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/special_packages/crash/15378422.htm |archive-date=November 5, 2006 |title=Crash Kills 49 |date=November 5, 2006 |access-date=December 7, 2011}}</ref> The lone survivor was the flight's ], James Polehinke, who doctors determined to be brain damaged and unable to recall the crash at all.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/comair-crash-survivor-leaves-hospital/ |title=Comair Crash Survivor Leaves Hospital |access-date=May 1, 2007 |publisher=CBS |date=October 3, 2006 |archive-date=December 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061203025058/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/03/national/main2059120.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
], the only manmade section of the ]]]


===Water=== ===Water===

], the only man made section of the ]]]
Being bounded by the two largest rivers in North America, water transportation has historically played a major role in Kentucky's economy. Most barge traffic on Kentucky waterways consists of coal that is shipped from both the Eastern and Western Coalfields, about half of which is used locally to power many power plants located directly off the ], with the rest being exported to other countries, most notably Japan. As the state is bounded by two of the largest rivers in North America, water transportation has historically played a major role in Kentucky's economy. Louisville was a major port for steamships in the nineteenth century. Today, most barge traffic on Kentucky waterways consists of coal that is shipped from both the Eastern and Western Coalfields, about half of which is used locally to power many power plants located directly off the ], with the rest being exported to other countries, most notably Japan.


Many of the largest ports in the United States are located in or adjacent to Kentucky, including: Many of the largest ports in the United States are located in or adjacent to Kentucky, including:
*Huntington/Tri-State (includes Ashland, KY), largest inland port and 7th largest overall * ] (includes ]), largest ] and 7th largest overall
*Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky, 5th largest inland port and 43rd overall * Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky, 5th largest inland port and 43rd overall
*Louisville-Southern Indiana, 7th largest inland port and 55th overall * Louisville-Southern Indiana, 7th largest inland port and 55th overall


As a state, Kentucky ranks 10th overall in port tonnage.<ref></ref><ref></ref> As a state, Kentucky ranks 10th overall in port tonnage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/pdf/inlandport03f.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825064009/http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/pdf/inlandport03f.pdf |archive-date=August 25, 2009 |title=Top 20 Inland U.S. Ports for 2003 |access-date=December 7, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/portton01.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502153836/http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/portton01.htm |archive-date=May 2, 2010 |title=CY 2001 Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports by Port Tons |date=May 2, 2010 |access-date=December 7, 2011}}</ref>


The only natural obstacle along the entire length of the Ohio River was the ], located just west of ]. The only natural obstacle along the entire length of the Ohio River is the ], located just west of ].


==Subdivisions and settlements== ==Law and government==
===Counties===
{{see also|List of counties in Kentucky|Fiscal Court}}


{{Further|Government of Kentucky}}
Kentucky is subdivided into 120 ], the largest being ] at 787.6 square miles, and the most populous being ] (the county containing ]) with 693,604 residents as of 2000.<ref>, University of Kentucky</ref>


Kentucky is one of four U.S. states to officially use the term ''].'' The term was used for Kentucky as it had also been used by Virginia, from which Kentucky was created. The term has no particular significance in its meaning and was chosen to emphasize the distinction from the status of royal colonies as a place governed for the general welfare of the populace.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525150528/http://www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/kentucky.html |date=May 25, 2012 }}, Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer, ] website.</ref> Kentucky was originally styled as the "State of Kentucky" in the act admitting it to the Union and its first constitution.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/1st-congress.php|title=Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America|author=United States Congress|website=Statutes at Large: 1st Congress|date=September 2014|page=189|access-date=June 4, 2017|archive-date=May 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507145334/http://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/1st-congress.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
County government, under the ] of 1891, is vested in the ]), (formerly called the County Judge) who serves as the ] head of the county, and a ] called a ]. Despite the unusual name, the Fiscal Court no longer has ] functions.


The "Commonwealth" term was used in citizen petitions submitted between 1786 and 1792 for the creation of the state.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kentucky|url=https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/kentucky|access-date=June 23, 2021|website=HISTORY|language=en|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620153533/https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/kentucky|url-status=live}}</ref> It was also used in the title of a history of the state that was published in 1834 and was used in various places within that book in references to Virginia and Kentucky.<ref>Butler, Mann, '''', Wilcox, Dickerman & Co., 1834.</ref> The other three states officially called "commonwealths" are ], ], and ]; the territories of ] and the ] are also formally commonwealths.
===Consolidated city-county governments===

Kentucky's two most populous counties, Jefferson and Fayette, have their ]. ''Louisville-Jefferson County Government'' (]) and ''Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government'' (]) are unique in that their city councils and county Fiscal Court structures have been merged into a single entity with a single ], the ] and Urban County Mayor, respectively. Although the counties still exist as subdivisions of the state, in reference the names Louisville and Lexington are used to refer to the entire area coextensive with the former cities and counties. Somewhat incongruously, when entering Lexington-Fayette the highway signs reads "Fayette County" while most signs leading into Louisville-Jefferson simply read "Welcome to Louisville Metro."
Kentucky is one of only five states that elect their state officials in odd-numbered years (the others being ], ], ], and ]). Kentucky holds elections for these offices every four years in the years preceding Presidential election years. Thus, Kentucky held gubernatorial elections in 2015, 2019 and 2023.

===Executive branch===

]]]

The executive branch is headed by the ], who serves as both ] and ]. The ] may or may not have executive authority depending on whether the person is a member of the Governor's ]. Under the current ], the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of the governor only if the governor is incapacitated. (Before 1992 the lieutenant governor assumed power any time the governor was out of the state.) The governor and lieutenant governor usually run on a single ticket (also per a 1992 constitutional amendment) and are elected to four-year terms. The current governor is ], and the lieutenant governor is ]. Both are ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/357f0e6196414923acee9ee7aebdf8b8|title=Beshear set for 'next chapter' as Bevin concedes in Kentucky|date=November 14, 2019|website=AP NEWS|access-date=November 19, 2019|archive-date=November 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117002146/https://apnews.com/357f0e6196414923acee9ee7aebdf8b8|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/matt-bevin-concedes-defeat-in-kentucky-governors-race/2019/11/14/42fc0ea7-2d26-4f87-9856-07f6c701ad7b_video.html|title=Matt Bevin concedes defeat in Kentucky governor's race|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=November 19, 2019|archive-date=November 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115232142/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/matt-bevin-concedes-defeat-in-kentucky-governors-race/2019/11/14/42fc0ea7-2d26-4f87-9856-07f6c701ad7b_video.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The executive branch is organized into the following "cabinets", each headed by a secretary who is also a member of the governor's cabinet:<ref>{{cite web|title=Organizational Charts|work=Kentucky Personnel|publisher=Kentucky Personnel Cabinet|access-date=December 23, 2020|url=https://personnel.ky.gov/Pages/OrgCharts.aspx|archive-date=January 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101151723/https://personnel.ky.gov/Pages/OrgCharts.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

* General Government Cabinet
* ]
* Cabinet for Economic Development
* Finance and Administration Cabinet
* Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet
* Education and Workforce Development Cabinet
* Cabinet for Health and Family Services
* ]
* Personnel Cabinet
* Labor Cabinet
* ]
* Public Protection Cabinet

The cabinet system was introduced in 1972 by Governor ] to consolidate hundreds of government entities that reported directly to the governor's office.<ref>{{cite book|title=Kentucky Government, Politics, and Public Policy|editor1-first=James C.|editor1-last=Clinger|editor2-first=Michael W.|editor2-last=Hail|location=Lexington, Kentucky|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|date=October 8, 2013|page=70|isbn=978-0-8131-4315-6|quote=By 1972 Governor Wendell Ford found himself in a situation similar to that of Governor ] thirty-six years earlier. At this time the executive branch had grown to over 60 departments and agencies and 210 boards and commissions falling under the jurisdiction of the governor. Governor Ford issued a reorganization report creating six cabinet departments and a framework for an executive branch that would be more manageable and accountable. As of 2012, this has grown to eleven cabinet departments with three additional cabinet-rank members under the office of Governor ]. Each cabinet agency is headed by a secretary who serves at the will of the governor.}}</ref>

Other elected constitutional offices include the ], ], Auditor of Public Accounts, ] and Commissioner of Agriculture. Currently, Republican ] serves as the Secretary of State. The commonwealth's chief prosecutor, law enforcement officer, and law officer is the Attorney General, currently Republican ]. The Auditor of Public Accounts is Republican ]. Republican ] is the current Treasurer. Republican ] is the current ].

===Legislative branch===
]
Kentucky's legislative branch consists of a ] body known as the ]. The ] is considered the ]. It has 38 members and is led by the ], currently ] (]). The ] has 100 members, and is led by the Speaker of the House, currently ] of the Republican Party.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wlky.com/article/kentucky-house-speaker-jeff-hoover-resigns-as-speaker-of-the-house/13304171|title=Representative Jeff Hoover resigns as Speaker of the House|last=Shaw|first=Courtney|date=November 6, 2017|work=WLKY|access-date=September 22, 2018|archive-date=September 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923005843/https://www.wlky.com/article/kentucky-house-speaker-jeff-hoover-resigns-as-speaker-of-the-house/13304171|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2016, Republicans won control of the House for the first time since 1922. The party currently holds supermajorities in both chambers.<ref name="Hoover">{{cite web|url=http://www.wave3.com/story/34171035/jeff-hoover-becomes-kentuckys-first-republican-house-speaker-in-96-years|title=Jeff Hoover becomes Kentucky's first Republican House Speaker in 96 years|last=Boyd|first=Gordon|date=January 3, 2017|publisher=]|access-date=January 21, 2017|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202002236/http://www.wave3.com/story/34171035/jeff-hoover-becomes-kentuckys-first-republican-house-speaker-in-96-years|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Judicial branch===

The judicial branch of Kentucky is called the Kentucky Court of Justice<ref>{{cite web|url=http://courts.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx|title=Kentucky Court of Justice – Home|access-date=January 21, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107014242/https://courts.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> and comprises courts of ] called District Courts; courts of general jurisdiction called ]; specialty courts such as Drug Court<ref>{{cite web|url=http://courts.ky.gov/courtprograms/drugcourt/Pages/default.aspx|title=Adult Drug Court – Kentucky Drug Court: Saving Costs, Saving Lives|access-date=January 21, 2017|archive-date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119181832/http://courts.ky.gov/courtprograms/drugcourt/Pages/default.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Family Court;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://courts.ky.gov/courts/familycourt/Pages/default.aspx|title=Family Court|access-date=January 21, 2017|archive-date=January 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121174533/http://courts.ky.gov/courts/familycourt/Pages/default.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> an intermediate appellate court, the ]; and a court of last resort, the ].

The Kentucky Court of Justice is headed by the ] of the Commonwealth. The chief justice is appointed by, and is an elected member of, the Supreme Court of Kentucky. The current chief justice is ].

Unlike federal judges, who are usually appointed, justices serving on Kentucky state courts are chosen by the state's populace in non-partisan elections.

===Federal representation===

]]]

Kentucky's two ] are Senate Minority Leader ] and ], both Republicans. The state is divided into six ], represented by Republicans ] (]), ] (]), ] (]), ] (]) and ] (]) and Democrat ] (]).

In the federal judiciary, Kentucky is served by two ]s: the ], with its primary seat in Lexington, and the ], with its primary seat in Louisville. Appeals are heard in the ], based in ], Ohio.

===Law===

]]]

Kentucky's body of laws, known as the ] (KRS), were enacted in 1942 to better organize and clarify the whole of Kentucky law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/statrev/revoff.htm |title=Reviser of Statutes Office – History and Functions |publisher=Kentucky Legislative Research Commission |access-date=December 27, 2006 |archive-date=February 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206205857/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/statrev/revoff.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The statutes are enforced by local ], ] and deputy sheriffs, and ]s and deputy constables. Unless they have completed a ] elsewhere, these officers are required to complete Police Officer Professional Standards (POPS) training at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training Center on the campus of ] in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docjt.jus.state.ky.us/history.html |title=History of the DOCJT |publisher=Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice |access-date=December 27, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060323200601/http://docjt.jus.state.ky.us/history.html |archive-date=March 23, 2006 }}</ref> Additionally, in 1948, the ] established the ], making it the 38th state to create a force whose jurisdiction extends throughout the given state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org/history.htm |title=History of the Kentucky State Police |publisher=Kentucky State Police |access-date=December 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206002358/http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org/history.htm |archive-date=December 6, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Kentucky is one of the ] that sanctions the ] for certain murders defined as heinous. Those convicted of capital crimes after March 31, 1998, are always executed by ]; those convicted on or before this date may opt for the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution#state |title=Authorized Methods of Execution by State |publisher=Death Penalty Information Center |access-date=December 28, 2006 |archive-date=February 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225054450/http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution#state |url-status=live }}</ref> Only ] have been executed in Kentucky since the ] re-instituted the practice in 1976. The most notable execution in Kentucky was that of ] on August 14, 1936. Bethea was publicly hanged in ] for the ] and murder of Lischia Edwards.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kypost.com/2001/jun/11/bethea061101.html |title=The Last Public Execution in America |work=]|last=Long |first=Paul A. |date=June 11, 2001 |access-date=December 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060117233210/http://www.kypost.com/2001/jun/11/bethea061101.html |archive-date=January 17, 2006}}</ref> Irregularities with the execution led to this becoming the last public execution in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/apr/010430.execution.html |title=The Last Public Execution in America |publisher=] |last=Montagne |first=Renee |date=May 1, 2001 |access-date=December 27, 2006 |archive-date=August 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808204951/https://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/apr/010430.execution.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kentucky has been on the front lines of the debate over displaying the ] on public property. In the 2005 case of '']'', the ] upheld the decision of the ] that a display of the ] in the ] courthouse of ] was unconstitutional.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-1693.ZS.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616194116/http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-1693.ZS.html |archive-date=June 16, 2009 |title=''McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky'' |publisher=] Law School |access-date=December 27, 2006}}</ref> Later that year, Judge ], writing for the ] in the case of ''] of Kentucky v. ]'', wrote that a display including the ], the ], the ], ], '']'', and the ] could be erected in the ] courthouse.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/05a0477p-06.pdf |title=Text of decision in ''ACLU of Kentucky v. Mercer County'' |access-date=December 27, 2006 |archive-date=December 6, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206084948/http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/05a0477p-06.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kentucky has been known to have unusually high political candidacy age laws, especially compared to surrounding states. The origin of this is unknown.

===Politics===
{{Further|Political party strength in Kentucky}}
] of the popular vote by county, 2016 presidential election]]

Since the late 1990s, Kentucky has supported ] candidates for most federal political offices, and, more recently, for state-level office as well. The state leaned toward the ] from 1860 through the 1990s, and was considered a ] at the presidential level for most of the latter half of the 20th century.

The southeastern region of the state aligned with the ] during the war and has consistently supported Republican candidates. The central and western portions of the state were heavily Democratic in the years leading to the Civil War, were pro-secessionist and pro-Confederate during the Civil War, and in the decades following the war. Kentucky was part of the Democratic ] in the second half of the nineteenth century and through the majority of the twentieth century.

Mirroring a broader national reversal of party composition, the Kentucky Democratic Party of the twenty-first century primarily consists of liberal whites, African Americans, and other minorities. Although most of the state's voters have reliably elected Republican candidates for federal office since the late 1990s, Democrats held an advantage in party registration until 2022. On July 15, 2022, the ]'s office announced that for the first time in its history, the commonwealth had more registered ] than registered Democrats, with 45.19% of the state's voters registered as Republicans, 45.12% registered as Democrats, and 9.69% registered with ] or as independents.<ref name="kypartyreg">{{cite web|url=https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Documents/voterstatscounty-20220115-075312.pdf|title=Election Statistics Registration Statistics|website=elect.ky.gov|access-date=January 19, 2022|archive-date=January 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119190209/https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Documents/voterstatscounty-20220115-075312.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1964 through 2004, Kentucky voted for the eventual winner of the election for President of the United States; however, in the ] the state lost its ] status. Republican ] won Kentucky, but he lost the national popular and electoral vote to Democrat ] (McCain carried Kentucky 57% to 41%). 116 of Kentucky's 120 counties supported former ] Governor ] in the 2012 election while he lost to Barack Obama nationwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/president/kentucky/|title=2012 Kentucky Presidential Results|website=POLITICO|access-date=June 25, 2016|archive-date=June 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623182920/http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/president/kentucky/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/map/#/President/2012/|title=2012 Election Results Map by State – Live Voting Updates|last=POLITICO|website=POLITICO|access-date=June 25, 2016|archive-date=June 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627220942/http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/map/#/President/2012/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Voters in the Commonwealth have supported the previous three Democratic candidates elected to the White House in the late 20th century, all from Southern states: ] (]) in 1964, ] (]) in 1976, and ] (]) in 1992 and 1996. In the twenty-first century presidential elections, the state has become a Republican stronghold, supporting that party's presidential candidates by double-digit margins from 2000 through 2020. At the same time, voters have continued to elect Democratic candidates to state and local offices in many jurisdictions.

] is notable for having held the longest streak of any county in the United States voting Democratic. Founded in 1869, Elliott County supported the Democratic nominee in every presidential election from ] (the first in which it participated) until ]. In ], ] became the first Republican to ever carry the county, and he did so in a 44-point landslide, highlighting the modern Republican Party's dominance among rural whites and many ancestrally Democratic, socially-conservative voters.

