Kentucky State Flag |
Kentucky State Seal |
Kentucky Location |
Kentucky
Kentucky
(the Commonwealth of Kentucky)
is a southern state of the United
States of America and was the 15th state admitted to the Union.
Kentucky
and its residents are probably most well known for thoroughbred horses
and racing, local whiskey distilleries, and unbridled fanaticism for
basketball. The two principal rivals in the state are the University
of Kentucky (blue, Wildcats) and the University of Louisville (red,
Cardinals).
Several US Navy
ships have been named USS Kentucky in honor of the state. The USS Paducah
also served as a naval vessel.
| State
nicknames |
Bluegrass
State |
| Capital |
Frankfort |
| Largest
City |
Louisville |
| Governor
(2004) |
Ernie
Fletcher |
Area
- Total
- Land
- Water
- % water |
Ranked
37th
104,749 km˛
102,989 km˛
1,760 km˛
1.7% |
Population
- Total (2000)
- Density |
Ranked
25th
4,041,769
39/km˛ |
Admittance
into Union
- Order
- Date |
15th
June 1, 1792 |
| Time
zone |
Eastern:
UTC-5/-4 Central: UTC-6/-5 eastern counties in Eastern Timezone,
western counties in Central Timezone |
Latitude
Longitude |
36°30'N
to 39°9'N
81°58'W to 89°34'W |
Width
Length
Elevation
- Highest
- Mean
- Lowest |
225
km
610 km
1,262 meters
230 meters
78 meters |
| ISO
3166-2 |
US-KY
|
| State
Wild Animal |
Grey
Squirrel |
| State
Bird |
Cardinal |
| State
Flower |
Goldenrod |
| State
Song |
"My
Old Kentucky Home" by Stephen Collins Foster-1853 |
| State
Bluegrass Song |
"Blue
Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe-1947 |
| State
Tree |
Tulip
tree (formerly the Kentucky coffeetree) |
| State
Horse |
Thoroughbred |
| State
Fish |
Kentucky
Bass |
| State
Butterfly |
Viceroy
Butterfly |
| State
Gemstone |
Fresh
Water Pearl |
| State
Fossil |
Brachiopod |
| State
Motto |
"United
We Stand, Divided We Fall" |
History
 Kentucky
is one of four states to call itself a commonwealth. At one time, Kentucky
was a county of Virginia.
Ten constitutional conventions took place at the courthouse of Constitution
Square in Danville,
Kentucky between 1784 and 1792. In 1790, Kentucky delegates accepted
Virginia's terms for separation, and the state constitution was drafted
at the final convention in April 1792. On June 1, 1792, Kentucky
became the fifteenth state in the union and Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary
War hero, was named the first Governor of the Commonwealth
Of Kentucky.
On May 20, 1861
during the American Civil War, Kentucky
proclaimed its neutrality in the conflict but was forced to take the
side of the Union on September 3 when Confederate forces under General
Leonidas Polk invaded.
Kentucky’s name
is possibly derived from the Cherokee word for "meadowland" after the
bluegrass pastures that lured early pioneers to the state.
Government
The capital of Kentucky
is Frankfort
and its governor is Ernie Fletcher (Republican). Kentucky's two U.S.
senators are Jim Bunning (Republican) and Mitch McConnell (Republican).
The Kentucky Constitution provides for three branches of government:
the legislative, the judicial, and the executive. Kentucky's General
Assembly has two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Geography
Kentucky,
also known as The Bluegrass State, borders the Midwest and Deep South.
It touches West Virginia,
Virginia, Tennessee,
Missouri, Illinois,
Indiana, and Ohio.
Its northern border
is the low-water mark on the north side of the Ohio River. Its western
border is the Mississippi River. Other major rivers in Kentucky
include the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, the Green River and
the Licking River.
There are five main
regions, the Cumberland Mountains and Cumberland Plateau in the southeast,
the north-central Bluegrass Region, the south-central and western Pennyroyal
Plateau, also sometimes termed "Pennyrile", the western coal-fields
area, and the far-west Jackson Purchase.
The largest cities
in Kentucky in terms of
geographic area are the two merged city/county governments of Lexington-Fayette
and Louisville Metro, although Louisville
and its metropolitan area both have a much larger population than Lexington
and its metro area. Northern Kentucky,
an assemblage of smaller cities across the Ohio River from Cincinnati,
Ohio, also has a large metropolitan population.
Significant Natural Attractions
- Cumberland Falls
State Park
- Mammoth Cave
National Park
- Red River Gorge
Geological Area
- Land Between
the Lakes
Economy
The total gross
state product for 1999 was $113 billion, placing Kentucky
26th in the nation. Its Per Capita Personal Income is $24,294, 40th
in the nation. Kentucky's agricultural outputs are horses, cattle, tobacco,
dairy products, hogs, soybeans, and corn. Its industrial outputs are
transportation equipment, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery,
food processing, tobacco products, coal, and tourism.
Demographics
According to the
national census, there were 4,041,769 people living in Kentucky
in 2000. The population was 89.3% white, 7.3% African American, 1.5%
Hispanic, 0.7% Asian, and 0.2% Native American.
Important Cities and Towns
|
Population
> 10,000
|
Important
Suburbs and Small Towns
|
Cities
Population >100,000
|
|
|
|
|
Colleges and Universities
|
Private
|
Community
colleges
|
Public
|
- Alice
Lloyd College
- Asbury
College
- Asbury
Theological Seminary
- Bellarmine
University
- Berea College
- Brescia
College
- Campbellsville
University
- Centre
College
- Clear Creek
Baptist Bible College
- Cumberland
College
- Georgetown
College
- Kentucky
Christian College
- Kentucky
Mountain Bible College
- Kentucky
Wesleyan College
- Lexington
Theological Seminary
- Lindsey
Wilson College
- Louisville
Presbyterian Theological Seminary
- Louisville
Technical Institute
- Mid-Continent
University
- Midway
College
- Pikeville
College
- Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary
- Spalding
University
- Spencerian
College
- Sullivan
University
- Louisville
- Frankfort
- Lexington
- Thomas
More College
- Transylvania
University
- Union College
|
- Ashland
Community College
- Ashland
Technical College
- Bowling
Green Technical College
- Central
Kentucky Technical College
- Elizabethtown
Community College
- Elizabethtown
Technical College
- Gateway
Community and Technical Colleges
- Hazard
Community College
- Henderson
Community College
- Hopkinsville
Community College
- Jefferson
Community College
- Jefferson
Technical College
- Lexington
Community College
- Madisonville
Community and Technical Colleges
- Mayo Technical
College
- Maysville
Community College
- Owensboro
Community College
- Owensboro
Technical College
- Prestonsburg
Community College
- Rowan Technical
College
- Somerset
Community College
- West Kentucky
Community and Technical College
|
- Eastern
Kentucky University
- Kentucky
State University
- Morehead
State University
- Murray
State University
- Northern
Kentucky University
- University
of Kentucky
- University
of Louisville
- Western
Kentucky University
|
Professional Sports Teams
The Minor League
baseball teams are:
- Florence Freedom
- Louisville Bats
- Lexington Legends
The Minor League
hockey teams are:
The National Indoor
Football League teams are:
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