Kentucky officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and 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 two largest cities are Louisville and Lexington. Its population was approximately 4.5 million in 2020.
Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the 15th state on June 1, 1792, splitting from Virginia in the process.
It is known as the “Bluegrass State”, a nickname based on Kentucky bluegrass, a species of green grass found in many of its pastures, which has supported the thoroughbred horse industry in the center of the state.
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The capital of Kentucky is Frankfort
The state’s population was approximately 4.5 million in 2020.
Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the 15th state on June 1, 1792, splitting from Virginia in the process
It is known as the “Bluegrass State”, a nickname based on Kentucky bluegrass
People from Kentucky are called Kentuckians.
In 1774 James Harrod founded the first permanent European settlement in Kentucky at the site of present-day Harrodsburg.
Kentucky has 120 counties.
The state ranks 4th among US states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled
Kentucky was one of the border states during the American Civil War, and it remained neutral within the Union.
A Confederate government of Kentucky with its capital in Bowling Green was created
The state Bird of Kentucky is the Cardinal
The state Butterfly of Kentucky is the Viceroy butterfly
The state Wildlife animal of Kentucky is the Gray squirrel
The state Fish of Kentucky is the Kentucky spotted bass
The state Flower of Kentucky is the Goldenrod
The state Horse breed of Kentucky is the Thoroughbred
The state Insect of Kentucky is the Western honeybee
The state Tree of Kentucky is the Tulip poplar
The state Tree of Beverage of Kentucky is Milk
The state Tree of Dance of Kentucky is Clogging
The state Tree of Food of Kentucky is Blackberry
The state Tree of Fossil of Kentucky is Brachiopod
The state Tree of Gemstone of Kentucky is Freshwater pearl
The state Tree of Mineral of Kentucky is Coal
The state Tree of Rock of Kentucky is Kentucky agate
The state Tree of Slogan of Kentucky is Kentucky Unbridled Spirit
The state Tree of Soil of Kentucky is Crider Soil Series
The Highest point of Kentucky is Black Mountain at 4,145 feet
In 1887, a teacher named Mary S. Wilson held the first Mother’s Day celebration.
Kentucky also has the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the continental 48 states.
Jefferson Davis’ and U.S. president Abraham Lincoln were born in Kentucky.
Every single Post-It note originates in Cynthiana, Kentucky
Mammoth Cave, a national park in central Kentucky, is the longest cave system in the world.
The Kentucky Derby, held in Louisville, is the oldest horse race held continuously in the world.
The opening ceremony of the Kentucky Derby is called Thunder Over Louisville, and it features the world’s largest fireworks show
Every Corvette in the world has been manufactured in Bowling Green since 1981.
The fast-food giant KFC originated in Kentucky
The first KFC, owned and operated by the real Colonel Sanders, is still running in Corbin, Kentucky.
Vent Haven Museum, in Fort Mitchell, is where you can find the world’s largest collection of ventriloquist dummies.
Georgetown, Kentucky, is home to the largest Toyota manufacturing plant in the world.
Thomas Edison introduced the electric lightbulb to the public for the first time at the 1893 Southern Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky.
The classic song “Happy Birthday to You” was created by two sisters from Louisville in 1893.
Middlesboro is built inside a crater created by a meteor
The largest amount of gold stored anywhere in the world is in Fort Knox, Kentucky, where more than $6 billion worth of gold is held in vaults.
Kentucky is the birthplace or the origin of bourbon.
Governor William Goebel is the only acting governor in the United States to be assassinated in 1900
Louisville is actually named after King Louis XVI since he helped Kentucky during the revolutionary war.
In the War of 1812 24,000 Kentuckians were killed which represents 64% of the total troops.
The highest recorded temperature was 114 °F (46 °C) at Greensburg on July 28, 1930
The lowest recorded temperature was −37 °F (−38 °C) at Shelbyville on January 19, 1994.
Forest land occupies 48% of Kentucky, and Kentucky is the 3rd largest provider of hardwoods in the country.
KY is the Two-letter or Postal Abbreviation and Ky. is the Traditional or Standard Abbreviation for the State of Kentucky.
The city of Lexington, KY, is home to the Jif peanut butter production plant.
Kentucky has only three major lakes are natural.
Muhammad Ali was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.
Vanceburg is the only city south of the Ohio River with a monument dedicated to deceased Union soldiers.
Cumberland Falls is the only place in the Western Hemisphere where a person can spot a moonbow
The world’s largest free-swinging bell known as the World Peace Bell is on permanent display in Newport.
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