Kentucky is one of the most ] states in the United States. A 2014 poll conducted by ] found that 57% of Kentucky's population thought that ] should be illegal in all/most cases, while only 36% thought that abortion should be legal in all/most cases.<ref>{{cite web|title=Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics|url=https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/compare/views-about-abortion/by/state/|access-date=April 17, 2021|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|archive-date=April 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411213946/https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/compare/views-about-abortion/by/state/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a 2020 study, Kentucky was ranked as the 8th hardest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free }}</ref>


{| class="wikitable"
===Cities and towns===
<div style="float:right; padding-left:12px;">
{| class="wikitable"
! 15 Largest Cities<ref name="census1">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-01.csv |title=Census Population Estimates for 2006 - Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000 |accessdate=2007-07-01 |publisher=US Census}}</ref><ref name="census2">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-04-21.csv |title=Census Population Estimates for 2006 - Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky |accessdate=2007-07-01 |publisher=US Census}}</ref>!! 2006 Population
|- |-
! colspan="6" | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 2024<ref name=KYSBE>{{cite web|url=https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Pages/Registration-Statistics.aspx|title=Registration Statistics|publisher=Kentucky State Board of Elections|date=February 2023|access-date=December 19, 2017|archive-date=November 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106154714/https://elect.ky.gov/Resources/Pages/Registration-Statistics.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
| ] || 557,789
|- |-
! colspan="2" | Party
| ] || 279,044
! Number of voters
! Percentage
|- |-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| ] || 55,398
| ]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1,659,088
| style="text-align:center;" | 46.76%
|- |-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| ] || 54,244
| ]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1,508,617
| style="text-align:center;" | 42.52%
|- |-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| ] || 43,062
| Other
| style="text-align:center;" | 213,506
| style="text-align:center;" | 6.02%
|- |-
| {{party color cell|Independent politician}}
| ] || 32,333
| Independent
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 166,925
| ] || 31,638
| style="text-align:center;" | 4.70%
|- |-
! colspan="2" | Total
| ] || 27,768
! style="text-align:center;" | 3,548,136
|-
! style="text-align:center;" | 100.00%
| ] || 27,281
|-
| ] || 27,098
|-
| ] || 26,152
|-
| ] || 25,845
|-
| ] || 25,539
|-
| ] || 23,777
|-
| ] || 21,933
|} |}
</div>
{{see also|List of cities in Kentucky}}


==Culture==
The Greater ] has a 2006 estimated population of 554,496, while the ] (CSA) has a population of 1,356,798; including 1,003,025 in Kentucky, which is nearly 1/4 of the state's population. Since 2000 over 1/3 of the state's population growth has occurred in the Louisville CSA. In addition, the top 28 wealthiest places in Kentucky are in Jefferson County and seven of the 15 wealthiest counties in the state are located in the Louisville CSA.<ref></ref>
{{Main|Culture of Kentucky}}
{{See also|Theater in Kentucky|Performing arts in Louisville, Kentucky|List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area}}
]]]


Kentucky culture is firmly ], and influenced by that of ]. The state is known for ] and ] distilling, ], ], and ]. Kentucky is more similar to the ] in terms of ancestry that is predominantly American.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040920132346/http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 20, 2004 |title=Ancestry 2000: Census 2000 Brief |author1=Brittingham, Angela |author2=de la Cruz, G. Patricia |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=June 28, 2007 |date=June 2004 }}</ref>
The second largest city is Lexington with a 2006 census estimated population of 270,789 and its ], which includes the ] and ] statistical areas, having a population of 645,006. The ] area (the seven Kentucky counties in the ] CSA) had an estimated population of 408,783 in 2006. The metropolitan areas of Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky have a combined population of 2,169,394 as of 2006, which is 51.5% of the state's total population.


Nevertheless, during the 19th century, Kentucky did receive a substantial number of German immigrants, who settled mostly in the Midwest and parts of the Upper South, along the Ohio River primarily in Louisville, Covington and Newport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kygermanscw.yolasite.com/the-story.php |title=Kentucky's German Americans in the Civil War |publisher=Kygermanscw.yolasite.com |access-date=July 2, 2010 |archive-date=June 3, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603023147/http://kygermanscw.yolasite.com/the-story.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Only Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia have higher German ancestry percentages than Kentucky among Census-defined Southern states, although Kentucky's percentage is closer to Arkansas and Virginia's than the previously named state's percentages. ]s, ]s and ]s have heavily influenced Kentucky culture, and are present in every part of the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/maps/map.asp?state=101&variable=494 |title=2000 Census: Percent Reporting Any German Ancestry |access-date=July 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234406/http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/maps/map.asp?state=101&variable=494 |archive-date=September 26, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of the 1980s the only counties in the United States where more than half the population cited "English" as their only ancestry group were all in the hills of eastern Kentucky (and made up virtually every county in this region).<ref name="Eugene James Turner 1988"/>
The two other fast growing urban areas in Kentucky are the ] area and the "Tri Cities Region" of southeastern Kentucky, comprising ], ], and ].


Kentucky was a ], and Black people once composed over one-quarter of its population; however, it lacked the ] plantation system though it did support significant and large scale tobacco ] systems in the western and central parts of the state more similar to the plantations developed in Virginia and North Carolina than those in the Deep South, and never had the same high percentage of African Americans as most other slave states. While less than 8% of the total population is Black, Kentucky has a relatively significant rural African American population in the Central and Western areas of the state.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://srdc.msstate.edu/poverty/ppts/cromartie.ppt| title = High Poverty in the Rural U.S. and South: Progress and Persistence in the 1990s| access-date=June 28, 2007| author = Beale, Calvin| date = July 21, 2004| format = PowerPoint| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070626232430/http://srdc.msstate.edu/poverty/ppts/cromartie.ppt| archive-date = June 26, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://srdc.msstate.edu/poverty/ppts/womack.ppt |title=The American Black Belt Region: A Forgotten Place |access-date=June 28, 2007 |author=Womack, Veronica L. |date=July 23, 2004 |format=PowerPoint |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626232429/http://srdc.msstate.edu/poverty/ppts/womack.ppt |archive-date=June 26, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.bowdoin.edu/~prael/branch/ex1/m4-black-belt.jpg| title = Identifying the "Black Belt" of Cash-Crop Production| access-date = June 28, 2007| author = Unknown| format = JPEG Image| publisher = Bowdoin College| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070628062351/http://www.bowdoin.edu/~prael/branch/ex1/m4-black-belt.jpg| archive-date = June 28, 2007| url-status = dead}}</ref>
The largest county in Kentucky, is Pike, which contains Pikeville, home of Hillbilly Days. It also contains the small towns of Elkhorn City, South Williamson, and Coal Run.


Kentucky adopted the ] system of ] in most public spheres after the Civil War. Louisville's 1914 ordinance for residential racial segregation was ]. However, in 1908 Kentucky enacted the ], "An Act to Prohibit White and Colored Persons from Attending the Same School", which Berea College ]. In 1948, ] filed suit for admission to the ]; as a result, nearly thirty African American students entered UK graduate and professional programs in the summer of 1949.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/145|title=Desegregation of UK – ExploreKYHistory|website=ExploreKYHistory|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830195253/http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/145|url-status=live}}</ref> Kentucky integrated its schools after the 1954 '']'' verdict, later adopting the first state civil rights act in the South in 1966.<ref>{{cite web
Although only one town in the "Tri Cities", namely Somerset, currently has more than 10,000 people, the area has been experiencing heightened population and job growth since the 1990s. Growth has been especially rapid in Laurel County, which outgrew areas such as Scott and Jessamine counties around Lexington or Shelby and Nelson Counties around Louisville. London is currently on pace to double its population in the 2000s from 5,692 in 2000 to 10,879 in 2010. London also landed a ] distribution center in 1997, bringing thousands of jobs to the community.
|title=Kentucky OK's Rights Bill; 1st in South
|quote=Kentucky yesterday became the first state south of the ] to adopt a civil rights measure. With only one dissenting vote, the state Senate approval a bill outlawing racial discrimination in public accommodations and employment that is stronger than the federal act of 1964. It sailed through the House 76 to 12 last week. A milder bill had failed to get out of committee in 1964{{spaces}}... Governor ] said he would sign the measure tomorrow at the base of ]'s status in the capitol rotunda.
|date=January 26, 1966
|author=Chicago Tribune
|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1966/01/26/page/8/article/kentucky-oks-rights-bill-1st-in-south
|author-link=Chicago Tribune
|access-date=July 9, 2017
|archive-date=August 31, 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831000112/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1966/01/26/page/8/article/kentucky-oks-rights-bill-1st-in-south/
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
] is the largest Victorian Historic neighborhood in the United States.]]


Kentucky commemorates ] but added Juneteenth as a holiday by proclamation of Governor Andy Beshear in 2024. The biggest day in American horse racing, the ], is preceded by the two-week ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kdf.org/ |title=Derby Festival Home Page |access-date=May 13, 2011 |archive-date=February 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211120931/http://kdf.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in Louisville. The Derby Festival features many events, including Thunder Over Louisville, the Pegasus Parade, the Great Steamboat Race, Fest-a-Ville, the Chow Wagon, BalloonFest, BourbonVille, and many others leading up to the big race.
In northeast Kentucky, the greater ] area is an important transportation, manufacturing, and medical center. ] and ] production, as well as the transport of coal by rail and ], have been historical pillars of the region's economy. Due to a decline in the area's industrial base, Ashland has seen a sizable reduction in its population since 1990. The population of the area has since stabilized, however, with the medical service industry taking a greater role in the local economy. The Ashland area, including the counties of ] and ], are part of the ] (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. About 20,000 of those people reside within the city limits of Ashland.


Louisville also plays host to the ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kystatefair.org/ |title=Kentucky State Fair |access-date=December 25, 2006 |archive-date=December 15, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215111620/http://kystatefair.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kyshakespeare.com/ |title=Kentucky Shakespeare Festival Home Page |access-date=December 25, 2006 |archive-date=March 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310085940/http://www.kyshakespeare.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ], the state's third-largest city and home to the ] that manufactures the ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bg.ky.net/Corvette/newera.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227111243/http://bg.ky.net/Corvette/newera.htm |archive-date=December 27, 2007 |title=National Corvette Museum press release |access-date=December 25, 2006}}</ref> opened the ] in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.corvettemuseum.org/ |title=National Corvette Museum Home Page |access-date=December 25, 2006 |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509073653/http://www.corvettemuseum.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The fourth-largest city, ], gives credence to its nickname of "Barbecue Capital of the World" by hosting the annual ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbqfest.com/ |title=Home Page of the International Barbecue Festival |access-date=December 25, 2006 |archive-date=February 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224220704/http://bbqfest.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Only three US states have capitals with smaller populations than Kentucky's ] (pop. 27,408), those being ] (pop. 18,560), ] (pop. 13,876), and ] (pop. 8,035).
<center><gallery>
Image:N38316642 31380476 4196.jpg|Population is centered along and between interstates ] and ].
Image:LouisvilleNightSkyline2-small.jpg|] is the state's largest city with a metro population of 1.2 million.
Image:PhotodowntownLexKY.JPG|] is the state's second largest city with a metro population of around 500,000.
Image:Picture 127CovSky08.jpg|Although ] only has a population of 42,000, the Kentucky side of the ] has a population of over 450,000.
Image:Picture 124NewportKYwaterfrnt.jpg|Newport's Aquarium and waterfront
</gallery></center>


], the largest ] district in the United States featuring ] and the third largest overall,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/southeast/ky_stories/0305/09lvgetaway.html |title=Stately Mansions Grace Old Louisville |publisher=] |access-date=December 25, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060422111720/http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/southeast/ky_stories/0305/09lvgetaway.html |archive-date=April 22, 2006 }}</ref> hosts the ], the largest outdoor art show in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stjamescourtartshow.com/ |title=St. James Court Art Show Home Page |access-date=December 25, 2006 |archive-date=January 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112212356/http://www.stjamescourtartshow.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The neighborhood was also home to the ] (1883–1887), which featured the first public display of ]'s ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/6AD56B4B-7551-4E34-AE5B-E067472C503E/0/October_2004.pdf |title=The Heart Line |publisher=Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service |access-date=December 25, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926112913/https://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/6AD56B4B-7551-4E34-AE5B-E067472C503E/0/October_2004.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2006 }}</ref> and was the setting of ]'s novel, '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldlouisville.com/literature/ |title=Old Louisville and Literature |access-date=December 25, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061224022716/http://www.oldlouisville.com/Literature/ |archive-date=December 24, 2006 }}</ref>
==Education==
] is Kentucky's flagship university]]
] is Kentucky's urban research university]]
{{main| Education in Kentucky}}
{{see also|List of colleges and universities in Kentucky|List of high schools in Kentucky|List of school districts in Kentucky}}


] was the birthplace of ], who would become President of the ]; the town had the Jefferson Davis Memorial, a 351-foot concrete obelisk, built in 1917. ], the birthplace of ], hosts the annual Lincoln Days Celebration, and also hosted the kick-off for the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration in February 2008. ] celebrates its heritage as a major bourbon-producing region with the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kybourbonfestival.com/ |title=Kentucky Bourbon Festival Home Page |access-date=December 25, 2006 |archive-date=December 28, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061228073210/http://www.kybourbonfestival.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ] mimics ], Scotland by hosting the ], its own version of the ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glasgowhighlandgames.com/ |title=Glasgow, Kentucky Highland Games Home Page |access-date=December 25, 2006 |archive-date=December 24, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061224082919/http://www.glasgowhighlandgames.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ] hosts "Little Sturgis", a mini version of ]'s annual ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.littlesturgisrally.net/ |title=Little Sturgis Rally Home Page |access-date=December 25, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223053331/http://littlesturgisrally.net/ |archive-date=December 23, 2006 }}</ref>
Kentucky maintains eight public four-year colleges and universities. The two major research institutions are the ], which is part of the land grant system, and the ]. Both combine for over 99% of ] in the system and rank first or second in academic rankings and average ACT scores in the state system.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} The other six colleges in the state system are regional universities.


The state is famous for quilts. The ] is in Paducah. It hosts QuiltWeek, an annual competition and celebration of that attracts artists and hobbyists from the world of quilting.<ref>Linda Elisabeth LaPinta, ''Kentucky Quilts and Quiltmakers: Three Centuries of Creativity, Community, and Commerce'' (University Press of Kentucky, 2023) .</ref>
The state's sixteen public two-year colleges have been governed by the ] since the passage of the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997, commonly referred to as House Bill 1.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/recarch/97ss/HB1/bill.doc |title=Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997 |accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=State of Kentucky |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}
</ref> Prior to the passage of House Bill 1, most of these colleges were under the control of the ].


] celebrates an original Kentucky creation, ], with its ] held annually in June.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beercheesefestival.com/bcf/|title=HOME|website=Beer Cheese Festival|access-date=February 5, 2019|archive-date=October 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019213055/http://www.beercheesefestival.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Beer Cheese was developed in ] at some point in the 1940s along the Kentucky River.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPl2CQAAQBAJ&q=origins+of+beer+cheese&pg=PT134|title=A Culinary History of Kentucky: Burgoo, Beer Cheese and Goetta|isbn=9781625847478|last1=Young-Brown|first1=Fiona|date=April 1, 2014|publisher=Arcadia|access-date=November 14, 2020|archive-date=April 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401192303/https://books.google.com/books?id=KPl2CQAAQBAJ&q=origins+of+beer+cheese&pg=PT134#v=snippet&q=origins%20of%20beer%20cheese&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
], located at the extreme southern edge of the Bluegrass below the Cumberland Plateau, was the first coeducational college in the ] to admit both black and white students, doing so from its very establishment in 1855.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diversityweb.org/digest/vol10no1/mendel.cfm |title=Berea College:Learning, Labor, and Service |accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Diversity Web |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}
</ref> This policy was successfully challenged in the ] in the case of '']'' in 1908.<ref></ref> This decision effectively segregated Berea until the landmark '']'' in 1954.


