Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the 2nd largest city in Kentucky. In 2020, 322,570 people lived there.^[4] It is called "the Horse Capital of the World".

Lexington, Kentucky
Consolidated city-county
Downtown Lexington
Nickname(s):  Athens of the West,[1] Horse Capital of the World
Location in the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky Location in the United States
Coordinates: 38°02′47″N 84°29′49″W
Country	United States
State	Kentucky
County	Fayette
Established	1782[2]
Incorporated	1831[2]
Named for	Lexington, Massachusetts
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Mayor	Linda Gorton (R)
Area [3]
• Consolidated city-county	285.5 sq mi (739.5 km2)
• Land	283.6 sq mi (734.6 km2)
• Water	1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
• Urban	87.5 sq mi (226.7 km2)
Elevation	978 ft (298 m)
Population  (2020)[4]
• Consolidated city-county	322,570
• Rank	US: 57th Kentucky: 2nd
• Density	1,137/sq mi (439/km2)
• Urban	315,631 (US: 130th)[5]
• Urban density	3,758/sq mi (1,451/km2)
• Metro	516,811 (US: 106th)
• CSA	762,082 (US: 70th)
Demonym	Lexingtonian
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	40502–40517, 40522–40524, 40526, 40533, 40536, 40544, 40546, 40550, 40555, 40574–40583, 40588, 40591, 40598
Area code	859
FIPS code	21-46027
Website	www.lexingtonky.gov

History

Lexington was first named by a party of Virginians who camped here in June, 1775, after they heard the news about the Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts in April of that year starting the American Revolution against the British government. A fort was begun at the same spot in 1779, and by 1782 there was a town here known as Lexington, Virginia. This is because Kentucky was still part of Virginia then, and was not made into a state of its own until 1792. The Fifth Third Bank building located near the city center is a famous local landmark, and is sometimes called ‘The Big Blue Building.’