Facts about Kentucky

More than 95 percent of the world’s Bourbon is distilled and aged in Kentucky.

Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern states, but it is sometimes included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwest.

Northbound travelers on US Highway 41 from Henderson, upon crossing the Ohio River, will find themselves still in Kentucky until they travel about a half-mile farther north.

Kentucky ranks 4th among U.S. states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled.

Despite being the 14th smallest state in terms of land area, Kentucky still ranks 5th in the total number of farms, with more farms per square mile than any other U.S.

Kentucky is also one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd numbered years (the others are Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia).

After Kentucky became a state, five commissioners were appointed on June 20, 1792, to choose a location for the state capital.

The largest river in North America, the Mississippi converges with the Ohio River along the Kentucky border near Wickliffe.

The world famous Louisville Slugger baseball bat is made in Kentucky.

Frankfort is the capital city of Kentucky and the county seat of Franklin County.

During World War II, Kentucky began to shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy, but it was not until 1970 that the number of urban dwellers outpaced rural dwellers.

The Ohio River, the border between Ohio and West Virginia, was a vital artery for troop and supply movements, as were Ohio's railroads.

Kentucky's legislative branch consists of a bicameral body known as the Kentucky General Assembly.

Perhaps most well-known is the Kentucky Derby, held annually during the first Saturday of May.

The two other fast-growing urban areas in Kentucky are the Bowling Green area and the "Tri-Cities Region" of southeastern Kentucky, comprising the towns of Somerset, London, and Corbin.

Kentucky has both the largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi in water volume (Lake Cumberland) and surface area (Kentucky Lake).

The Kentucky Derby Festival also features notable events such as the Pegasus Parade, The Great Steamboat Race, Great Balloon Race, a marathon, and about 70 events in total.

Kentucky's total population has grown during every decade since records began.

Kentucky has been on the front lines of the debate over displaying the Ten Commandments on public property.

Kentucky is one of four U.S. states to be officially known as a commonwealth.

The average farm size in Kentucky is only 153 acres (0.6 kmІ).

Kentucky is the 37th largest state in terms of land area, and ranks 26th in population.

Shawnee north of the Ohio River were unhappy about the settlement of Kentucky, however, and allied themselves with the British in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783).

Kentucky’s 90,000 miles of streams provide one of the most expansive and complex stream systems in the nation.

Today 44.2 percent of Kentucky's African-American population is in Jefferson County and 52 percent are in the Louisville Metro Area.

Kentucky borders states of both the Midwest and the Southeast.

The Kentucky General Assembly appropriated funds to provide a house to accommodate the governor in 1796.

Both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were born in log cabins on the Kentucky frontier, one year and a few miles apart.

Kentucky was a slave state, and African-Americans once comprised over one-quarter of its population.

The end of the federal tobacco program in 2004, and the government-guaranteed prices that went with it, have forced many Kentucky growers to attempt various farming alternatives.

Kentucky ranks 5th nationally in goat farming, 8th in beef production, and 14th in corn production.

Kentucky also has the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the continental 48 states.

Kentucky features the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River and the nation's most productive coalfield.

Kentucky experiences all four seasons, usually with striking variations in the severity of summer and winter from year to year.

Kentucky is the first state to bring an action against Internet gambling operators that has resulted in the seizure of domain names.

A growing number of cities and counties are passing restrictions on smoking, even in the heart of Kentucky's tobacco-growing region.

Where politics are concerned, Kentucky historically has been very hard fought and leaned slightly toward the Democratic Party, although it was never included among the "Solid South."

Many mining communities in far southeastern Kentucky also have populations that are between 5 and 10 percent African-American.

Located within the southeastern interior portion of North America, Kentucky has a climate that can best be described as humid subtropical.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America.

Kentucky's agricultural outputs are horses, cattle, tobacco, dairy products, hogs, soybeans, and corn.

The Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac XLR, Ford Explorer, Ford Super Duty trucks, Toyota Camry, Toyota Avalon, and Toyota Solara are assembled in Kentucky.

Much of what is now Kentucky was purchased from Native Americans in the treaties of Fort Stanwix (1768) and Sycamore Shoals (1775).

Kentucky has voted Republican in five of the last seven presidential elections but has supported the Democratic candidates of the South.

Kentucky can be divided into five primary regions: the Cumberland Plateau in the east, the north-central Bluegrass region, the south-central and western Pennyroyal Plateau, the Western Coal Fields and the far-west Jackson Purchase.

The Ohio River, the border between Ohio and West Virginia, was a vital artery for troop and supply movements, as were Ohio's railroads.

Many Kentucky cities have historic areas near downtown, such as this example in Bowling Green.

Kentucky was a border state during the American Civil War.

Esquire magazine has called the Kentucky Derby "the biggest party in the south."

The Greater Louisville Metro Area holds a very disproportionate share of Kentucky's population, growth, and wealth.

The metropolitan areas of Louisville, Lexington, and northern Kentucky had a combined population of 2,169,394 as of 2006, which is 51.5 percent of the state's total population.

The eastern Kentucky coal fields are recognized as being among the most productive in the nation.

Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State," a nickname based on the fact that bluegrass is present in many of the lawns and pastures throughout the state.

The origin of Kentucky's name (variously spelled Cane-tuck-ee, Cantucky, Kain-tuck-ee, and Kentuckee before its modern spelling was accepted) has never been definitively identified, though some theories have been debunked.

The Derby is preceded by a two-week long Kentucky Derby Festival, which starts with the annual Thunder Over Louisville, the largest annual fireworks display in the nation.

The attorney general is elected to a four-year term and may serve two consecutive terms under the current Kentucky Constitution.

In 1790, Paris became the prйfecture (seat) of the Seine dйpartement,, which covered much of the Paris region.

On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state to be admitted to the Union.

Monthly average temperatures in Kentucky range from a summer daytime high of 87°F (30.9°C) to a winter low of 23°F (-4.9°C).

The current Kentucky attorney general is Democrat Jack Conway.

Kentucky was a battleground during the war; the Battle of Blue Licks, one of the last major battles of the Revolution, was fought in Kentucky.

The world famous Louisville Slugger baseball bat is made in Kentucky.

After the American Revolution, the counties of Virginia beyond the Appalachian Mountains became known as Kentucky County.

Kentucky is one of 36 states in the United States that sanctions the death penalty for certain crimes.

African-Americans, who made up one-fourth of Kentucky's population prior to the Civil War, declined in number as many moved to the industrial North in the Great Migration.

Southeastern Kentucky was populated by a large group of Native Americans of mixed heritage, also known as Melungons, in the early nineteenth century.

Kentucky is a commonwealth, meaning its government is run according to the common consent of its people.

Kentucky also has more navigable miles of water than any other state in the union, other than Alaska.

Many Kentucky cities have historic areas near downtown, such as this example in Bowling Green.

Religious movements were important in the early history of Kentucky.