The residents of tiny ] pay tribute to their favorite tuber, the ], by hosting ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/ky/tater_1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061227214402/http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/ky/tater_1 |archive-date=December 27, 2006 |title=Tater Day Festival A Local Legacy |access-date=December 25, 2006}}</ref> Residents of ] in ] celebrate their city's ties to the honey industry by celebrating the Clarkson Honeyfest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.honeyfest.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513044539/http://www.honeyfest.com/ |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |title=Clarkson Honeyfest home page |access-date=May 12, 2007}}</ref> The Clarkson Honeyfest is held the last Thursday, Friday and Saturday in September, and is the "Official State Honey Festival of Kentucky".
Kentucky has been the site of much educational reform over the past two decades. In 1989, the ] ruled that the state's education system was unconstitutional.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=RecordDetails&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED327352&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&objectId=0900000b8004b71c |title=A Guide to the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 |accessdate=2007-05-01 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Education Resources Information Center |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> The response of the ] was passage of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) the following year. Years later, Kentucky has shown progress, but most agree that further reform is needed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kltprc.net/foresight/Chpt_37.htm |title=Education Reform and Equitable Excellence: The Kentucky Experiment |accessdate=2007-05-01 |last=Roeder |first=Phillip |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>


==Culture== ===Music===
] is the largest Victorian Historic neighborhood in the United States.]]
{{see also|Theater in Kentucky}}
Although Kentucky's culture is generally considered to be ], it is unique and also influenced by the ] and ]. The state is known for ] and ] distiling, ], ], and ]. Kentucky is more similar to the ] in terms of ancestry which is predominantly American.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf |title=Ancestry 2000: Census 2000 Brief |author=Brittingham, Angela & de la Cruz, G. Patricia |publisher=United States Census Bureau |format=PDF |dateformat=dmy | accessdate=28 June 2007|month=June | year=2004}}</ref> Neveretheless, during the 19th century, the state Kentucky did receive a substantial number of German and Irish immigrants, who settled primarily in the Midwest. Only Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia, all also border states, have higher German ancestry percentages than Kentucky among Census-defined Southern states.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/maps/map.asp?state=101&variable=494 |title=2000 Census: Percent Reporting Any German Ancestry |accessdate=2007-07-20}}</ref> Kentucky was a ], and blacks once comprised over one-quarter of its population. However, it lacked the ] system and never had the same high percentage of African Americans as most other slave states. With less than 8% of its current population being black, Kentucky is rarely included in modern-day definitions of the ], despite a relatively significant rural African American population in the Central and Western areas of the state.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://srdc.msstate.edu/poverty/ppts/cromartie.ppt
| title = High Poverty in the Rural U.S. and South: Progress and Persistence in the 1990s
| dateformat = dmy | accessdate=28 June 2007
| author = Beale, Calvin
| date = 21 July 2004
| format = PowerPoint
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://srdc.msstate.edu/poverty/ppts/womack.ppt
| title = The American Black Belt Region: A Forgotten Place
| dateformat = dmy | accessdate=28 June 2007
| author = Womack, Veronica L.
| date = 23 July 2004
| format = PowerPoint
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.bowdoin.edu/~prael/branch/ex1/m4-black-belt.jpg
| title = Identifying the "Black Belt" of Cash-Crop Production
| dateformat = dmy | accessdate=28 June 2007
| author = Unknown
| date =
| format = JPEG Image
| publisher = Bowdoin College
}}</ref>
Kentucky adopted the ] system of racial segregation in most public spheres after the Civil War, but the state never disenfranchised African American citizens to the level of the ] states, and it peacefully integrated its schools after the 1954 ''Brown v. Board of Education'' verdict, later adopting the first state civil rights act in the South in 1966.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554924_12/Kentucky.html |title=Civil Rights and Women's Rights |accessdate=2007-07-20}}</ref>


{{Main|Music of Kentucky}}
The biggest day in horse racing, the ], is preceded by the two-week ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kdf.org/ |title=Kentucky Derby Festival Home Page |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> in Louisville. Louisville also plays host to the ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kystatefair.org/ |title=Kentucky State Fair |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kyshakes.org/ |title=Kentucky Shakespeare Festival Home Page |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> and ]'s annual highlight, the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.natqc.com/ |title=National Quartet Convention Home Page |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> ], Kentucky's third largest city, gives credence to its nickname of "Barbecue Capital of the World" by hosting the annual ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbqfest.com/ |title=Home Page of the International Barbecue Festival |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> ], Kentucky's fifth largest city and home to the ] that manufactures the ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bg.ky.net/Corvette/newera.htm |title=National Corvette Museum press release |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> opened the ] in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.corvettemuseum.com/ |title=National Corvette Museum Home Page |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref>
{{See also|Category:Musicians from Kentucky}}


] is home to Renfro Valley Entertainment Center and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and is known as "Kentucky's Country Music Capital", a designation given it by the Kentucky State Legislature in the late 1980s. The Renfro Valley Barn Dance was where Renfro Valley's musical heritage began, in 1939, and influential country music luminaries like ], ], ] &{{spaces}}the Original ], Martha Carson and many others have performed as regular members of the shows there over the years. The ] is today America's second-oldest continually broadcast radio program of any kind. It is broadcast on local radio station ] and a syndicated network of nearly 200 other stations across the United States and Canada every week.
], the largest ] district in the United States featuring ] and the third largest overall,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/southeast/ky_stories/0305/09lvgetaway.html |title=Stately Mansions Grace Old Louisville |publisher='']'' |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> hosts the ], the largest outdoor art show in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stjamescourtartshow.com/ |title=St. James Court Art Show Home Page |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> The neighborhood was also home to the ] (1883–1887), which featured the first public display of ]'s ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/6AD56B4B-7551-4E34-AE5B-E067472C503E/0/October_2004.pdf |title=The Heart Line |publisher=Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service |accessdate=2006-12-25|format=PDF}}</ref> and was the setting of ]'s novel, '']'' and ]'s comic strip, the "].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oldlouisville.com/literature/ |title=Old Louisville and Literature |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref>
] in ] provides background on the country music artists from Eastern Kentucky.]]


] star ] is a ] native, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers ] are closely connected with ], where older brother Don was born. ], Country and{{spaces}}Western artist known for both his signature "]" guitar playing style, as well as his hit song "]", was also born in ]. Kentucky was also home to ] and ], the ] sisters credited with composing the tune to the ditty ] in 1893; ] (]), ] and ] of the ], and ] (]).
The more rural communities are not without traditions of their own, however. ], the birthplace of ], hosts the annual Lincoln Days Celebration, and will also host the kick-off for the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration in February 2008. ] celebrates its heritage as a major bourbon-producing region with the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kybourbonfestival.com/ |title=Kentucky Bourbon Festival Home Page |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> (Legend holds that ] minister ] invented bourbon with his black slave in ], but some dispute this claim.)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.straightbourbon.com/articles/ccname.html |title=How Bourbon Whiskey ''Really'' Got Its Famous Name |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> ] mimics ], Scotland by hosting the ], its own version of the ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glasgowhighlandgames.com/ |title=Glasgow, Kentucky Highland Games Home Page |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> and ] hosts "Little Sturgis", a mini version of ]'s annual ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.littlesturgisrally.net/ |title=Little Sturgis Rally Home Page |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> The residents of tiny ] even pay tribute to their favorite tuber, the ], by hosting ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/ky/tater_1 |title=Tater Day Festival A Local Legacy |accessdate=2006-12-25}}</ref> Residents of ] in ] celebrate their city's ties to the honey industry by celebrating the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.honeyfest.com/ |title=Clarkson Honeyfest home page |accessdate=2007-05-12}}</ref> The Clarkson Honeyfest is held the last Thursday, Friday and Saturday in September, and is the "Official State Honey Festival of Kentucky."


However, its depth lies in its signature sound{{snd}}]. ], "The Father of Bluegrass", was born in the small ] town of ], while ], ], ], ], Sonny and ], and ] (who has been compared to Monroe) all hail from Kentucky. The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is located in ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bluegrasshall.org/general/home.php |title=Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum |access-date=November 30, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502142523/http://www.bluegrasshall.org/ |archive-date=May 2, 2009 }}</ref> while the annual ] is held in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.festivalofthebluegrass.com/ |title=Festival of the Bluegrass Home Page |access-date=November 30, 2006 |archive-date=December 7, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207231803/http://www.festivalofthebluegrass.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Music===
{{main|Music of Kentucky}}
{{see also|Category:Kentucky musicians}}
The breadth of music in Kentucky is indeed wide, stretching from the Purchase to the eastern mountains.


Kentucky was also home to famed ] musician ].<ref>{{cite news|last=Voce |first=Steve |title=Obituary: Lionel Hampton |work=] |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020902/ai_n12639955/pg_5 |date=September 2, 2002 |access-date=June 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730173629/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020902/ai_n12639955/pg_5 |archive-date=July 30, 2013 }}</ref> ] legend ] and ] singer ] also spent considerable time in Kentucky. The R&B group ] and Hip-Hop group ] were both formed in Kentucky, as were country acts ], ], ], ], and ]-winning Christian groups ] and ]. ] hails from rural Edmonton. ] bands ], ], ], ], and ] formed in Louisville; indie rock bands ], ], and ] are from Bowling Green. The bluegrass groups Driftwood and Kentucky Rain, along with ] of the pop band ] are also from Kentucky. ] guitarist ] is from ]. Noted singer and actress ] was a native of ], her legacy being celebrated at the annual music festival bearing her name. Noted songwriter and actor ] is from Louisville.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Shteamer|first1=Hank|date=September 27, 2018|title=Will Oldham: My Life in 15 Songs|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/will-oldham-my-life-in-15-songs-723480/|access-date=June 2, 2020|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=June 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622151217/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/will-oldham-my-life-in-15-songs-723480/|url-status=live}}</ref> More recently in the limelight are country artists ], ], ], and ].
] is home to Renfro Valley Entertainment Center and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and is known as "Kentucky's Country Music Capital," a designation given it by the Kentucky State Legislature in the late 1980s. The Renfro Valley Barn Dance was where Renfro Valley's musical heritage began, in 1939, and influential country music luminaries like ], ], Lily May Ledford & the Original Coon Creek Girls, Martha Carson, and many others have performed as regular members of the shows there over the years. The ] is today America's second oldest continually broadcast radio program of any kind. It is broadcast on local radio station ] and a syndicated network of nearly 200 other stations across the United States and Canada every week.


In eastern Kentucky, ] carries on the tradition of ancient ballads and reels developed in historical Appalachia.
] star ] is a ] native, and ]rs ] are closely connected with ], where older brother Don was born. Kentucky was also home to ] and ], the ] sisters credited with composing the tune to the ditty ] in 1893; ] (]), and ] (]). However, its depth lies in its signature sound — ]. ], "The Father of Bluegrass", was born in the small ] town of ], while ], ], ], ], Sonny and ], and ] (who has been compared to Monroe) all hail from Kentucky. The ] is located in ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bluegrass-museum.org/ |title=International Bluegrass Music Museum |accessdate=2006-11-30}}</ref> while the annual ] is held in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.festivalofthebluegrass.com/ |title=Festival of the Bluegrass Home Page |accessdate=2006-11-30}}</ref>


===Literature===
Kentucky is also home to famed ] musician and pioneer, ] (although this has been disputed in recent years).<ref>{{cite web |last = Voce |first = Steve |title = Obituary: Lionel Hampton |publisher=] |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020902/ai_n12639955/pg_5 |date = 2002-09-02 |accessdate = 2007-06-03}}</ref> ] legend ] and ] singer ] also spent considerable time in Kentucky. The pop bands ] and ] were both formed in Kentucky, as were country acts ], ] and ], as well as ]-winning Christian groups ] (rock) and ] (metal).

{{Main|Kentucky literature}}

Kentucky has played a major role in Southern and American literature, producing works that often celebrate the working class, rural life, nature, and explore issues of class, extractive economy, and family. Major works from the state include '']'' (1852) by ], widely seen as one of the impetuses for the American Civil War; ''The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come'' (1908) by ], which was the first novel to sell a million copies in the United States; '']'' by ] (1946), rated as the 36th best ]; ''The Dollmaker'' (1954) by ]; '']'' (1962) by ], which contributed to initiating the U.S. Government's ], and others.

Author ] lived most of his life and wrote most of his books{{snd}}including '']'' (1948), ranked on '']''{{'s}} list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century{{snd}}during his time as a monk at the ] near Bardstown, Kentucky. Author ] is also a native of the state. Since the later part of the 20th century, several writers from Kentucky have published widely read and critically acclaimed books, including: ] (] 1960–), ] (fl. 2001–), ] (fl. 1988–), poet ] (fl. 2001–), and ] (fl. 1988–).

Well-known playwrights from Kentucky include ] (works include '']'', 1983), ] (works include '']'', 1995), and ] (works include '']'', 1992).
]


===Cuisine=== ===Cuisine===
{{main|Cuisine of Kentucky}}
] was first served at Louisville's ]]]
], like much of the state's culture, is unique and is considered to blend elements of both the South and Midwest, given its location between the two regions.<ref></ref><ref></ref> One original Kentucky dish is called the ], a dish normally layered in this order: toasted bread, turkey, bacon, tomatoes and topped with mornay sauce. It was developed at the ] in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brownhotel.com/dining/hot-brown.html |title=Hot Brown Recipe |publisher=] |accessdate=2006-12-18}}</ref> The ] in Louisville is the birthplace of the '']'' cocktail.


{{Main|Cuisine of Kentucky}}
] originated Kentucky Fried Chicken at his service station in Corbin, Kentucky, though the first franchised ] was located in South Salt Lake City, Utah <ref> Jenifer K. Nii (2004). "Colonel's landmark KFC is mashed". Deseret Morning News. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595057690,00.html. Retrieved on October 28 2007.</ref>


Kentucky's cuisine is generally similar to and is a part of traditional southern cooking, although in some areas of the state it can blend elements of both the South and Appalachia, mixing Appalachian with the native Southern cuisine of the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iicaculinary.com/iica-ye2-sem1.htm#ac303 |title=International Institute of Culinary Arts |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106091226/http://www.iicaculinary.com/iica-curr.htm#ac303 |archive-date=January 6, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> One original Kentucky dish is called the ], a dish normally layered in this order: toasted bread, turkey, bacon, tomatoes and topped with ]. It was developed at the ] in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brownhotel.com/dining/hot-brown.html |title=Hot Brown Recipe |publisher=] |access-date=December 18, 2006| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070823065032/http://www.brownhotel.com/dining/hot-brown.html| archive-date = August 23, 2007}}</ref> The ] in Louisville is the birthplace of the ] cocktail. Also, Western Kentucky is known for its own regional style of Southern barbecue. Central Kentucky is the birthplace of ].


], a ], originated ] at his service station in ], though the first franchised ] was located in ].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Henetz|first1=Patty|last2=Nii|first2=Jenifer K.|title=Colonel's landmark KFC is mashed|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/595057690/Colonels-landmark-KFC-is-mashed.html|work=]|access-date=January 14, 2017|date=April 21, 2004|archive-date=January 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113154352/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/595057690/Colonels-landmark-KFC-is-mashed.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Sports==
{{Original research|date=May 2008}}
] hosts the ].]]
{{main|Sports in Kentucky}}
Kentucky is the home of several sports teams such as ]'s Class A ] and AAA ]. They are also home to the ]s ] and several teams in the MCFL. The ] and ] of the ] appear to be interested in making a move up to the "major league" ]. Major league teams in nearby cities, typically have strong fan support depending on the part of the state, with ] teams having strong fan support in South Central and most of Western Kentucky, Nashville and ] teams competing for loyalties in ], ], ] and ] teams predominating in the ] area, and ] teams having strong support in Central and Eastern Kentucky.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} The ] lies across the ] from Cincinnati, which is home to a ] team, the ], and a ] team, the ]. It is not uncommon for fans to park in the city of ] and use the ], locally known as the "Purple People Bridge," to walk to these games in Cincinnati. Many restaurants and stores in Newport rely on business from these fans.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Also, ] in ] is the location for the Bengals' summer training camp.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bengalscamp.com |title=About the camp |publisher= |accessdate=2006-12-18}}</ref>


===Sports===
As in many states, especially those without major league professional sport teams, college athletics are very important. This is especially true of the state's three ] programs, including the ], the ] Hilltoppers, and the ]. The Wildcats, Hilltoppers, and Cardinals are among the most tradition-rich college basketball teams in the United States, combining for nine championships and 22 NCAA Final Fours; and all three are on the lists of total all-time wins, wins per season, and average wins per season. Louisville has also stepped onto the football scene in recent years, with eight straight bowl games, including the 2007 ]. Western Kentucky, the 2002 national champion in Division I-AA football (now ], is currently transitioning to Division I FBS football.


{{Main|Sports in Kentucky}}
] in Louisville was the primary location for training and rehab for ] professional wrestlers from 2000 until February 2008, when WWE ended its relationship with OVW and moved all of its contracted talent to ].
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2014}}
] hosts the ].]]


Kentucky is the home of sports teams such as ]'s Triple-A ] and High-A ]. It is home to the independent ]'s ] and the ]'s ]. The ] and ] of the now-defunct ] had been interested in making a move up to the "major league" ], but nothing has come of those plans.
==State symbols==
{{main|List of Kentucky state insignia}}
{{see also|Flag of Kentucky|Seal of Kentucky}}
{| class="wikitable" width=100%
|-
!width=25%|]
!width=25%|Symbol
!width=25%|]
!width=25%|Year Adopted<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/KYSymbols.htm |title=Kentucky's State Symbols |publisher=Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives |accessdate=2006-12-18}}</ref>
|-
|]
|]
|''Cardinalis cardinalis''
|1926
|-
|]
|]
|''Limenitis archippus''
|1990
|-
|]
|]
|
|2001
|-
|]
|]
|
|2005
|-
|]
|]
|''Micropterus punctulatus''
|2005
|-
|]
|]
|undetermined
|1986
|-
|]
|]
|''Soldiago gigantea''
|1926
|-
|]
|]
|''Rubus allegheniensis''
|2004
|-
|]
|]
|
|1986
|-
|]
|]
|''Poa pratensis''
|Traditional
|-
|]
|'' "Deo gratiam habeamus" ''
("Let us be grateful to God")
|
|2002
|-
|]
|]
|''Equus caballus''
|1996
|-
|]
|]
|
|1998
|-
|Official State Outdoor Musical
|"The ] Story" (now called "Stephen Foster - The Musical")
|
|2002
|-
|]
|]
|
|2001
|-
|]
|"The Bluegrass State"
|
|Traditional
|-
|]
|]
|
|2000
|-
|]
|"Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit"
|
|2004<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kentucky.gov/unbridledspirit/info.htm |title=Unbridled Spirit Information |publisher= |accessdate=2006-12-18 |date=2006-11-20}}</ref>
|-
|]
|]
|
|1990
|-
|]
|]
|''Liriodendron tulipifera''
|1994
|-
|]
|]
|''Sciurus carolinensis''
|1968
|-
|]
|]
(revised version)
|
|1986
|-
|Official State Silverware Pattern
|''Old Kentucky Blue Grass:
The Georgetown Pattern''
|
|1996
|-
|Official State Music
|]
|
|2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/RECORD/07RS/HB71/bill.doc |format=DOC |title=HB71: An act designating bluegrass music as the official state music of Kentucky |publisher=Legislative Research Commission |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>
|-
|}


The ] lies across the ] from Cincinnati, which is home to the ]'s ], ]'s ]. It is not uncommon for fans to park in the city of ] and use the ], locally known as the "Purple People Bridge", to walk to these games in Cincinnati. ] in ] was the location for the Bengals' summer training camp, until it was announced in 2012 that the Bengals would no longer use the facilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bengalscamp.com |title=About the camp |publisher=Georgetown College |access-date=December 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205035939/http://bengalscamp.com/ |archive-date=December 5, 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Official state places and events===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*State arboretum: ]
*State botanical garden: ]
*State Science Center: ]
*State center for celebration of African American heritage: Kentucky Center for African American Heritage
*State honey festival: ] Honeyfest<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/002-00/099.PDF |title=KRS 2.099 - State Honey Festival |publisher=] |format=PDF |accessdate=2006-12-18}}</ref>
*State ]: ] Amphitheater (])
{{col-2}}
*State ] championship: The ] Tug-of-War Championship
*] Capital of Kentucky: ]
*Official ] of Kentucky: Switzer Covered Bridge (])
*Official ] of Kentucky: ] (located in the ] in ])
*Official ]: Louisville Pipe Band
*State ] festival: ], Incorporated, of ]
{{col-end}}
Unless otherwise specified, all state symbol information is taken from .


