Kentucky

state of the United States of America From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Quick Facts Country, Before statehood ...
Kentucky
Commonwealth of Kentucky
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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
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Map 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[a]
Government
  GovernorAndy Beshear (D)
  Lieutenant GovernorJacqueline Coleman (D)
LegislatureKentucky General 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 km2)
  Land39,486 sq mi (102,269 km2)
  Water921 sq mi (2,387 km2)  2.2%
  Rank37th
Dimensions
  Length397 mi (640 km)
  Width187 mi (302 km)
Elevation
750 ft (230 m)
Highest elevation4,145 ft (1,265 m)
Lowest elevation
(Mississippi River at Kentucky Bend[1][b])
250 ft (78 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total 4,505,836[2]
  Rank26th
  Density114/sq mi (44/km2)
   Rank23rd
  Median household income
$52,295[3]
  Income rank
44th
DemonymKentuckian
Language
  Official languageEnglish[4]
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 abbreviation
KY
ISO 3166 codeUS-KY
Traditional abbreviationKy
Latitude36° 30′ N to 39° 09′ N
Longitude81° 58′ W to 89° 34′ W
Websitekentucky.gov
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Quick Facts Living insignia, Bird ...
Kentucky state symbols
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Living insignia
BirdCardinal
ButterflyViceroy butterfly
Wildlife animalGray squirrel
FishKentucky spotted bass
FlowerGoldenrod
Horse breedThoroughbred
InsectWestern honeybee
TreeTulip poplar
Inanimate insignia
BeverageMilk
DanceClogging
FoodBlackberry
FossilBrachiopod
GemstoneFreshwater pearl
MineralCoal
RockKentucky agate
SloganKentucky Unbridled Spirit
SoilCrider Soil Series
OtherChevrolet Corvette (state sports car)
State route marker
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State quarter
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Released in 2001
Lists of United States state symbols
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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 [5] 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.

Notes

  1. However, a portion of the larger Cincinnati metropolitan area does extend into the state.

References

Bibliography

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