Kentucky

state of the United States of America

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.

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
Kentucky state symbols
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
Kentucky state route marker
State quarter
Kentucky quarter dollar coin
Released in 2001
Lists of United States state symbols

History

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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.

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  1. However, a portion of the larger Cincinnati metropolitan area does extend into the state.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 "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. "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. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. 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. "Kentucky Green Energy Solar Program Guide". WhatsBiomass. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-02-16.

Bibliography

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  • Channing, Steven. Kentucky: A Bicentennial History (1977).