As in many states, especially those without major league professional sports teams, college athletics are prominent. This is especially true of the state's three Division{{spaces}}I ] (FBS) programs, including the ], the ], and the ]. The ], ], and ] are among the most tradition-rich college men's basketball teams in the United States, combining for 11 National Championships and 24 NCAA Final Fours;{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} all three are high on the lists of total all-time wins, wins per season, and average wins per season.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}
==Gallery==
{{Multiple image
{{cleanup-gallery}}
| image1 = Rupp Arena February 2020.jpg
<center><gallery>
| image2 = The-Yum-Center.jpg
Image:LouisvilleSluggerMusem.jpg|The world famous ] ] is made in Kentucky.
| caption1 =
Image:Kentucky quarter, reverse side, 2001.jpg|Kentucky's ].
| footer = ] enjoys significant popularity in Kentucky, with the ]'s ] (right), and the ]'s ] (left) ranking 2nd and 3rd in capacity among college basketball arenas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sequin |first=Molly |date=January 14, 2021 |title=9 biggest college basketball arenas {{!}} NCAA.com |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-01-14/these-are-9-largest-arenas-college-basketball |access-date=2024-10-19 |website=NCAA.com |language=en}}</ref>
Image:Thunder over louisville 2006.jpg|] is the largest annual fireworks show in the world.
}}
Image:Picture 1289.jpg|Kentucky's horse farms are world renowned.

Image:Daniel Boone National Forest Tater Knob.jpg|The ].
The Kentucky Wildcats are particularly notable, leading all Division{{spaces}}I programs in all-time wins, win percentage, NCAA tournament appearances, and being second only to ] in NCAA championships.<ref>{{cite web|title=The college basketball teams with the most national championships {{!}} NCAA.com|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-07-10/college-basketball-teams-most-national-championships|access-date=August 21, 2020|website=www.ncaa.com|archive-date=August 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808095842/https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2020-07-10/college-basketball-teams-most-national-championships|url-status=live}}</ref> ] has stepped onto the football scene, including winning the ] as well as the 2013 Sugar Bowl, and producing ] Heisman Trophy winner ]. ], the 2002 ] (now ] (FCS)), completed its transition to Division{{spaces}}I FBS football in 2009.
Image:Picture 282.jpg|The ] forms the northern border of Kentucky.

Image:DowntownBG.JPG|Many Kentucky cities have historic areas near downtown, such as this example in ].
The ] is a horse race held annually in Louisville on the first Saturday in May. The ] in Louisville has hosted several editions of the ], ] and ] since the 1990s.
Image:US 23 KY.jpg|US Highway 23 cuts through the rugged ] near ].

</gallery></center>
The ] held a race at the ] in ] from 2011 to 2020. The NASCAR ] and the ] raced there through 2020. The ] previously raced there as well.

] in Louisville was the primary location for training and rehab for ] professional wrestlers from 2000 until 2008, when WWE moved its contracted talent to Florida Championship Wrestling. OVW later became the primary developmental territory for ] (TNA) from 2011 to 2013.

In 2014 ], a professional soccer team in the league then known as USL Pro and now as the ], was announced. The team made its debut in 2015, playing home games at Louisville Slugger Field. In its first season, Louisville City was the official reserve side for ], who made its debut in ] at the same time. That arrangement ended in 2016 when Orlando City established a ] in the USL.

===Kentucky colonel===

{{Main|Kentucky colonel}}

The distinction of being named a '''Kentucky colonel''' is the highest ] bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given by the ] and the ] to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to a community, state or the nation. The sitting ] bestows the honor of a colonel's ], by issuance of ]. Kentucky colonels are commissioned for life and act officially as the state's ]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sagamore-commodore-colonel-ceremonial-title-honorary|title=You Can't Be Knighted in the U.S., But You Can Be Named a Sagamore of the Wabash|last=Grundhauser|first=Eric|date=November 8, 2017|website=Atlas Obscura|access-date=January 20, 2020|archive-date=June 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627185733/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sagamore-commodore-colonel-ceremonial-title-honorary|url-status=live}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
{{portal|Kentucky|Flag of Kentucky.svg}} {{Portal|Kentucky}}
*''']''' * ]
* ]
{{clear}}
* ], 3 ships
<!-- Please place links to all topics directly related to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the ] -->

==Notes==
{{notelist|30em}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{reflist|30em}}


==Bibliography== ==Bibliography==

===Politics=== ===Politics===

*
*Jewell, Malcolm E. and Everett W. Cunningham, ''Kentucky Politics'' (1968) * Miller, Penny M. ''Kentucky Politics & Government: Do We Stand United?'' (1994)
* Jewell, Malcolm E. and Everett W. Cunningham, ''Kentucky Politics'' (1968).


===History=== ===History===

====Surveys and reference==== ====Surveys and reference====

*Bodley, Temple and Samuel M. Wilson. ''History of Kentucky'' 4 vols. (1928).
* Bodley, Temple and Samuel M. Wilson. ''History of Kentucky'' 4 vols. (1928).
*], ''Night Comes to the Cumberlands'' (1963). ISBN 0-316-13212-8
* ], ''Night Comes to the Cumberlands'' (1963). {{ISBN|0-316-13212-8}}
*Channing, Steven. ''Kentucky: A Bicentennial History'' (1977).
*Clark, Thomas Dionysius. ''A History of Kentucky'' (many editions, 1937–1992). * Channing, Steven. ''Kentucky: A Bicentennial History'' (1977).
*Collins, Lewis. ''History of Kentucky'' (1880). * Clark, Thomas Dionysius. ''A History of Kentucky'' (many editions, 1937–1992).
*Harrison, Lowell H. and James C. Klotter. ''A New History of Kentucky'' (1997). * Collins, Lewis. ''History of Kentucky'' (1880).
* {{cite book|last=Gunther|first=John|author-link=John Gunther|chapter=Romance and Reality in Kentucky|title=Inside U.S.A|pages=|location=], ]|publisher=]|year=1947|title-link=Inside U.S.A. (book)}}
*Kleber, John E. et al. ''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'' (1992), standard reference history.
* ] and ]. ''A New History of Kentucky'' (1997).
*Klotter, James C. ''Our Kentucky: A Study of the Bluegrass State'' (2000), high school text
* Kleber, John E. et al. ''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'' (1992), standard reference history. {{ISBN|0-8131-1772-0}}
*Lucas, Marion Brunson and Wright, George C. ''A History of Blacks in Kentucky'' 2 vols. (1992).
* ] ''Our Kentucky: A Study of the Bluegrass State'' (2000), high school text
*Notable Kentucky African Americans http://www.uky.edu/Subject/aakyall.html
*Share, Allen J. ''Cities in the Commonwealth: Two Centuries of Urban Life in Kentucky'' (1982). * Lucas, Marion Brunson and Wright, George C. ''A History of Blacks in Kentucky'' 2 vols. (1992).
*
*Wallis, Frederick A. and Hambleton Tapp. ''A Sesqui-Centennial History of Kentucky'' 4 vols. (1945).
*Ward, William S., ''A Literary History of Kentucky'' (1988) (ISBN 0-87049-578-X). * Share, Allen J. ''Cities in the Commonwealth: Two Centuries of Urban Life in Kentucky'' (1982).
* Wallis, Frederick A. and Hambleton Tapp. ''A Sesqui-Centennial History of Kentucky'' 4 vols. (1945).
*, classic guide.
* Ward, William S., ''A Literary History of Kentucky'' (1988) ({{ISBN|0-87049-578-X}}).
*{{cite book|title=Two Hundred Years at the Fall of the Ohio: A History of Louisville and Jefferson County|last=Yater|first=George H.|year=1987|publisher=]|edition=2nd edition|isbn = 0-9601072-3-1}}
* WPA, ''Kentucky: A Guide to the Bluegrass State '' (1939); classic guide from the Federal Writers Project; covers main themes and every town
* {{cite book|title=Two Hundred Years at the Fall of the Ohio: A History of Louisville and Jefferson County|last=Yater|first=George H.|year=1987|publisher=]|edition=2nd|isbn = 978-0-9601072-3-0}}


====Specialized scholarly studies==== ====Specialized scholarly studies====

*
* Bakeless, John. ''Daniel Boone, Master of the Wilderness'' (1989)
*Blakey, George T. ''Hard Times and New Deal in Kentucky, 1929–1939'' (1986)
*Coulter, E. Merton. ''The Civil War and Readjustment in Kentucky'' (1926) * Blakey, George T. ''Hard Times and New Deal in Kentucky, 1929–1939'' (1986)
* Coulter, E. Merton. ''The Civil War and Readjustment in Kentucky'' (1926)
*Davis, Alice. "Heroes: Kentucky's Artists from Statehood to the New Millennium" (2004)
* Davis, Alice. "Heroes: Kentucky's Artists from Statehood to the New Millennium" (2004)
*Ellis, William E. ''The Kentucky River'' (2000).
*Faragher, John Mack. ''Daniel Boone'' (1993) * Ellis, William E. ''The Kentucky River'' (2000).
* Faragher, John Mack. ''Daniel Boone'' (1993)
*
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803021432/https://www.questia.com/read/6471305/politics-in-the-border-states-a-study-of-the-patterns |date=August 3, 2020 }}
*Ireland, Robert M. ''The County in Kentucky History'' (1976)
* Harlow, Luke E. ''Religion, Race, and the Making of Confederate Kentucky, 1830–1880.'' New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
*{{cite book|title=Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865| last=Klotter|first=James C.|coauthors=Lowell Harrison, James Ramage, Charles Roland, Richard Taylor, Bryan S. Bush, Tom Fugate, Dixie Hibbs, Lisa Matthews, Robert C. Moody, Marshall Myers, Stuart Sanders and Stephen McBride|editor=Jerlene Rose|year=2005|publisher=Back Home In Kentucky Inc|isbn = 0-9769231-1-4}}
*Klotter, James C. ''Kentucky: Portrait in Paradox, 1900–1950'' (1992) * Ireland, Robert M. ''The County in Kentucky History'' (1976)
* {{cite book|title=Kentucky's Civil War 1861–1865|author-link=James C. Klotter|last1=Klotter|first1=James C.|last2=Harrison|first2=Lowell|author-link2=Lowell H. Harrison|last3=Ramage|first3=James|last4=Roland|first4=Charles|last5=Taylor|first5=Richard|last6=Bush|first6=Bryan S|last7=Fugate|first7=Tom|last8=Hibbs|first8=Dixie|last9=Matthews|first9=Lisa|last10=Moody|first10=Robert C.|last11=Myers|first11=Marshall|last12=Sanders|first12=Stuart|last13=McBride|first13=Stephen|editor-last=Rose|editor-first=Jerlene|year=2005|location=Clay City, Kentucky|publisher=Back Home in Kentucky, Inc.|isbn = 978-0-9769231-1-4}}
*Pearce, John Ed. ''Divide and Dissent: Kentucky Politics, 1930–1963'' (1987)
* Kelly, Andrew, Ed. "Kentucky by Design: The Decorative Arts and American Culture". Lexington, University Press of Kentucky, 2015. {{ISBN|978-0-8131-5567-8}}
*Remini, Robert V. ''Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union'' (1991).
* ] ''Kentucky: Portrait in Paradox, 1900–1950'' (1992)
*
* Pearce, John Ed. ''Divide and Dissent: Kentucky Politics, 1930–1963'' (1987)
*Tapp, Hambleton and James C Klotter. ''Kentucky Decades of Discord, 1865–1900'' (1977)
* Remini, Robert V. ''Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union'' (1991).
*
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802211353/https://www.questia.com/read/100662336/liberal-kentucky-1780-1828 |date=August 2, 2020 }}
* tobacco wars
* Tapp, Hambleton and ]. ''Kentucky Decades of Discord, 1865–1900'' (1977)
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925151832/https://www.questia.com/read/61648056/lincoln-and-the-bluegrass-slavery-and-civil-war-in |date=September 25, 2020 }}
* tobacco wars


==External links== ==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Kentucky}}
*
* - Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Kentucky state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey, July 3, 2006, retrieved November 4, 2006
*
*
{{-}}
{{Kentucky|expanded}}
{{United States}}
{{US South}}
{{succession
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| office = ]
| years = Admitted on June 1, 1792 (15th)
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}}


{{Sister project links|Kentucky|voy=Kentucky}}
{{coord|display=title|37.5|N|85|W|region:US-KY_type:adm1st_scale:3000000}}
* {{official website|http://kentucky.gov}}
*
*
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* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211014806/https://kentucky.gov/about/pages/unbridledspirit.aspx |date=February 11, 2021 }}
*
*
* {{Ballotpedia|Kentucky}}
* – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Kentucky state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.
* {{OSM relation|161655}}


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Latest revision as of 17:59, 26 December 2024

This article is about the U.S. state. For the river, see Kentucky River. For other uses, see Kentucky (disambiguation).

State in the United States
Kentucky
State
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Flag of KentuckyFlagOfficial seal of KentuckySeal
Nickname: The Bluegrass State
Motto(s): United we stand, divided we fall
Deo gratiam habeamus
(Let us be grateful to God)
Anthem: My Old Kentucky Home
Map of the United States with Kentucky highlightedMap of the United States with Kentucky highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodPart of Virginia (District of Kentucky)
Admitted to the UnionJune 1, 1792 (15th)
CapitalFrankfort
Largest cityLouisville
Largest county or equivalentJefferson
Largest metro and urban areasLouisville
Government
 • GovernorAndy Beshear (D)
 • Lieutenant governorJacqueline Coleman (D)
LegislatureGeneral Assembly
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryKentucky Supreme Court
U.S. senatorsMitch McConnell (R)
Rand Paul (R)
U.S. House delegation5 Republicans
1 Democrat (list)
Area
 • Total40,408 sq mi (104,656 km)
 • Land39,486 sq mi (102,269 km)
 • Water921 sq mi (2,387 km)  2.2%
 • Rank37th
Dimensions
 • Length397 mi (640 km)
 • Width187 mi (302 km)
Elevation750 ft (230 m)
Highest elevation4,145 ft (1,265 m)
Lowest elevation250 ft (78 m)
Population
 • TotalNeutral increase 4,505,836
 • Rank26th
 • Density114/sq mi (44/km)
  • Rank24th
 • Median household income$52,295
 • Income rank44th
DemonymKentuckian
Language
 • Official languageEnglish
Time zones
eastern halfUTC−05:00 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
western halfUTC−06:00 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviationKY
ISO 3166 codeUS-KY
Traditional abbreviationKy
Latitude36° 30′ N to 39° 09′ N
Longitude81° 58′ W to 89° 34′ W
Websitekentucky.gov
State symbols of Kentucky
List of state symbols
Flag of Kentucky
Seal of Kentucky
SloganKentucky Unbridled Spirit
Living insignia
BirdCardinal
ButterflyViceroy butterfly
FishKentucky spotted bass
FlowerGoldenrod
Horse breedThoroughbred
InsectWestern honeybee
TreeTulip poplar
Wildlife animalGray squirrel
Inanimate insignia
Beverage
DanceClogging
FoodBlackberry
FossilBrachiopod
GemstoneKentucky agate
MineralCalcite
RockCoal
SoilCrider Soil Series
OtherChevrolet Corvette (state sports car)
State route marker
Route marker
State quarter
Kentucky quarter dollar coinReleased in 2001
Lists of United States state symbols

Kentucky (US: /kənˈtʌki/ , UK: /kɛn-/), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the northeast, Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south, and Missouri to the west. Its northern border is defined by the Ohio River. Its capital is Frankfort and its most populous city is Louisville. As of 2020, the state's population was approximately 4.5 million.

