Kentucky

Kentucky
Commonwealth of Kentucky
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
Map of the United States with Kentucky highlighted
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 elevation250 ft (78 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • TotalNeutral increase 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
State symbols of Kentucky
List of state symbols
SloganKentucky Unbridled Spirit
Living insignia
BirdCardinal
ButterflyViceroy butterfly
FishKentucky spotted bass
FlowerGoldenrod
Horse breedThoroughbred
InsectWestern honeybee
TreeTulip poplar
Wildlife animalGray squirrel
Inanimate insignia
Beverage
DanceClogging
FoodBlackberry
FossilBrachiopod
GemstoneFreshwater pearl
MineralCoal
RockKentucky agate
SoilCrider Soil Series
OtherChevrolet Corvette (state sports car)
State route marker
Route marker
State quarter
Kentucky quarter dollar coin
Released in 2001
Lists of United States state symbols

Kentucky (US: /kənˈtʌki/ kən-TUK-ee, UK: /kɛn-/ ken-),[5] officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky,[c] is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Kentucky 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 population was approximately 4.5 million.[2]

Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the 15th state on June 1, 1792, splitting from Virginia in the process.[6] It is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on Kentucky bluegrass, a species of green grass introduced by European settlers for the purpose of grazing in pastures, which has supported the thoroughbred horse industry in the center of the state.[7]

Historically, Kentucky had excellent farming conditions, which led to the development of large tobacco plantations similar to those in Virginia and North Carolina in the central and western parts of the state that utilized enslaved labor during the Antebellum South and Civil War periods. Kentucky ranks fifth nationally in goat farming, eight in beef cattle production,[8] and 14th in corn production.[9] While Kentucky has been a long-standing major center for the tobacco industry, the state's economy has diversified in multiple non-agricultural sectors, including auto manufacturing, energy fuel production, and medical facilities.[10] The state ranks 4th among US states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled.[11] Kentucky is one of several states considered a part of the Upland South.

The state is home to the world's longest cave system in Mammoth Cave National Park, the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United States, and the two largest artificial lakes east of the Mississippi River. Cultural aspects of Kentucky include horse racing, bourbon, moonshine, coal, My Old Kentucky Home State Park, automobile manufacturing, tobacco, southern cuisine, barbecue, bluegrass music, college basketball, Louisville Slugger baseball bats, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the Kentucky Colonel.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "2020 Census Apportionment Results". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  4. ^ "Kentucky State Symbols". Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
  5. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  6. ^ "How Kentucky Became a State". Puerto Rico 51st. August 8, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "The Bluegrass State". State Symbols USA. June 2014. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  8. ^ "2007 Rankings of States and Counties". Alabama Cattlemen's Association. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved May 1, 2007.
  9. ^ "Corn Production Detective" (PDF). National Council on Economic Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2007.
  10. ^ Hunt, Matthew (2019). "Are Kentucky Farmers Prepared for Farm-Related Emergencies?". Journal of Agromedicine. 24 (1): 9–14. doi:10.1080/1059924x.2018.1536571. PMID 30317936. S2CID 52977999.
  11. ^ Strong, Marvin E. "Gene" Jr. (December 31, 2003). "Kentucky: In the Middle of Auto Alley". Trade and Industry Development. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2012.