The Flag of Kentucky
Montage of Kentucky
Kentucky ( kən-TUK -ee , ken- ), 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 largest 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 . (Full article... )
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Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the first and only president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party before the American Civil War . He was the United States Secretary of War from 1853 to 1857.
Davis, the youngest of ten children, was born in Fairview, Kentucky , but spent most of his childhood in Wilkinson County, Mississippi . His eldest brother Joseph Emory Davis secured the younger Davis's appointment to the United States Military Academy . Upon graduating, he served six years as a lieutenant in the United States Army . After leaving the army in 1835, Davis married Sarah Knox Taylor , daughter of general and future President Zachary Taylor . Sarah died from malaria three months after the wedding. Davis became a cotton planter , building Brierfield Plantation in Mississippi on his brother Joseph's land and eventually owning as many as 113 slaves. (Full article... )
Richmond is a home class city in Kentucky and the county seat of Madison County, Kentucky , United States . It is named after Richmond, Virginia , and is home to Eastern Kentucky University . The population was 38,030 as of 2024. Richmond is the fourth-largest city in the Bluegrass region (after Louisville , Lexington and Georgetown ) and the state's seventh-largest city. It is the ninth largest population center in the state with a Micropolitan population of 106,864. The city serves as the center for work and shopping for south-central Kentucky, with many local and chain options alike. Richmond KY is home to numerous festivals, notably the Millstone Festival. In addition, Richmond is the principal city of the Richmond-Berea, Kentucky Micropolitan Area , which includes all of Madison and Rockcastle counties. (Full article... )
Kentucky Derby Hatfield–McCoy feud University of Kentucky Thomas Hunt Morgan Louisville, Kentucky Owensboro, Kentucky Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky Bowling Green, Kentucky History of Louisville, Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky W. B. Belknap Iroquois Park Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball Kentucky in the American Civil War Kentucky coffeetree Kentucky warbler Ashland, Kentucky Kentucky Colonel Paducah, Kentucky Kentucky Bend Johnny Depp Mary Todd Lincoln Gus Van Sant Rand Paul Chuck Woolery Thomas Massie Loretta Lynn Hunter S. Thompson Mitch McConnell Billy Ray Cyrus Shaun King Skeeter Davis George Clooney Ned Beatty Muhammad Ali Colonel Sanders Bourbon whiskey Wynonna Judd Fort Knox Dippin' Dots Jim Beam Georgetown, Kentucky History of Kentucky Covington, Kentucky Black Patch Tobacco Wars Kentucky meat shower Casey County, Kentucky Louisville City FC Bardstown, Kentucky Cuisine of Kentucky Culture of Kentucky Lake Cumberland Red River Gorge Martin County coal slurry spill Transylvania University Bill Monroe Chris Stapleton Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Louisville International Airport Keeneland Mammoth Cave National Park Belle of Louisville Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Ernest Hogan Mint julep Cincinnati metropolitan area Vent Haven Museum Waverly Hills Sanatorium Wigwam Motel Martin Castle National Corvette Museum Rabbit Hash, Kentucky Black Mountain (Kentucky) Cave Hill Cemetery Thomas Merton Florence Y'all Water Tower Downtown Louisville Floyd Collins Big Bone Lick State Park Louisville and Portland Canal Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Old Talbott Tavern Corbin, Kentucky Top Chef: Kentucky Kentucky Mr. Basketball Kentucky River Bluegrass region Kentucky cave shrimp Lexmark Buffalo Trace Distillery Texas Roadhouse Kentucky–Tennessee football rivalry Kentucky common beer Blue Moon of Kentucky Sugartit, Kentucky Brandenburg stone French–Eversole feud Brown–Forman Rooster Run University of Louisville Kentucky Women Remembered List of Kentucky women in the civil rights era Churchill Downs James Ohio Pattie
The following are images from various Kentucky-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Dunmore War Saga (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 2 Map of Kentucky published in 1784 with
John Filson 's
The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 3 A barge hauling coal in the
Louisville and Portland Canal , the only manmade section of the
Ohio River (from
Transportation in Kentucky )
Image 4 Artist's conception of
Annis Mound and Village , a Mississippian site in
Butler County , c. 1250–1300 CE (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 5 At 464 miles (747 km) long,
Kentucky Route 80 is the longest route in Kentucky, pictured here west of
Somerset . (from
Transportation in Kentucky )
Image 6 James Pierce Barton's
Kentucky Landscape (1832) (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 7 Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap (
George Caleb Bingham , oil on canvas, 1851–52) (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 9 High Bridge over the
Kentucky River was the tallest rail bridge in the world when it was completed in 1877. (from
Transportation in Kentucky )
Image 10 Biggs Site , also known as the
Portsmouth Earthworks Group D, an Adena culture archaeological site located Greenup County (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 11 This 1800
Low's Encyclopaedia map of Kentucky and surrounding region did not include southwestern Kentucky and
West Tennessee , which were held by the
Chickasaw until 1818. (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 12 Old Louisville is the largest Victorian Historic neighborhood in the United States. (from
Culture of Kentucky )
Image 13 The
Earl of Dunmore via
Dunmore's War cleared the way for settlement of Kentucky (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 14 The Native American Crab Orchard culture existed in western Kentucky and southern
Indiana from c. 200 BCE to 500 CE. (from
History of Kentucky )
National Register of Historic Places listings in Kentucky by county
Largest cities or towns in Kentucky
Rank
Name
County
Pop.
Louisville Lexington
1
Louisville
Jefferson
623,349
Bowling Green Owensboro
2
Lexington
Fayette
321,959
3
Bowling Green
Warren
67,067
4
Owensboro
Daviess
59,404
5
Covington
Kenton
40,455
6
Richmond
Madison
35,397
7
Georgetown
Scott
33,660
8
Florence
Boone
32,305
9
Hopkinsville
Christian
30,789
10
Nicholasville
Jessamine
30,553
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