Previously part of Virginia, Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the fifteenth state on June 1, 1792. It is known as the "Bluegrass State" in reference to Kentucky bluegrass, a species of grass introduced by European settlers which has long supported the state's thoroughbred horse industry.

The fertile soil in the central and western parts of the state led to the development of large tobacco plantations similar to those in Virginia and North Carolina, which utilized enslaved labor prior to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. Kentucky ranks fifth nationally in goat farming, eighth in beef cattle production, and fourteenth in corn production. While Kentucky has been a long-standing center for the tobacco industry, its economy has diversified into non-agricultural sectors including auto manufacturing, energy production, and medicine. Kentucky ranks fourth among US states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled. It is one of several states considered part of the Upland South.

The state is home to the world's longest known cave system in Mammoth Cave National Park, the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United States, and the nation's two largest artificial lakes east of the Mississippi River. Cultural aspects of Kentucky include horse racing, bourbon, moonshine, coal mining, My Old Kentucky Home State Park, automobile manufacturing, tobacco, Southern cuisine, barbecue, bluegrass music, college basketball, Louisville Slugger baseball bats, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Etymology

Prior to 1769, Botetourt County and successor counties in the Colony of Virginia, whose geographical extent was south of the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers beyond the Appalachian Mountains, became known to European Americans as Kentucky (or Kentucke) country. It was named for the Kentucky River, a tributary of the Ohio.

The precise etymology of the name is uncertain. One theory sees the word based on an Iroquoian name meaning "(on) the meadow" or "(on) the prairie" (cf. Mohawk kenhtà:ke, Seneca gëdá'geh (phonemic /kɛ̃taʔkɛh/), "at the field"). Another theory suggests a derivation from the term Kenta Aki, which could have come from an Algonquian language, in particular from Shawnee. Folk etymology translates this as "Land of Our Fathers". The closest approximation in another Algonquian language, Ojibwe, translates as "Land of Our In-Laws", thus making a fairer English translation "The Land of Those Who Became Our Fathers". In any case, the word aki means "land" in most Algonquian languages.

History

Main article: History of Kentucky

Native American settlement

The first archaeological evidence of human occupation of Kentucky is approximately 9500BCE, and it was Clovis culture, primitive hunter-gatherers with stone tools. Around 1800 BCE, a gradual transition began from a hunter-gatherer economy to agriculturalism. Around 900 CE, a Mississippian culture took root in western and central Kentucky and a Fort Ancient culture appeared in eastern Kentucky. While the two had many similarities, the distinctive ceremonial earthwork mounds constructed in the former's centers were not part of the culture of the latter. Fort Ancient settlements depended largely on corn, beans, and squash, and practiced a system of agriculture that prevented ecological degradation by rotating crops, burning sections of forest to create ideal habitat for wild game, relocating villages every 10–30 years, and continually shifting the location of fields to maintain plots of land in various stages of ecological succession.

In about the 10th century, the Kentucky native people's variety of corn became highly productive, supplanting the Eastern Agricultural Complex and replacing it with maize-based agriculture in the Mississippian era. As of the 16th century, what became Kentucky was home to tribes from diverse linguistic groups. The Kispoko, an Algonquian-speaking tribe, controlled much of the interior of the state.

French explorers in the 17th century documented numerous tribes living in Kentucky until the Beaver Wars in the 1670s; however, by the time that European colonial explorers and settlers began entering Kentucky in greater numbers in the mid-18th century, there were no major Native American settlements in the region.

The Chickasaw had territory up to the confluence of Mississippi and Ohio rivers. During a period known as the Beaver Wars (1640–1680), another Algonquian tribe called the Maumee, or Mascouten was chased out of southern Michigan. The vast majority of them moved to Kentucky, pushing the Kispoko east and war broke out with the Tutelo of North Carolina and Virginia that pushed them further north and east. The Maumee were closely related to the Miami from Indiana. Later, the Kispoko merged with the Shawnee, who migrated from the east and the Ohio River valley.

A persistent myth, perpetuated in many popular and scholarly works, alleges that Native Americans never lived permanently in Kentucky, but rather used it only as a "hunting ground." According to early Kentucky historians, early European settlers encountered extensive evidence of permanent, advanced settlements, including numerous burial mounds, copper and stone artifacts, and what early historians describe as "fortifications:" large sites consisting of extensive walls enclosing the flat tops of bluffs, cliffs or mountains, constructed from stone that was quarried in the surrounding valleys and brought up to the summit. These sites and artifacts were sometimes explained as being the remnants of a "lost" white race, or some variously identified ethnic group predating and distinct from the Native Americans. More recent scholarship identifies the mound builders as the Mississippian and Fort Ancient peoples, which were distinct from the indigenous cultures encountered by settlers, although sharing the same origin in Paleoindian groups that inhabited the area for at least 12,000 years.

Beginning in the seventeenth century, before indigenous groups in Kentucky made direct contact with Europeans, articles of European origin such as glass beads entered the region via trade routes, and the appearance of mass graves suggests that European diseases were also introduced. By the eighteenth century, epidemics of disease had destabilized and changed the indigenous groups that inhabited Kentucky, causing some to reassemble into multi-tribal towns, and others to disperse further from the sphere of European influence. Around the end of the French and Indian War, as European settlers began to claim parts of the Bluegrass State, Native Americans abandoned their larger, more permanent villages south of the Ohio River and continued to maintain only small or transient settlements. This upheaval likely led the settlers to believe that Kentucky was a hunting ground contested by multiple tribes but not permanently inhabited, when in reality it had only recently been abandoned due to social and political turmoil.

Early explorations: the discovery of Kentucky

See also: Kentucke's Frontiers

European explorers arrived in Kentucky possibly as early as 1671. While French explorers surely spied Kentucky during expeditions on the Mississippi, there is no evidence French or Spanish explorers set foot in the lands south of the Ohio, notwithstanding speculations about Hernando de Soto and Robert de la Salle. The terrain in those days was not surveyed, so there is some uncertainty whether and to what extent the early English explorers out of Virginia set foot on the land. Confounding the issue is that the region south of the Ohio/Allegheny later known as Kentucky country was larger than the state of Kentucky today, encompassing most of today's West Virginia and (vaguely) part of southwestern Pennsylvania. Notable expeditions were Batts and Fallam 1671, Needham and Arthur 1673. Thomas Walker and surveyor Christopher Gist surveyed the area now known as Kentucky in 1750 and 1751.

European settlement: The Treaty of Fort Stanwix 1768

Further information: Transylvania Colony, Lord Dunmore's War, and Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1768) See also: Indian Reserve (1763)

As more settlers entered the area, warfare broke out with the Native Americans over their traditional hunting grounds.

June 16, 1774, James Harrod founded Harrod's Town (modern Harrodsburg). The settlement was abandoned during the conflict period of Dunmore's War, and resettled in March 1775, becoming the first permanent European settlement in Kentucky. It was followed within months by Boone's Station, Logan's Fort and Lexington before Kentucky was organized.

This period was the time of Daniel Boone's legendary expeditions starting in 1767 through the Cumberland Gap and down the Kentucky River to reach the bluegrass heartland of Kentucky.

While the Cherokee did not settle in Kentucky, they hunted there. They relinquished their hunting rights there in an extra-legal private contract with speculator Richard Henderson called Treaty of Sycamore Shoals in 1775.

Kentucky County and the Cherokee-American wars

Further information: Kentucky County, Virginia; Cherokee-American wars; Fort Nelson (Kentucky); and History of Louisville, Kentucky

On December 31, 1776, by an act of the Virginia General Assembly, the portion of Fincastle County west of the Big Sandy River (including today's Tug Fork tributary) terminating at the North Carolina border (today Tennessee) extending to the Mississippi River, previously most of what was known as Kentucky (or Kentucke) country, was split off into its own county of Kentucky. Harrod's Town (Oldtown as it was known at the time) was named the county seat.

A 1790 U.S. government report states that 1,500 Kentucky settlers had been killed by Native Americans since the end of the Revolutionary War.

Statehood

In 1942 the U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of Kentucky statehood, a 3-cent 1942 issue

The county was subdivided into Jefferson, Lincoln and Fayette Counties in 1780, but continued to be administered as the District of Kentucky even as new counties were split off.

On several occasions the region's residents petitioned the General Assembly and the Confederation Congress for separation from Virginia and statehood. Ten constitutional conventions were held in Danville between 1784 and 1792. One petition, which had Virginia's assent, came before the Confederation Congress in early July 1788. Unfortunately, its consideration came up a day after word of New Hampshire's all-important ninth ratification of the proposed Constitution, thus establishing it as the new framework of governance for the United States. In light of this development, Congress thought that it would be "unadvisable" to admit Kentucky into the Union, as it could do so "under the Articles of Confederation" only, but not "under the Constitution", and so declined to take action.

On December 18, 1789, Virginia again gave its consent to Kentucky statehood. The United States Congress gave its approval on February 4, 1791. (This occurred two weeks before Congress approved Vermont's petition for statehood.) Kentucky officially became the fifteenth state in the Union on June 1, 1792. Isaac Shelby, a military veteran from Virginia, was elected its first Governor.

Post-colonial plantation economy

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace near Hodgenville
See also: History of slavery in Kentucky

The central Bluegrass region and the western portion of the state were the areas with the most slave owners. Planters cultivated tobacco and hemp on plantations with the use of slave labor, and were noted for their quality livestock. During the 19th century, Kentucky slaveholders began to sell unneeded slaves to the Deep South, with Louisville becoming a major slave market and departure port for slaves being transported down the Ohio River.

The Civil War

Main articles: Border states (American Civil War) and Kentucky in the American Civil War

Kentucky was a heavily divided slave state during the American Civil War. Though the state had dueling Union and Confederate state governments, Kentucky was never an official component of the Confederacy. Kentucky was one of the Southern border states during the war, and it remained neutral within the Union. Despite this, representatives from 68 of 110 counties met at Russellville calling themselves the "Convention of the People of Kentucky" and passed an Ordinance of Secession on November 20, 1861. They established a Confederate government of Kentucky with its capital in Bowling Green, and Kentucky was officially admitted into the Confederacy on December 10, 1861, as the 13th Confederate state with full recognition in Richmond. The Confederate shadow government was never popularly elected statewide, though 116 delegates were sent representing 68 Kentucky counties which at the time made up a little over half the territory of the Commonwealth to the Russellville Convention in 1861, and were occupied and governed by the Confederacy at some point in the duration of the war, and Kentucky had full representation within the Confederate Government. Although Confederate forces briefly controlled Frankfort, they were expelled by Union forces before a Confederate government could be installed in the state capital. After the expulsion of Confederate forces after the Battle of Perryville, this government operated in-exile. Though it existed throughout the war, Kentucky's provisional government only had governing authority in areas of Kentucky under direct Confederate control and had very little effect on the events in the Commonwealth or in the war once they were driven out of the state.

Kentucky remained officially "neutral" throughout the war due to the Southern Unionists sympathies of a majority of the Commonwealth's citizens who were split between the struggle of Kentucky's sister Southern States fully in the Confederate States of America and a continued loyalty to the Unionist cause that was prevalent in other areas of the South such as in East Tennessee, West Virginia, Western North Carolina, and others. Despite this, some 21st-century Kentuckians observe Confederate Memorial Day on Confederate leader Jefferson Davis' birthday, June 3, and participate in Confederate battle re-enactments. Both Davis and U.S. president Abraham Lincoln were born in Kentucky. John C. Breckinridge, the 14th and youngest-ever Vice President was born in Lexington, Kentucky at Cabell's Dale Farm. Breckenridge was expelled from the U. S. Senate for his support of the Confederacy.

Henry W. Grady, editor of the Atlanta Constitution, coined the term New South in 1874, urging transformation from an agrarian economy to a modern industrial one.

Reconstruction and the New South

See also: Hatfield-McCoy feud

On January 30, 1900, Governor William Goebel, flanked by two bodyguards, was mortally wounded by an assassin while walking to the State Capitol in downtown Frankfort. Goebel was contesting the Kentucky gubernatorial election of 1899, which William S. Taylor was initially believed to have won. For several months, J. C. W. Beckham, Goebel's running mate, and Taylor fought over who was the legal governor until the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in May in favor of Beckham. After fleeing to Indiana, Taylor was indicted as a co-conspirator in Goebel's assassination. Goebel is the only governor of a U.S. state to have been assassinated while in office.

The Black Patch Tobacco Wars, a vigilante action, occurred in Western Kentucky in the early 20th century. As a result of the tobacco industry monopoly, tobacco farmers in the area were forced to sell their crops at prices that were too low. Many local farmers and activists united in a refusal to sell their crops to the major tobacco companies.

An Association meeting occurred in downtown Guthrie, where a vigilante wing of "Night Riders", formed. The riders terrorized farmers who sold their tobacco at the low prices demanded by the tobacco corporations. They burned several tobacco warehouses throughout the area, stretching as far west as Hopkinsville to Princeton. In the later period of their operation, they were known to physically assault farmers who broke the boycott. Governor Augustus E. Willson declared martial law and deployed the Kentucky National Guard to end the wars.

Geography

See also: Coal mining in Kentucky
Map of Kentucky

Kentucky is situated in the Upland South. A significant portion of eastern Kentucky is part of Appalachia.

Kentucky borders seven states, from the Midwest and the Southeast. West Virginia lies to the northeast, Virginia to the east, Tennessee to the south, Missouri to the west, Illinois to the northwest, and Indiana and Ohio to the north. Only Missouri and Tennessee, both of which border eight states, touch more.

Kentucky's northern border is formed by the north shore of the Ohio River and its western border by the Mississippi River; however, the official border is based on the courses of the rivers as they existed when Kentucky became a state in 1792. For instance, northbound travelers on U.S. 41 from Henderson, after crossing the Ohio River, will be in Kentucky for about two miles (3 km). Ellis Park, a thoroughbred racetrack, is located in this small piece of Kentucky. Waterworks Road is part of the only land border between Indiana and Kentucky.

Kentucky has a non-contiguous part known as Kentucky Bend, at the far west corner of the state. It exists as an exclave surrounded completely by Missouri and Tennessee, and is included in the boundaries of Fulton County. Road access to this small part of Kentucky on the Mississippi River (populated by 18 people as of 2010) requires traveling through Tennessee.

The epicenter of the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes was near this area, causing the Mississippi River to flow backwards in some places. Though the series of quakes changed the area geologically and affected the small number of inhabitants of the area at the time, the Kentucky Bend is the result of a surveying error, not the New Madrid earthquake.

Regions

Kentucky's regions (click on image for color-coding information; contrary to the map, regions do not follow county lines and the Western Coal Field is not as extensive as indicated. The outer part of it is the Clifty Area, which contains no coal but has bituminous sandstone.)

Kentucky can be divided into five primary regions: the Cumberland Plateau in the east, which is wholly underlain by coal and constitutes the Eastern Coal Field; the north-central Bluegrass region, where the major cities and the capital are located; the south-central and western Pennyroyal Plateau (a Mississippian-age plateau that is divided into eastern, central and western sub-regions, the latter known as the Pennyrile); the Western Coal Field; and the far-western Jackson Purchase, the northernmost extension of the Mississippian Embayment, west and south of the Tennessee River.

The Bluegrass region is commonly divided into two regions, the Inner Bluegrass encircling 90 miles (140 km) around Lexington, and the Outer Bluegrass that contains most of the northern portion of the state, above the Knobs. Much of the outer Bluegrass is in the Eden Shale Hills sub-region, made up of short, steep, and very narrow hills. The alluvial plain of the Ohio River is another geological region, as is the area south and east of Pine Mountain, part of the Ridge and Valley Belt of Appalachia.

Climate

Köppen climate types of Kentucky, using 1991–2020 climate normals.

Most of Kentucky has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), with small Appalachian highland areas of the southeast of the state having an oceanic climate (Cfb). Temperatures in Kentucky usually range from daytime summer highs of 87 °F (31 °C) to the winter low of 23 °F (−5 °C). The average precipitation is 46 inches (1,200 mm) a year. Kentucky has four distinct seasons, with substantial variations in the severity of summer and winter. The state's highest recorded temperature was 114 °F (46 °C) in Greensburg on July 28, 1930, while its lowest recorded temperature was −37 °F (−38 °C) in Shelbyville on January 19, 1994. The state seldom experiences the extreme cold of far northern states or the high heat of the states in the Deep South; temperatures rarely drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit or rise above 100 degrees. Rain and snowfall averages about 45 inches per year.

The climate varies markedly within the state. The northern parts tend to be about five degrees cooler than those in the western parts of the state. Somerset in the south-central part receives ten more inches of rain per year than Covington to the north. Average temperatures for the entire state range from the low 30s in January to the high 80s in mid-July. The annual average temperature varies from 55 to 60 °F (13 to 16 °C): of 55 °F (13 °C) in the far north as an average annual temperature and of 60 °F (16 °C) in the extreme southwest.

In general, Kentucky has relatively hot, humid, rainy summers, and moderately cold and rainy winters. Mean maximum temperatures in July vary from 83 to 90 °F (28 to 32 °C); the mean minimum July temperatures are 61 to 69 °F (16 to 21 °C). In January the mean maximum temperatures range from 36 to 44 °F (2 to 7 °C); the mean minimum temperatures range from 19 to 26 °F (−7 to −3 °C). Temperature means vary with northern and far-eastern mountain regions averaging five degrees cooler year-round, compared to the relatively warmer areas of the southern and western regions of the state. Precipitation varies north to south with the north averaging of 38 to 40 inches (970 to 1,020 mm), and the south averaging of 50 inches (1,300 mm). Days per year below the freezing point vary from about sixty days in the southwest to more than a hundred days in the far-north and far-east.

