Kentucky

Kentucky state symbols
Kentucky state symbols
	Flag of Kentucky
Living insignia
Bird	Cardinal
Butterfly	Viceroy butterfly
Wildlife animal	Gray squirrel
Fish	Kentucky spotted bass
Flower	Goldenrod
Horse breed	Thoroughbred
Insect	Western honeybee
Tree	Tulip poplar
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Dance	Clogging
Food	Blackberry
Fossil	Brachiopod
Gemstone	Freshwater pearl
Mineral	Coal
Rock	Kentucky agate
Slogan	Kentucky Unbridled Spirit
Soil	Crider Soil Series
Other	Chevrolet Corvette (state sports car)
State route marker
State quarter
	Released in 2001
	Lists of United States state symbols

Kentucky
Kentucky
State
	Commonwealth of Kentucky
	Flag Seal
	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
Country	United States
Before statehood	Part of Virginia (District of Kentucky)
Admitted to the Union	June 1, 1792 (15th)
Capital	Frankfort
Largest city	Louisville
Largest county or equivalent	Jefferson
Largest metro and urban areas	Louisville
Government
• Governor	Andy Beshear (D)
• Lieutenant Governor	Jacqueline Coleman (D)
Legislature	Kentucky General Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Judiciary	Kentucky Supreme Court
U.S. senators	Mitch McConnell (R); Rand Paul (R)
U.S. House delegation	5 Republicans; 1 Democrat (list)
Area
• Total	40,408 sq mi (104,656 km2)
• Land	39,486 sq mi (102,269 km2)
• Water	921 sq mi (2,387 km2) 2.2%
• Rank	37th
Dimensions
• Length	397 mi (640 km)
• Width	187 mi (302 km)
Elevation	750 ft (230 m)
Highest elevation (Black Mountain)	4,145 ft (1,265 m)
Lowest elevation (Mississippi River at Kentucky Bend)	250 ft (78 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	4,505,836
• Rank	26th
• Density	114/sq mi (44/km2)
• Rank	23rd
• Median household income	$52,295
• Income rank	44th
Demonym	Kentuckian
Language
• Official language	English
Time zones
eastern half	UTC−05:00 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
western half	UTC−06:00 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviation	KY
ISO 3166 code	US-KY
Traditional abbreviation	Ky
Latitude	36° 30′ N to 39° 09′ N
Longitude	81° 58′ W to 89° 34′ W
Website	kentucky.gov

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.

History

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.