Kentucky
Kentucky is a state in the United States. Its capital is Frankfort. It touches the states of Missouri (by the Mississippi River), Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia (by the Ohio River), Tennessee and Virginia. There are many rivers in Kentucky.
Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth of Kentucky | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname(s): Bluegrass State | |
| Motto(s): | |
| Anthem: My Old Kentucky Home | |
 Map of the United States with Kentucky highlighted | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Part of Virginia (District of Kentucky) |
| Admitted to the Union | June 1, 1792 (15th) |
| Capital | Frankfort |
| Largest city | Louisville |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Kentuckiana |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Andy Beshear (D) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Jacqueline Coleman (D) |
| Legislature | Kentucky General Assembly |
| • Upper house | Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| U.S. senators | Mitch McConnell (R) Rand Paul (R) |
| U.S. House delegation | 5 Republicans 1 Democrat (list) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 40,408 sq mi (104,659 km2) |
| • Land | 39,895 sq mi (102,895 km2) |
| • Water | 681 sq mi (1,764 km2) 1.7% |
| Area rank | 37th |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 379 mi (610 km) |
| • Width | 170 mi (250 km) |
| Elevation | 750 ft (230 m) |
| Highest elevation | 4,145 ft (1,265 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 250 ft (78 m) |
| Population (2019) | |
| • Total | 4,467,673 |
| • Rank | 26th |
| • Density | 110/sq mi (42.5/km2) |
| • Density rank | 21st |
| • Median household income | $48,375[2] |
| • Income rank | 44th |
| Demonym(s) | Kentuckian |
| Language | |
| • Official language | English[3] |
| Time zones | |
| eastern half | UTC−05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| western half | UTC−06:00 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−05:00 (CDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | KY |
| ISO 3166 code | US-KY |
| Traditional abbreviation | Ky |
| Latitude | 36° 30′ N to 39° 09′ N |
| Longitude | 81° 58′ W to 89° 34′ W |
| Website | kentucky |
| Kentucky state symbols | |
|---|---|
 | |
| |
| Living insignia | |
| Bird | Cardinal |
| Butterfly | Viceroy butterfly |
| Wildlife animal | Gray squirrel |
| Fish | Kentucky spotted bass |
| Flower | Goldenrod |
| Horse breed | Thoroughbred |
| Insect | Western honeybee |
| Tree | Tulip poplar |
| Inanimate insignia | |
| Beverage | Milk |
| Dance | Clogging |
| Food | Blackberry |
| Fossil | Brachiopod |
| Gemstone | Freshwater pearl |
| Mineral | Coal |
| Rock | Kentucky agate |
| Slogan | Kentucky Unbridled Spirit |
| Soil | Crider Soil Series |
| Other | Chevrolet Corvette (state sports car) |
| State route marker | |
 | |
| State quarter | |
 Released in 2001 | |
| Lists of United States state symbols | |
History
The first people to settle in Kentucky were Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans. African slaves worked on plantations.
Louisville, the main city of Kentucky [4] until last century, was founded in the XVIII century (around 1778) by George Rogers Clark and some French colonists.
Some people call it the "Bluegrass State" because of a special kind of grass that grows there. There are also horses in Kentucky that eat this blue grass. Kentucky is very famous for its horse farms. The Kentucky Derby, a well-known horse race. It is held in the city of Louisville, which is also the largest city in the state. Other well-known places are Fort Knox, The Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Falls, Mammoth Cave, Red River gorge, and Land Between the Lakes.
Some well-known towns and cities are Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, Bowling Green, Covington, Florence, Maysville, Georgetown, Paducah, Murray, Bardstown, Morehead, Midway, Berea, Richmond, Danville, Versailles, Elizabethtown, Radcliff, Corbin, Somerset, Ashland, and Middlesboro.
Hodgenville, Kentucky is famous for being the birthplace of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
Louisville skyline
Kentucky Derby
Related pages
Notes
- Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
References
- "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
- "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- "Kentucky State Symbols". Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- "Kentucky Green Energy Solar Program Guide". WhatsBiomass. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
Bibliography
- Channing, Steven. Kentucky: A Bicentennial History (1977).