Monthly average high and low temperatures for various Kentucky cities ( °F)
City Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Lexington 40.9/24.8 45.5/27.9 55.3/35.4 65.7/44.7 74.3/54.2 82.8/62.7 86.1/66.5 85.6/65.2 78.8/57.6 67.5/46.6 55.4/37.2 43.9/28
Louisville 43/26.8 47.8/29.9 57.9/37.8 68.8/47.3 77.1/57 85.3/66 88.7/69.9 88.3/68.5 81.5/60.5 70.1/48.9 57.9/39.5 45.8/30
Owensboro 41.2/23.2 46.6/26.8 58.3/36.7 69.3/45.9 78.1/54.5 86.4/62.8 89.2/66.6 88.2/64.4 82.4/58.3 71.6/45.7 58.1/37.4 45.9/28.2
Paducah 43.4/25.8 48.9/29.5 59/37.7 69.4/46.6 78/56.3 86.2/64.9 89.3/68.5 89/66.1 82.1/57.8 71/46.7 58.4/37.9 46.3/28.6
Pikeville 44/23 50/25 60/32 69/39 77/49 84/58 87/63 86/62 80/56 71/42 60/33 49/26
Ashland 42/19 47/21 57/29 68/37 77/47 84/56 88/61 87/59 80/52 69/40 57/31 46/23
Bowling Green 45/26.4 50/29.6 59.8/37 69.7/45.6 77.8/55 86.1/63.9 89.4/67.9 88.9/66.1 82.1/58 71.2/46.3 59.4/37.5 47.9/29.2

Natural disasters

Deadliest weather events in Kentucky history Date Death Toll Affected Regions
March 1890 middle Mississippi Valley tornado outbreak March 27, 1890 200+ Louisville, W KY
Gradyville flood June 7, 1907 20 Gradyville
May–June 1917 tornado outbreak sequence May 27, 1917 66 Fulton area
Early-May 1933 tornado outbreak sequence May 9, 1933, Tornado 38 South Central KY
Ohio River flood of 1937 Early 1937 unknown Statewide
April 3, 1974, tornado outbreak April 3, 1974 72 Statewide
March 1, 1997, Flooding Early March 1997 18 Statewide
Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2004 May 30, 2004 0 Jefferson County, KY
December 21–24, 2004 North American winter storm December 21–24, 2004 unknown Statewide
Widespread Flash Flooding September 22–23, 2006 6 Statewide
January 2009 North American ice storm January 26–28, 2009 35 Statewide
2009 Kentuckiana Flash Flood August 4, 2009 36 Kentuckiana
Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012 March 2, 2012 22 Statewide
Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021 December 10–11, 2021 74 Kentucky, 5 other states
July–August 2022 United States floods July 24 – August 2, 2022 37 Kentucky, 5 other states

Lakes and rivers

See also: List of lakes in Kentucky, List of rivers of Kentucky, and List of dams and reservoirs in Kentucky
Lake Cumberland is the largest artificial American lake east of the Mississippi River by volume.

Kentucky has the second-most navigable miles of water among U.S. states, second to Alaska.

Kentucky is the only state to have a continuous border of rivers running along three of its sides – the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and the Big Sandy River and Tug Fork to the east. Its major internal rivers include the Kentucky River, Tennessee River, Cumberland River, Green River, and Licking River.

Though it has only three major natural lakes, Kentucky is home to many artificial lakes. It has the largest artificial lakes east of the Mississippi in both water volume (Lake Cumberland) and surface area (Kentucky Lake). Kentucky Lake's 2,064 miles (3,322 km) of shoreline, 160,300 acres (64,900 hectares) of water surface, and 4,008,000 acre-feet (4.9 billion cubic meters) of flood storage are the most of any lake in the Tennessee Valley Authority system.

Kentucky's 90,000 miles (140,000 km) of streams provides one of the most expansive and complex stream systems in the nation.

Natural environment and conservation

Once an industrial area, Louisville's waterfront has thousands of trees and miles of walking trails.

Kentucky hosts multiple habitats with a high number of endemic species, including some of the most extensive cave systems in the world. 102 known species are endemic to the state. The Bluegrass region, which is believed to have once been a lush open woodland environment similar to oak savanna with abundant thickets of river cane, a species of bamboo, was once described by E. Lucy Braun as having the most "anomalous" plant life of the whole Eastern United States. Kentucky's natural environment has suffered greatly from destructive human activities that began after European colonization, particularly the conversion of natural habitat to farmland and coal mining.

Kentucky has an expansive park system, which includes one national park, two National Recreation Areas, two National Historic Parks, two national forests, two National Wildlife Refuges, 45 state parks, 37,896 acres (153 km) of state forest, and 82 wildlife management areas.

Kentucky has been part of two of the most successful wildlife reintroduction projects in United States history. In the winter of 1997, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources began to re-stock elk in the state's eastern counties, which had been extirpated from the area for over 150 years. As of 2009, the herd had reached the project goal of 10,000 animals, making it the largest herd east of the Mississippi River.

The state stocked wild turkeys in the 1950s, after reportedly having fewer than 900. Once nearly extinct, wild turkeys thrive throughout Kentucky. Hunters reported a record 29,006 birds taken during the 23-day season in spring 2009.

In 1991 the Land Between the Lakes partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Red Wolf Recovery Program, a captive breeding program.

Natural attractions

Red River Gorge is one of Kentucky's most visited places.
Forest at Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area, Meade County, Kentucky

Administrative divisions

Counties

See also: List of counties in Kentucky and Fiscal Court

Kentucky is subdivided into 120 counties, the largest being Pike County at 787.6 square miles (2,040 km), and the most populous being Jefferson County (which coincides with the Louisville Metro governmental area) with 772,144 residents as of 2023.

County government, under the Kentucky Constitution of 1891, is vested in the County Judge/Executive, (formerly called the County Judge) who serves as the executive head of the county, and a legislature called a Fiscal Court. Despite the unusual name, the Fiscal Court no longer has judicial functions.

Consolidated city-county governments

Kentucky's two most populous counties, Jefferson and Fayette, have their governments consolidated with the governments of their largest cities. Louisville-Jefferson County Government (Louisville Metro) and Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (Lexington Metro) are unique in that their city councils and county Fiscal Court structures have been merged into a single entity with a single chief executive, the Metro Mayor and Urban County Mayor, respectively. Although the counties still exist as subdivisions of the state, in reference the names Louisville and Lexington are used to refer to the entire area coextensive with the former cities and counties.

Major cities

See also: List of cities in Kentucky
   Largest cities or towns in Kentucky
Source:
Rank Name County Pop. Rank Name County Pop.
Louisville
Louisville
Lexington
Lexington 		1 Louisville Jefferson 633,045 11 Nicholasville Jessamine 31,093 Bowling Green
Bowling Green
Owensboro
Owensboro
2 Lexington Fayette 322,570 12 Independence Kenton 28,676
3 Bowling Green Warren 72,294 13 Frankfort Franklin 28,602
4 Owensboro Daviess 60,183 14 Jeffersontown Jefferson 28,474
5 Covington Kenton 40,961 15 Henderson Henderson 27,981
6 Georgetown Scott 37,086 16 Paducah McCracken 27,137
7 Richmond Madison 34,585 17 Radcliff Hardin 23,042
8 Florence Boone 31,946 18 Ashland Boyd 21,625
9 Elizabethtown Hardin 31,394 19 Erlanger Kenton 19,611
10 Hopkinsville Christian 31,180 20 Madisonville Hopkins 19,542

The Metro Louisville government area has a 2018 population of 1,298,990. Under United States Census Bureau methodology, the population of Louisville was 623,867. The latter figure is the population of the so-called "balance" – the parts of Jefferson County that were either unincorporated or within the City of Louisville before the formation of the merged government in 2003. In 2018 the Louisville Combined Statistical Area (CSA) had a population of 1,569,112; including 1,209,191 in Kentucky, which means more than 25% of the state's population now lives in the Louisville CSA. Since 2000, over one-third of the state's population growth has occurred in the Louisville CSA. In addition, the top 28 wealthiest places in Kentucky are in Jefferson County and seven of the 15 wealthiest counties in the state are located in the Louisville CSA.

The state's second-largest city is Lexington with a 2018 census population of 323,780, its metro had a population of 516,697, and its CSA, which includes the Frankfort and Richmond statistical areas, having a population of 746,310. The Northern Kentucky area, which comprises the seven Kentucky counties in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metropolitan area, had a population of 447,457 in 2018. The metropolitan areas of Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky have a combined population of 2,402,958 as of 2018, which is 54% of the state's total population on only about 19% of the state's land. This area is often referred to as the Golden triangle as it contains a majority of the state's wealth, population, population growth, and economic growth, it is where most of the state's largest cities by population are located. It is referred to as the Golden triangle as the metro areas of Lexington, Louisville, and Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati outline a triangle shape. Interstates I-71, I-75, and I-64 form the triangle shape. Additionally, all counties in Kentucky that are part of an MSA or CSA have a total population of 2,970,694, which is 67% of the state's population.

As of 2017 Bowling Green had a population of 67,067, making it the third most populous city in the state. The Bowling Green metropolitan area had an estimated population of 174,835; and the combined statistical area it shares with Glasgow has an estimated population of 228,743.

The two other fast-growing urban areas in Kentucky are the Bowling Green area and the "Tri-Cities Region" of southeastern Kentucky, comprising Somerset, London and Corbin.

Although only one town in the "Tri-Cities" (Somerset) currently has more than 12,000 people, the area has been experiencing heightened population and job growth since the 1990s. Growth has been especially rapid in Laurel County, which outgrew areas such as Scott and Jessamine counties around Lexington or Shelby and Nelson Counties around Louisville. London significantly grew in population in the 2000s, from 5,692 in 2000 to 7,993 in 2010. London landed a Wal-Mart distribution center in 1997, bringing thousands of jobs to the community.

In northeast Kentucky, the greater Ashland area is an important transportation, manufacturing, and medical center. Iron and petroleum production, as well as the transport of coal by rail and barge, have been historical pillars of the region's economy. Due to a decline in the area's industrial base, Ashland has seen a sizable reduction in its population since 1990; however, the population of the area has since stabilized with the medical service industry taking a greater role in the local economy. The Ashland area, including the counties of Boyd and Greenup, is part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. More than 21,000 of those people (as of 2010) reside within the city limits of Ashland.

The largest county in Kentucky by area is Pike, which contains Pikeville and suburb Coal Run Village. The county and surrounding area is the most populated region in the state that is not part of a Micropolitan Statistical Area or a Metropolitan Statistical Area containing nearly 200,000 people in five counties: Floyd County, Martin County, Letcher County, and neighboring Mingo County, West Virginia. Pike County contains slightly more than 68,000 people.

Only three U.S. states have capitals with smaller populations than Kentucky's Frankfort (pop. 25,527): Augusta, Maine (pop. 18,560), Pierre, South Dakota (pop. 13,876), and Montpelier, Vermont (pop. 8,035).

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Kentucky
Kentucky Population Density Map
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
179073,677—
1800220,955199.9%
1810406,51184.0%
1820564,31738.8%
1830687,91721.9%
1840779,82813.4%
1850982,40526.0%
18601,155,68417.6%
18701,321,01114.3%
18801,648,69024.8%
18901,858,63512.7%
19002,147,17415.5%
19102,289,9056.6%
19202,416,6305.5%
19302,614,5898.2%
19402,845,6278.8%
19502,944,8063.5%
19603,038,1563.2%
19703,218,7065.9%
19803,660,77713.7%
19903,685,2950.7%
20004,041,7709.7%
20104,339,3677.4%
20204,505,8363.8%
2024 (est.)4,588,3721.8%
Sources: 1790–2000
1910–2020

The United States Census Bureau determined that the population of Kentucky was 4,505,836 in 2020, increasing since the 2010 United States census.

Ethnic origins in Kentucky
Racial plurality in Kentucky by county, per the 2020 U.S. census Legend
  • Non-Hispanic White   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90%+

As of July 1, 2016, Kentucky had an estimated population of 4,436,974, which is an increase of 12,363 from the prior year and an increase of 97,607, or 2.2%, since the year 2010. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 73,541 people (that is 346,968 births minus 273,427 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 26,135 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 40,051 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 13,916 people. As of 2015, Kentucky's population included about 149,016 foreign-born persons (3.4%). In 2016 the population density of the state was 110 people per square mile (42 people/km). Mexico, India, Cuba, China, and Guatemala are the top five countries of origin for Kentucky's immigrants.

Kentucky's population has grown every decade since records began, though during most decades of the 20th century there was net out-migration from the state. Since 1900, rural Kentucky counties have suffered a net loss of more than a million people to migration, while urban areas have experienced a slight net gain.

Kentucky's center of population is in Washington County, in the city of Willisburg.

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 3,984 homeless people in Kentucky.

Life expectancy in Kentucky is 72.5 years in 2021.

Race and ancestry

Ethnic composition as of the 2020 census
Race and Ethnicity Alone Total
White (non-Hispanic) 81.3% 81.3  85.0% 85 
African American (non-Hispanic) 7.9% 7.9  9.4% 9.4 
Hispanic or Latino — 4.6% 4.6 
Asian 1.6% 1.6  2.1% 2.1 
Native American 0.2% 0.2  1.8% 1.8 
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.1  0.2% 0.2 
Other 0.3% 0.3  0.9% 0.9 
Historical racial demographics
Racial composition 1990 2000 2010 2020
White 92.0% 90.1% 87.8% 82.4%
Black 7.1% 7.3% 7.8% 8.0%
Asian 0.5% 0.7% 1.1% 1.7%
Native American and
Alaska Native		 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3%
Native Hawaiian and
other Pacific Islander		 – – 0.1% 0.1%
Other race 0.2% 0.6% 1.3% 2.1%
Two or more races – 1.0% 1.7% 5.4%

According to U.S. Census Bureau official statistics, the state's largest ancestry in 2013 was American, totalling 20.2%. In 1980, before the status of ethnic American was an available option on the official census, the largest claimed ancestries in the commonwealth were English (49.6%), Irish (26.3%), and German (24.2%). In the urban counties of Jefferson, Oldham, Fayette, Boone, Kenton, and Campbell, German is the largest reported ancestry. Americans of Scotch-Irish and English ancestry are present throughout the entire state. Many residents claim Irish ancestry on account of Scotch-Irish (Ulster Scots) descent. In the 1980s, the only counties in the United States where over half of the population cited "English" as their only ancestry group were in eastern Kentucky.

In the 2000 census, some 20,000 people (0.49%) in the state self-identified as Native American. The state has no federally recognized tribes or state-recognized tribes.

African-Americans, who were mostly enslaved at the time, made up 25% of Kentucky's population before the Civil War; they were held and worked primarily in the central Bluegrass region, an area of hemp and tobacco cultivation, as well as raising blooded livestock. The number of African Americans living in Kentucky declined during the 20th century amid the Great Migration; today, 8% of the state's total population is African-American. The state's African-American population is highly urbanized, with 44.2% living in Jefferson County and 52% living in the broader Louisville metropolitan area. Other areas with high concentrations include Christian and Fulton counties and the cities of Paducah and Lexington.

The Hispanic and Asian populations in Kentucky are small, but have grown significantly since the late 20th century. Most of Kentucky's Hispanic residents are of Mexican ancestry, while most of Kentucky's Asian residents are of Chinese and Indian heritage. There is also a Vietnamese community in Lexington and Louisville, and Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Lao populations in Bowling Green.

Language

In 2000, 96% of all residents of the state five years old and older spoke only English at home, a small decrease from 98% in 1990. Speech patterns in the state generally reflect the first settlers' Virginia backgrounds. South Midland features are best preserved in the mountains, with Southern in most other areas of Kentucky, but some common to Midland and Southern are widespread. After a vowel, the /r/ may be weak or missing. For instance, Coop has the vowel of put, but the root rhymes with boot. In southern Kentucky, earthworms are called redworms, a burlap bag is known as a tow sack or the Southern grass sack, and green beans are called snap beans. In Kentucky English, a young man may carry, not escort, his girlfriend to a party.

Spanish is the second-most-spoken language in Kentucky, after English.

Religion

See also: Religion in Louisville, Kentucky
Lexington Theological Seminary (then College of the Bible), 1904
Religion in Kentucky (2014)
Religion Percent
Protestant   65%
No religion   22%
Catholic   10%
Other faith   2%

As of 2010, the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) reported the following groupings of Kentucky's 4,339,367 residents:

Being a Southern state in the Bible Belt, Kentucky is predominantly Christian and is home to several seminaries. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville is the principal seminary for the Southern Baptist Convention. Louisville is the home of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, an institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Lexington has one seminary, Lexington Theological Seminary (affiliated with the Disciples of Christ). The Baptist Seminary of Kentucky is located on the campus of Georgetown College in Georgetown. Asbury Theological Seminary, a multi-denominational seminary in the Methodist tradition, is located in nearby Wilmore.

In addition to seminaries, there are several colleges affiliated with denominations:

Louisville is home to the Cathedral of the Assumption, the third-oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States. The city holds the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and their printing press. Reflecting late 19th, 20th and 21st-century immigration from different countries, Louisville also has Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu communities.

