Kentucky
Kentucky is a
southern state of the
United States of America and was the 15
th 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.
History
Kentucky is one of four states to call itself a commonwealth. At one point in time, Kentucky was a county of Virginia. Ten constitutional conventions took place at the courthouse of Constitution Square in Danville, Kentucky between 1784 and1792. 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 derived from the Cherokee word for "meadowland" after the bluegrass pastures that lured early pioneers to the state.
Law and 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.See List of Kentucky Governors.
Geography
\nSee: List of Kentucky counties
Kentucky, also known as The Bluegrass State, borders the Midwest and Deep South. It touches West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and is bordered on the north by the Ohio 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 metro city/counties of Lexington and Louisville, although Louisville has a much larger metropolitan population. Northern Kentucky, an assemblage of smaller cities across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio, also has a large metropolitan population.
Significant natural attractions
\n*Cumberland Falls State Park\n*Mammoth Cave National Park\n*Red River Gorge Geological Area\n*Land Between the Lakes
Economy
\nThe 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
\nAccording 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
\nPopulation > 100,000 (urbanized areas)\n*Louisville\n*Lexington
Population > 10,000 (urbanized areas)\n*Owensboro\n*Bowling Green\n*Hopkinsville\n*Elizabethtown\n*Radcliff\n*Paducah\n*Frankfort\n*Richmond\n*Ashland\n*Somerset\n*Madisonville\n*Winchester\n*Georgetown\n*Danville\n*Murray\n*Middlesborough (also spelled Middlesboro)\n*Bardstown\n*Shelbyville\n*Glasgow\n*Campbellsville\n*Mayfield
Important suburbs and small towns\n*Berea\n*Central City\n*Corbin\n*Covington\n*Erlanger\n*Florence\n*Fort Thomas\n*Henderson\n*Horse Cave\n*Independence\n*Leitchfield\n*London\n*Maysville\n*Morehead\n*Nicholasville \n*Newport\n*Paris\n*Pikeville\n*Versailles
Education
\nColleges and universities
Private
\n*Alice Lloyd College\n*Asbury College\n*Asbury Theological Seminary\n*Bellarmine University\n*Berea College\n*Brescia College\n*Campbellsville University\n*Centre College\n*Clear Creek Baptist Bible College\n*Cumberland College\n*Georgetown College\n*Kentucky Christian College\n*Kentucky Mountain Bible College\n*Kentucky Wesleyan College\n*Lindsey Wilson College\n*Mid-Continent University\n*Midway College\n*Pikeville College\n*Southern Baptist Theological Seminary\n*Spalding University\n*Sullivan University\n*Thomas More College\n*Transylvania University\n*Union College
Public
\n*Eastern Kentucky University\n*Kentucky State University\n*Morehead State University\n*Murray State University\n*Northern Kentucky University\n*University of Kentucky\n*University of Louisville\n*Western Kentucky University
Community colleges
\n*Ashland Community College\n*Ashland Technical College\n*Bowling Green Technical College\n*Central Kentucky Technical College\n*Elizabethtown Community College\n*Elizabethtown Technical College\n*Gateway Community and Technical Colleges\n*Hazard Community College\n*Henderson Community College \n*Hopkinsville Community College\n*Jefferson Community College\n*Jefferson Technical College\n*Lexington Community College\n*Madisonville Community and Technical Colleges\n*Mayo Technical College\n*Maysville Community College\n*Owensboro Community College\n*Owensboro Technical College\n*Paducah Community College now part of West Kentucky Community and Technical College\n*Prestonsburg Community College\n*Rowan Technical College\n*Somerset Community College\n*West Kentucky Technical College now a part of West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Professional sports teams
\nThe Minor League baseball teams are:\n*Florence Freedom\n*Louisville Bats\n*Lexington Legends
The Minor League hockey teams are:\n*Lexington Men O'War\n*Louisville Panthers
The National Indoor Football League teams are:\n*Lexington Horsemen
Miscellaneous information
\n* State Bird: Cardinal. \n* State Flower: Goldenrod. \n* State Tree: Tulip tree (formerly the Kentucky coffeetree). \n* State Horse: Thoroughbred. \n* State Fish: Kentucky Bass. \n* State Wild Animal: Grey Squirrel. \n* State Butterfly: Viceroy Butterfly. \n* State Gemstone: Fresh Water Pearl. \n* State Fossil: Brachiopod. \n* State Song: "My Old Kentucky Home" by Stephen Collins Foster-1853\n* State Bluegrass Song: "Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe-1947\n* State Motto: "United We Stand, Divided We Fall"\n* See also: Flag of Kentucky
See also
\n*List of famous Kentuckians
External links
\n*http://kentucky.gov\n*http://www.kentuckytourism.com\n*http://www.louisville.cc
\n"Kentucky" is also a common Caribbean nickname for Kentucky Fried Chicken (
KFC).
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Category:Political divisions of the United StatesCategory:Kentucky
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