In 1996 the Center for Interfaith Relations established the Festival of Faiths, the first and oldest annual interfaith festival to be held in the United States.

The Christian creationist apologetics group, Answers in Genesis, along with its Creation Museum, is headquartered in Petersburg, Kentucky.

Economy

See also: Economy of Louisville, Kentucky; Economy of Lexington, Kentucky; and Kentucky locations by per capita income
The best selling car in the United States, the Toyota Camry, is manufactured in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Early in its history, Kentucky gained recognition for its excellent farming conditions. It was the site of the first commercial winery in the United States (started in present-day Jessamine County in 1799) and due to the high calcium content of the soil in the Bluegrass region quickly became a major horse breeding (and later racing) area. Today Kentucky ranks 5th nationally in goat farming, 8th in beef cattle production, and 14th in corn production. Kentucky has been a long-standing major center of the tobacco industry – both as a center of business and tobacco farming.

Kentucky's economy has expanded to in non-agricultural terms as well, especially auto manufacturing, energy fuel production, and medical facilities.

Kentucky ranks 4th among U.S. states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled. The Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac XLR (2004–09), Ford Escape, Ford Super Duty trucks, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Camry, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Solara, Toyota Venza, and Lexus ES 350 are assembled in Kentucky.

The best selling truck in the United States, the Ford F-Series, is manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky.

Kentucky has historically been a major coal producer, but the industry has been in decline since the 1980s, and the number employed dropped by more than half between 2011 and 2015.

As of 2010, 24% of electricity produced in the U.S. depended on either enriched uranium rods coming from the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (the only domestic site of low-grade uranium enrichment), or from the 107,000 tons of coal extracted from the state's two coal fields (which combined produce 4% percent of the electricity in the US).

Kentucky produces 95% of the world's supply of bourbon whiskey, and the number of barrels of bourbon being aged in Kentucky (more than 5.7 million) exceeds the state's population. Bourbon has been a growing market – with production of Kentucky bourbon rising 170 percent between 1999 and 2015. In 2019 the state had more than fifty distilleries for bourbon production.

Kentucky exports reached a record $22.1 billion in 2012, with products and services going to 199 countries.

According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, the primary state agency in Kentucky responsible for creating new jobs and new investment in the state, new business investment in Kentucky in 2012 totaled nearly $2.7 billion, with the creation of more than 14,000 new jobs. One such investment was L'Oréal in Northern Kentucky, which added 200 jobs on top of the 280 already in existing facilities in Florence and Walton.

Fort Knox, a United States Army post best known as the site of the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States official gold reserves, is located in Kentucky between Louisville and Elizabethtown. In May 2010, the Army Human Resource Center of Excellence, the largest office building in the state at nearly 900,000 square feet (84,000 m) opened at Fort Knox. The complex employs nearly 4,300 soldiers and civilians.

Kentucky contains two of the twenty U.S. Federal Penitentiaries: USP Big Sandy (in the east in Martin County near Inez) and USP McCreary (in the south in McCreary County in the Daniel Boone National Forest).

The total gross state product for 2020 was $213 billion. Its per capita income was $25,888 in 2017. An organization called the Institute for Truth in Accounting estimated that the state government's debts exceeded its available assets by $26,300 per taxpayer as of 2011, ranking the state as having the 5th highest such debt burden in the nation.

As of March 2024, the state's unemployment rate is 4.5%. In 2014 Kentucky was the most affordable U.S. state in which to live.

Taxation

Tax is collected by the Kentucky Department of Revenue. Kentucky has a flat 4% individual income tax rate. The sales tax rate in Kentucky is 6%.

Kentucky has a broadly based classified property tax system. All classes of property, unless exempted by the Constitution, are taxed by the state, although at widely varying rates. Many of these classes are exempted from taxation by local government. Of the classes that are subject to local taxation, three have special rates set by the General Assembly, one by the Kentucky Supreme Court and the remaining classes are subject to the full local rate, which includes the tax rate set by the local taxing bodies plus all voted levies. Real property is assessed on 100% of the fair market value and property taxes are due by December 31. Once the primary source of state and local government revenue, property taxes now account for only about 6% of the Kentucky's annual General Fund revenues.

Until January 1, 2006, Kentucky imposed a tax on intangible personal property held by a taxpayer on January 1 of each year. The Kentucky intangible tax was repealed under House Bill 272. Intangible property consisted of any property or investment that represents evidence of value or the right to value. Some types of intangible property included: bonds, notes, retail repurchase agreements, accounts receivable, trusts, enforceable contracts sale of real estate (land contracts), money in hand, money in safe deposit boxes, annuities, interests in estates, loans to stockholders, and commercial paper.

In 2023, Kentucky launched a regulated local and online sports betting industry. Taxing sportsbooks at 9.75% (in person) and 14.25% (online), the first two months of action saw the state collect $7.94 million.

Tourism

See also: Kentucky Bourbon Trail
The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY

Tourism has become an increasingly important part of the Kentucky economy. In 2019 tourism grew to $7.6 billion in economic impact. Key attractions include horse racing with events like the Kentucky Derby and the Keeneland Fall and Spring Meets, bourbon distillery tours, including along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail, and natural attractions such as the state's many lakes and parks to include Mammoth Cave, Lake Cumberland and Red River Gorge.

The state also has several religious destinations such as the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter of Answers in Genesis.

In December 2002, the Kentucky governor Paul E. Patton unveiled the state slogan "It's that friendly", in the hope of drawing more people into the state based on the idea of southern hospitality. Though it was meant to embrace southern values, many Kentuckians rejected the slogan as cheesy and generic. It was seen that the slogan did not encourage tourism as much as initially hoped for.

In 2004, then Governor Ernie Fletcher launched a comprehensive branding campaign with the hope of making the state's $12–14 million advertising budget more effective. The resulting "Unbridled Spirit" brand was the result of a $500,000 contract with New West, a Kentucky-based public relations advertising and marketing firm, to develop a viable brand and tag line. The Fletcher administration aggressively marketed the brand in both the public and private sectors. Since that time, the "Welcome to Kentucky" signs at border areas have an "Unbridled Spirit" symbol on them.

Horse industry

See also: Horse racing in the United States
Spring running of Keeneland in Lexington

Horse Racing has long been associated with Kentucky. Churchill Downs, the home of the Derby, is a large venue with a capacity exceeding 165,000. The track hosts multiple events throughout the year and is a significant draw to the city of Louisville. Keeneland Race Course, in Lexington, hosts two major meets, the Spring and Fall running. Beyond hosting races Keeneland also hosts a significant horse auction drawing buyers from around the world. In 2019 $360 million was spent on the September Yearling sale. The Kentucky Horse Park in Georgetown hosts multiple events throughout the year, including international equestrian competitions and also offers horseback riding from April to October.

Education

Main articles: Education in Kentucky and History of education in Kentucky See also: Education Reform in Kentucky, List of colleges and universities in Kentucky, List of high schools in Kentucky, and List of school districts in Kentucky
William T. Young Library at the University of Kentucky, Kentucky's flagship university.
The J.B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville, Kentucky's urban research university.

Kentucky maintains eight public four-year universities. There are two general tiers: major research institutions (the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville) and regional universities, which encompass the remaining six schools. The regional schools have specific target counties that many of their programs are targeted towards (such as Forestry at Eastern Kentucky University or Cave Management at Western Kentucky University), however, most of their curriculum varies little from any other public university.

The University of Kentucky (UK) and the University of Louisville (UofL) have the highest academic rankings and admissions standards although the regional schools are not without their national recognized departments – examples being Western Kentucky University's nationally ranked Journalism Department or Morehead State University offering one of the nation's only Space Science degrees. UK is the flagship and land grant of the system and has agriculture extension services in every county. The two research schools split duties related to the medical field, UK handles all medical outreach programs in the eastern half of the state while UofL does all medical outreach in the state's western half.

The state's sixteen public two-year colleges have been governed by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System since the passage of the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997, commonly referred to as House Bill 1. Before the passage of House Bill 1, most of these colleges were under the control of the University of Kentucky.

Transylvania University, a liberal arts university located in Lexington, was founded in 1780 as the oldest university west of the Allegheny Mountains.

Berea College, located at the extreme southern edge of the Bluegrass below the Cumberland Plateau, was the first coeducational college in the South to admit both Black and white students, doing so from its very establishment in 1855. A state law in 1904 ended integration, and the law was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in the case of Berea College v. Kentucky in 1908.The state law was repealed in 1950 and Berea resumed integration.

There are 173 school districts and 1,233 public schools in Kentucky. For the 2010 to 2011 school year, there were approximately 647,827 students enrolled in public school.

Kentucky has been the site of much educational reform over the past two decades. In 1989 the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled the state's education system was unconstitutional. The response of the General Assembly was passage of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) the following year. Years later, Kentucky has shown progress, but most agree that further reform is needed.

The West Virginia teachers' strike in 2018 inspired teachers in other states, including Kentucky, to take similar action.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Kentucky
At 484 miles (779 km) long, Kentucky Route 80 is the longest route in Kentucky, pictured here west of Somerset.

Roads

See also: List of Kentucky State Highways

Kentucky is served by six major Interstate highways (I-24, I-64, I-65, I-69, I-71, and I-75), seven parkways, and six bypasses and spurs (I-165, I-169, I-264, I-265, I-275, and I-471). The parkways were originally toll roads, but on November 22, 2006, Governor Ernie Fletcher ended the toll charges on the William H. Natcher Parkway and the Audubon Parkway, the last two parkways in Kentucky to charge tolls for access. The related toll booths have been demolished.

Ending the tolls some seven months ahead of schedule was generally agreed to have been a positive economic development for transportation in Kentucky. In June 2007, a law went into effect raising the speed limit on rural portions of Kentucky Interstates and parkways from 65 to 70 miles per hour (105 to 113 km/h).

Road tunnels include the interstate Cumberland Gap Tunnel and the rural Nada Tunnel.

Rails

See also: List of Kentucky railroads
High Bridge over the Kentucky River was the tallest rail bridge in the world when it was completed in 1877.

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Ashland, South Portsmouth, Maysville and Fulton. The Cardinal (trains 50 and 51) is the line that offers Amtrak service to Ashland, South Shore, Maysville and South Portsmouth. The City of New Orleans (trains 58 and 59) serve Fulton. The Northern Kentucky area is served by the Cardinal at Cincinnati Union Terminal. The terminal is just across the Ohio River in Cincinnati.

Norfolk Southern Railway passes through the Central and Southern parts of the Commonwealth, via its Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Texas Pacific (CNO&TP) subsidiary. The line originates in Cincinnati and terminates 338 miles south in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

As of 2004, there were approximately 2,640 miles (4,250 km) of railways in Kentucky, with about 65% of those being operated by CSX Transportation. Coal was by far the most common cargo, accounting for 76% of cargo loaded and 61% of cargo delivered.

Bardstown features a tourist attraction known as My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. Run along a 20-mile (30 km) stretch of rail purchased from CSX in 1987, guests are served a four-course meal as they make a two-and-a-half-hour round-trip between Bardstown and Limestone Springs. The Kentucky Railway Museum is located in nearby New Haven.

Other areas in Kentucky are reclaiming old railways in rail trail projects. One such project is Louisville's Big Four Bridge. When the bridge's Indiana approach ramps opened in 2014, completing the pedestrian connection across the Ohio River, the Big Four Bridge rail trail became the second-longest pedestrian-only bridge in the world. The longest pedestrian-only bridge is also found in Kentucky – the Newport Southbank Bridge, popularly known as the "Purple People Bridge", connecting Newport to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Air

See also: List of airports in Kentucky

Kentucky's primary airports include Louisville International Airport (Standiford Field (SDF)) of Louisville, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) of Cincinnati/Covington, and Blue Grass Airport (LEX) in Lexington. Louisville International Airport is home to UPS's Worldport, its international air-sorting hub. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is the largest airport in the state, and is a focus city for passenger airline Delta Air Lines and headquarters of its Delta Private Jets. The airport is one of DHL Aviation's three super-hubs, serving destinations throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, making it the 7th busiest airport in the U.S. and 36th in the world based on passenger and cargo operations. CVG is also a focus city for Frontier Airlines and is the largest O&D airport and base for Allegiant Air, along with home to a maintenance for American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines and Delta Air Lines subsidiary Endeavor Air. There are also a number of regional airports scattered across the state.

On August 27, 2006, Blue Grass Airport was the site of a crash that killed 47 passengers and 2 crew members aboard a Bombardier CRJ designated Comair Flight 191, or Delta Air Lines Flight 5191, sometimes mistakenly identified by the press as Comair Flight 5191. The lone survivor was the flight's first officer, James Polehinke, who doctors determined to be brain damaged and unable to recall the crash at all.

A barge hauling coal in the Louisville and Portland Canal, the only manmade section of the Ohio River

Water

As the state is bounded by two of the largest rivers in North America, water transportation has historically played a major role in Kentucky's economy. Louisville was a major port for steamships in the nineteenth century. Today, most barge traffic on Kentucky waterways consists of coal that is shipped from both the Eastern and Western Coalfields, about half of which is used locally to power many power plants located directly off the Ohio River, with the rest being exported to other countries, most notably Japan.

Many of the largest ports in the United States are located in or adjacent to Kentucky, including:

As a state, Kentucky ranks 10th overall in port tonnage.

The only natural obstacle along the entire length of the Ohio River is the Falls of the Ohio, located just west of Downtown Louisville.

Law and government

Further information: Government of Kentucky

Kentucky is one of four U.S. states to officially use the term commonwealth. The term was used for Kentucky as it had also been used by Virginia, from which Kentucky was created. The term has no particular significance in its meaning and was chosen to emphasize the distinction from the status of royal colonies as a place governed for the general welfare of the populace. Kentucky was originally styled as the "State of Kentucky" in the act admitting it to the Union and its first constitution.

The "Commonwealth" term was used in citizen petitions submitted between 1786 and 1792 for the creation of the state. It was also used in the title of a history of the state that was published in 1834 and was used in various places within that book in references to Virginia and Kentucky. The other three states officially called "commonwealths" are Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; the territories of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands are also formally commonwealths.

Kentucky is one of only five states that elect their state officials in odd-numbered years (the others being Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia). Kentucky holds elections for these offices every four years in the years preceding Presidential election years. Thus, Kentucky held gubernatorial elections in 2015, 2019 and 2023.

Executive branch

The governor's mansion in Frankfort

The executive branch is headed by the governor, who serves as both head of state and head of government. The lieutenant governor may or may not have executive authority depending on whether the person is a member of the Governor's cabinet. Under the current Kentucky Constitution, the lieutenant governor assumes the duties of the governor only if the governor is incapacitated. (Before 1992 the lieutenant governor assumed power any time the governor was out of the state.) The governor and lieutenant governor usually run on a single ticket (also per a 1992 constitutional amendment) and are elected to four-year terms. The current governor is Andy Beshear, and the lieutenant governor is Jacqueline Coleman. Both are Democrats.

The executive branch is organized into the following "cabinets", each headed by a secretary who is also a member of the governor's cabinet:

The cabinet system was introduced in 1972 by Governor Wendell Ford to consolidate hundreds of government entities that reported directly to the governor's office.

Other elected constitutional offices include the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Auditor of Public Accounts, State Treasurer and Commissioner of Agriculture. Currently, Republican Michael G. Adams serves as the Secretary of State. The commonwealth's chief prosecutor, law enforcement officer, and law officer is the Attorney General, currently Republican Russell Coleman. The Auditor of Public Accounts is Republican Allison Ball. Republican Mark Metcalf is the current Treasurer. Republican Jonathan Shell is the current Commissioner of Agriculture.

Legislative branch

The Kentucky State Capitol Building

Kentucky's legislative branch consists of a bicameral body known as the Kentucky General Assembly. The Senate is considered the upper house. It has 38 members and is led by the President of the Senate, currently Robert Stivers (R). The House of Representatives has 100 members, and is led by the Speaker of the House, currently David Osborne of the Republican Party.

In 2016, Republicans won control of the House for the first time since 1922. The party currently holds supermajorities in both chambers.

Judicial branch

The judicial branch of Kentucky is called the Kentucky Court of Justice and comprises courts of limited jurisdiction called District Courts; courts of general jurisdiction called Circuit Courts; specialty courts such as Drug Court and Family Court; an intermediate appellate court, the Kentucky Court of Appeals; and a court of last resort, the Kentucky Supreme Court.

The Kentucky Court of Justice is headed by the Chief Justice of the Commonwealth. The chief justice is appointed by, and is an elected member of, the Supreme Court of Kentucky. The current chief justice is Laurance VanMeter.

Unlike federal judges, who are usually appointed, justices serving on Kentucky state courts are chosen by the state's populace in non-partisan elections.

Federal representation

A map showing Kentucky's six congressional districts

Kentucky's two U.S. senators are Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, both Republicans. The state is divided into six congressional districts, represented by Republicans James Comer (1st), Brett Guthrie (2nd), Thomas Massie (4th), Hal Rogers (5th) and Andy Barr (6th) and Democrat Morgan McGarvey (3rd).

In the federal judiciary, Kentucky is served by two United States district courts: the Eastern District of Kentucky, with its primary seat in Lexington, and the Western District of Kentucky, with its primary seat in Louisville. Appeals are heard in the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Law

State sign, Interstate 65

Kentucky's body of laws, known as the Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS), were enacted in 1942 to better organize and clarify the whole of Kentucky law. The statutes are enforced by local police, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, and constables and deputy constables. Unless they have completed a police academy elsewhere, these officers are required to complete Police Officer Professional Standards (POPS) training at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training Center on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. Additionally, in 1948, the Kentucky General Assembly established the Kentucky State Police, making it the 38th state to create a force whose jurisdiction extends throughout the given state.

Kentucky is one of the 32 states in the United States that sanctions the death penalty for certain murders defined as heinous. Those convicted of capital crimes after March 31, 1998, are always executed by lethal injection; those convicted on or before this date may opt for the electric chair. Only three people have been executed in Kentucky since the U.S. Supreme Court re-instituted the practice in 1976. The most notable execution in Kentucky was that of Rainey Bethea on August 14, 1936. Bethea was publicly hanged in Owensboro for the rape and murder of Lischia Edwards. Irregularities with the execution led to this becoming the last public execution in the United States.

Kentucky has been on the front lines of the debate over displaying the Ten Commandments on public property. In the 2005 case of McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that a display of the Ten Commandments in the Whitley City courthouse of McCreary County was unconstitutional. Later that year, Judge Richard Fred Suhrheinrich, writing for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of ACLU of Kentucky v. Mercer County, wrote that a display including the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Ten Commandments, Magna Carta, The Star-Spangled Banner, and the national motto could be erected in the Mercer County courthouse.

Kentucky has been known to have unusually high political candidacy age laws, especially compared to surrounding states. The origin of this is unknown.

Politics

Further information: Political party strength in Kentucky
Treemap of the popular vote by county, 2016 presidential election

Since the late 1990s, Kentucky has supported Republican candidates for most federal political offices, and, more recently, for state-level office as well. The state leaned toward the Democratic Party from 1860 through the 1990s, and was considered a swing state at the presidential level for most of the latter half of the 20th century.

The southeastern region of the state aligned with the Union during the war and has consistently supported Republican candidates. The central and western portions of the state were heavily Democratic in the years leading to the Civil War, were pro-secessionist and pro-Confederate during the Civil War, and in the decades following the war. Kentucky was part of the Democratic Solid South in the second half of the nineteenth century and through the majority of the twentieth century.

Mirroring a broader national reversal of party composition, the Kentucky Democratic Party of the twenty-first century primarily consists of liberal whites, African Americans, and other minorities. Although most of the state's voters have reliably elected Republican candidates for federal office since the late 1990s, Democrats held an advantage in party registration until 2022. On July 15, 2022, the Kentucky Secretary of State's office announced that for the first time in its history, the commonwealth had more registered Republicans than registered Democrats, with 45.19% of the state's voters registered as Republicans, 45.12% registered as Democrats, and 9.69% registered with another political party or as independents.

From 1964 through 2004, Kentucky voted for the eventual winner of the election for President of the United States; however, in the 2008 election the state lost its bellwether status. Republican John McCain won Kentucky, but he lost the national popular and electoral vote to Democrat Barack Obama (McCain carried Kentucky 57% to 41%). 116 of Kentucky's 120 counties supported former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the 2012 election while he lost to Barack Obama nationwide.

Voters in the Commonwealth have supported the previous three Democratic candidates elected to the White House in the late 20th century, all from Southern states: Lyndon B. Johnson (Texas) in 1964, Jimmy Carter (Georgia) in 1976, and Bill Clinton (Arkansas) in 1992 and 1996. In the twenty-first century presidential elections, the state has become a Republican stronghold, supporting that party's presidential candidates by double-digit margins from 2000 through 2020. At the same time, voters have continued to elect Democratic candidates to state and local offices in many jurisdictions.

Elliott County, Kentucky is notable for having held the longest streak of any county in the United States voting Democratic. Founded in 1869, Elliott County supported the Democratic nominee in every presidential election from 1872 (the first in which it participated) until 2012. In 2016, Donald Trump became the first Republican to ever carry the county, and he did so in a 44-point landslide, highlighting the modern Republican Party's dominance among rural whites and many ancestrally Democratic, socially-conservative voters.

Kentucky is one of the most anti-abortion states in the United States. A 2014 poll conducted by Pew Research Center found that 57% of Kentucky's population thought that abortion should be illegal in all/most cases, while only 36% thought that abortion should be legal in all/most cases.

In a 2020 study, Kentucky was ranked as the 8th hardest state for citizens to vote in.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 2024
Party Number of voters Percentage
Republican 1,659,088 46.76%
Democratic 1,508,617 42.52%
Other 213,506 6.02%
Independent 166,925 4.70%
Total 3,548,136 100.00%

Culture

Main article: Culture of Kentucky See also: Theater in Kentucky; Performing arts in Louisville, Kentucky; and List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area
The Buffalo Trace Distillery

Kentucky culture is firmly Southern, and influenced by that of Appalachia. The state is known for bourbon and whiskey distilling, tobacco, horse racing, and college basketball. Kentucky is more similar to the Upland South in terms of ancestry that is predominantly American.

Nevertheless, during the 19th century, Kentucky did receive a substantial number of German immigrants, who settled mostly in the Midwest and parts of the Upper South, along the Ohio River primarily in Louisville, Covington and Newport. Only Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia have higher German ancestry percentages than Kentucky among Census-defined Southern states, although Kentucky's percentage is closer to Arkansas and Virginia's than the previously named state's percentages. Scottish Americans, English Americans and Scotch-Irish Americans have heavily influenced Kentucky culture, and are present in every part of the state. As of the 1980s the only counties in the United States where more than half the population cited "English" as their only ancestry group were all in the hills of eastern Kentucky (and made up virtually every county in this region).

Kentucky was a slave state, and Black people once composed over one-quarter of its population; however, it lacked the cotton plantation system though it did support significant and large scale tobacco plantation systems in the western and central parts of the state more similar to the plantations developed in Virginia and North Carolina than those in the Deep South, and never had the same high percentage of African Americans as most other slave states. While less than 8% of the total population is Black, Kentucky has a relatively significant rural African American population in the Central and Western areas of the state.

Kentucky adopted the Jim Crow system of racial segregation in most public spheres after the Civil War. Louisville's 1914 ordinance for residential racial segregation was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1917. However, in 1908 Kentucky enacted the Day Law, "An Act to Prohibit White and Colored Persons from Attending the Same School", which Berea College unsuccessfully challenged at the US Supreme Court in 1908. In 1948, Lyman T. Johnson filed suit for admission to the University of Kentucky; as a result, nearly thirty African American students entered UK graduate and professional programs in the summer of 1949. Kentucky integrated its schools after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education verdict, later adopting the first state civil rights act in the South in 1966.

Old Louisville is the largest Victorian Historic neighborhood in the United States.

Kentucky commemorates Confederate Memorial Day but added Juneteenth as a holiday by proclamation of Governor Andy Beshear in 2024. The biggest day in American horse racing, the Kentucky Derby, is preceded by the two-week Derby Festival in Louisville. The Derby Festival features many events, including Thunder Over Louisville, the Pegasus Parade, the Great Steamboat Race, Fest-a-Ville, the Chow Wagon, BalloonFest, BourbonVille, and many others leading up to the big race.

Louisville also plays host to the Kentucky State Fair and the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival. Bowling Green, the state's third-largest city and home to the only assembly plant in the world that manufactures the Chevrolet Corvette, opened the National Corvette Museum in 1994. The fourth-largest city, Owensboro, gives credence to its nickname of "Barbecue Capital of the World" by hosting the annual International Bar-B-Q Festival.

Old Louisville, the largest historic preservation district in the United States featuring Victorian architecture and the third largest overall, hosts the St. James Court Art Show, the largest outdoor art show in the United States. The neighborhood was also home to the Southern Exposition (1883–1887), which featured the first public display of Thomas Edison's light bulb, and was the setting of Alice Hegan Rice's novel, Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch.

Fairview was the birthplace of Jefferson Davis, who would become President of the Confederate States of America; the town had the Jefferson Davis Memorial, a 351-foot concrete obelisk, built in 1917. Hodgenville, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, hosts the annual Lincoln Days Celebration, and also hosted the kick-off for the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration in February 2008. Bardstown celebrates its heritage as a major bourbon-producing region with the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. Glasgow mimics Glasgow, Scotland by hosting the Glasgow Highland Games, its own version of the Highland Games, and Sturgis hosts "Little Sturgis", a mini version of Sturgis, South Dakota's annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The state is famous for quilts. The National Quilt Museum is in Paducah. It hosts QuiltWeek, an annual competition and celebration of that attracts artists and hobbyists from the world of quilting.

Winchester celebrates an original Kentucky creation, Beer Cheese, with its Beer Cheese Festival held annually in June. Beer Cheese was developed in Clark County at some point in the 1940s along the Kentucky River.

The residents of tiny Benton pay tribute to their favorite tuber, the sweet potato, by hosting Tater Day. Residents of Clarkson in Grayson County celebrate their city's ties to the honey industry by celebrating the Clarkson Honeyfest. The Clarkson Honeyfest is held the last Thursday, Friday and Saturday in September, and is the "Official State Honey Festival of Kentucky".

Music

Main article: Music of Kentucky See also: Category:Musicians from Kentucky

Renfro Valley, Kentucky is home to Renfro Valley Entertainment Center and the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and is known as "Kentucky's Country Music Capital", a designation given it by the Kentucky State Legislature in the late 1980s. The Renfro Valley Barn Dance was where Renfro Valley's musical heritage began, in 1939, and influential country music luminaries like Red Foley, Homer & Jethro, Lily May Ledford & the Original Coon Creek Girls, Martha Carson and many others have performed as regular members of the shows there over the years. The Renfro Valley Gatherin' is today America's second-oldest continually broadcast radio program of any kind. It is broadcast on local radio station WRVK and a syndicated network of nearly 200 other stations across the United States and Canada every week.

The U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum in Paintsville provides background on the country music artists from Eastern Kentucky.

Contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman is a Paducah native, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Everly Brothers are closely connected with Muhlenberg County, where older brother Don was born. Merle Travis, Country and Western artist known for both his signature "Travis picking" guitar playing style, as well as his hit song "Sixteen Tons", was also born in Muhlenberg County. Kentucky was also home to Mildred and Patty Hill, the Louisville sisters credited with composing the tune to the ditty Happy Birthday to You in 1893; Loretta Lynn (Johnson County), Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys, and Billy Ray Cyrus (Flatwoods).

However, its depth lies in its signature sound – Bluegrass music. Bill Monroe, "The Father of Bluegrass", was born in the small Ohio County town of Rosine, while Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, David "Stringbean" Akeman, Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones, Sonny and Bobby Osborne, and Sam Bush (who has been compared to Monroe) all hail from Kentucky. The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is located in Owensboro, while the annual Festival of the Bluegrass is held in Lexington.

Kentucky was also home to famed jazz musician Lionel Hampton. Blues legend W. C. Handy and R&B singer Wilson Pickett also spent considerable time in Kentucky. The R&B group Midnight Star and Hip-Hop group Nappy Roots were both formed in Kentucky, as were country acts the Kentucky Headhunters, Montgomery Gentry, Halfway to Hazard, the Judds, and Dove Award-winning Christian groups Audio Adrenaline and Bride. Black Stone Cherry hails from rural Edmonton. Indie rock bands Slint, My Morning Jacket, Wax Fang, White Reaper, and Tantric formed in Louisville; indie rock bands Cage the Elephant, Sleeper Agent, and Morning Teleportation are from Bowling Green. The bluegrass groups Driftwood and Kentucky Rain, along with Nick Lachey of the pop band 98 Degrees are also from Kentucky. King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew is from Covington. Noted singer and actress Rosemary Clooney was a native of Maysville, her legacy being celebrated at the annual music festival bearing her name. Noted songwriter and actor Will Oldham is from Louisville. More recently in the limelight are country artists Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, and Chris Knight.

In eastern Kentucky, old-time music carries on the tradition of ancient ballads and reels developed in historical Appalachia.

Literature

Main article: Kentucky literature

Kentucky has played a major role in Southern and American literature, producing works that often celebrate the working class, rural life, nature, and explore issues of class, extractive economy, and family. Major works from the state include Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe, widely seen as one of the impetuses for the American Civil War; The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1908) by John Fox Jr., which was the first novel to sell a million copies in the United States; All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (1946), rated as the 36th best English-language novel of the 20th century; The Dollmaker (1954) by Harriette Arnow; Night Comes to the Cumberlands (1962) by Harry Caudill, which contributed to initiating the U.S. Government's War on poverty, and others.

Author Thomas Merton lived most of his life and wrote most of his books – including The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), ranked on National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century – during his time as a monk at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky. Author Hunter S. Thompson is also a native of the state. Since the later part of the 20th century, several writers from Kentucky have published widely read and critically acclaimed books, including: Wendell Berry (fl. 1960–), Silas House (fl. 2001–), Barbara Kingsolver (fl. 1988–), poet Maurice Manning (fl. 2001–), and Bobbie Ann Mason (fl. 1988–).

Well-known playwrights from Kentucky include Marsha Norman (works include 'night, Mother, 1983), Naomi Wallace (works include One Flea Spare, 1995), and George C. Wolfe (works include Jelly's Last Jam, 1992).

The Hot Brown

Cuisine

Main article: Cuisine of Kentucky

Kentucky's cuisine is generally similar to and is a part of traditional southern cooking, although in some areas of the state it can blend elements of both the South and Appalachia, mixing Appalachian with the native Southern cuisine of the area. One original Kentucky dish is called the Hot Brown, a dish normally layered in this order: toasted bread, turkey, bacon, tomatoes and topped with mornay sauce. It was developed at the Brown Hotel in Louisville. The Pendennis Club in Louisville is the birthplace of the Old Fashioned cocktail. Also, Western Kentucky is known for its own regional style of Southern barbecue. Central Kentucky is the birthplace of Beer Cheese.

Harland Sanders, a Kentucky colonel, originated Kentucky Fried Chicken at his service station in North Corbin, though the first franchised KFC was located in South Salt Lake, Utah.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Kentucky
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Kentucky's Churchill Downs hosts the Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky is the home of sports teams such as Minor League Baseball's Triple-A Louisville Bats and High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods. It is home to the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball's Lexington Legends and the Frontier League's Florence Y'alls. The Lexington Horsemen and Louisville Fire of the now-defunct af2 had been interested in making a move up to the "major league" Arena Football League, but nothing has come of those plans.

The northern part of the state lies across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, which is home to the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. It is not uncommon for fans to park in the city of Newport and use the Newport Southbank Pedestrian Bridge, locally known as the "Purple People Bridge", to walk to these games in Cincinnati. Georgetown College in Georgetown was the location for the Bengals' summer training camp, until it was announced in 2012 that the Bengals would no longer use the facilities.

As in many states, especially those without major league professional sports teams, college athletics are prominent. This is especially true of the state's three Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs, including the Kentucky Wildcats, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, and the Louisville Cardinals. The Wildcats, Hilltoppers, and Cardinals are among the most tradition-rich college men's basketball teams in the United States, combining for 11 National Championships and 24 NCAA Final Fours; all three are high on the lists of total all-time wins, wins per season, and average wins per season.

College Basketball enjoys significant popularity in Kentucky, with the University of Kentucky's Rupp Arena (right), and the University of Louisville's KFC Yum! Center (left) ranking 2nd and 3rd in capacity among college basketball arenas.

The Kentucky Wildcats are particularly notable, leading all Division I programs in all-time wins, win percentage, NCAA tournament appearances, and being second only to UCLA in NCAA championships. Louisville has stepped onto the football scene, including winning the 2007 Orange Bowl as well as the 2013 Sugar Bowl, and producing 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. Western Kentucky, the 2002 national champion in Division I-AA football (now Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)), completed its transition to Division I FBS football in 2009.

The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville on the first Saturday in May. The Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville has hosted several editions of the PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and Ryder Cup since the 1990s.

The NASCAR Cup Series held a race at the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky from 2011 to 2020. The NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series raced there through 2020. The IndyCar Series previously raced there as well.

Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville was the primary location for training and rehab for WWE professional wrestlers from 2000 until 2008, when WWE moved its contracted talent to Florida Championship Wrestling. OVW later became the primary developmental territory for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2011 to 2013.

In 2014 Louisville City FC, a professional soccer team in the league then known as USL Pro and now as the United Soccer League, was announced. The team made its debut in 2015, playing home games at Louisville Slugger Field. In its first season, Louisville City was the official reserve side for Orlando City SC, who made its debut in Major League Soccer at the same time. That arrangement ended in 2016 when Orlando City established a directly controlled reserve side in the USL.

Kentucky colonel

Main article: Kentucky colonel

The distinction of being named a Kentucky colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given by the Governor and the Secretary of State to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to a community, state or the nation. The sitting governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky bestows the honor of a colonel's commission, by issuance of letters patent. Kentucky colonels are commissioned for life and act officially as the state's goodwill ambassadors.

See also

Notes

  1. However, a portion of the larger Cincinnati metropolitan area does extend into the state.
  2. ^ Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
  3. Kentucky is one of only four U.S. states to use the term "Commonwealth" in its official name, along with Massachusetts, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
  4. Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.

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Bibliography

Politics

  • Miller, Penny M. Kentucky Politics & Government: Do We Stand United? (1994)
  • Jewell, Malcolm E. and Everett W. Cunningham, Kentucky Politics (1968).

History

Surveys and reference

Specialized scholarly studies

External links

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