The Flag of Kentucky
Montage of Kentucky
Kentucky ( kən-TUK -ee , ken- ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky , is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States . Kentucky borders Illinois , Indiana , and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the northeast, 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 largest city is Louisville . As of 2020, the population was approximately 4.5 million.
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 introduced by European settlers for the purpose of grazing in pastures, which has supported the thoroughbred horse industry in the center of the state.
Historically, Kentucky had excellent farming conditions, which led to the development of large tobacco plantations similar to those in Virginia and North Carolina in the central and western parts of the state that utilized enslaved labor during the Antebellum South and Civil War periods. Kentucky ranks fifth nationally in goat farming, eight in beef cattle production, and 14th in corn production. While Kentucky has been a long-standing major center for the tobacco industry , the state's economy has diversified in multiple non-agricultural sectors, including auto manufacturing, energy fuel production, and medical facilities. The state ranks 4th among US states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled. Kentucky is one of several states considered a part of the Upland South . (Full article... )
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Abraham Lincoln ( LING -kən ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman, who served as the 16th president of the United States , from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the United States through the American Civil War , defending the nation as a constitutional union , defeating the insurgent Confederacy , playing a major role in the abolition of slavery , expanding the power of the federal government , and modernizing the U.S. economy .
Lincoln was born into poverty in a
log cabin in
Kentucky and was raised on the
frontier , mainly in
Indiana . He was self-educated and became a lawyer,
Whig Party leader,
Illinois state
legislator , and
U.S. representative from Illinois . In 1849, he returned to his successful law practice in
Springfield, Illinois . In 1854, he was angered by the
Kansas–Nebraska Act , which opened the territories to slavery, causing him to re-enter politics. He soon became a leader of the new
Republican Party . He reached a national audience in the
1858 Senate campaign debates against
Stephen A. Douglas . Lincoln ran for president
in 1860 , sweeping the
North to gain victory. Pro-slavery elements in the
South viewed his election as a threat to slavery, and Southern states began
seceding from the nation . During this time, the newly formed
Confederate States of America began seizing federal military bases in the South. A little over one month after Lincoln assumed the presidency, Confederate forces
attacked Fort Sumter , a U.S. fort in South Carolina. Following the bombardment, Lincoln mobilized forces to suppress the rebellion and restore the union. (
Full article... )
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Broadway, Paducah Downtown Commercial District
Paducah ( pə-DOO -kə ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky , United States. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located in the Southeastern United States at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Missouri , to the northwest and Nashville, Tennessee , to the southeast. As of the 2020 census , the population was 27,137, up from 25,024 in 2010. Twenty blocks of the city's downtown have been designated as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places .
Paducah is the principal city of the
Paducah metropolitan area , which includes McCracken,
Ballard ,
Carlisle , and
Livingston counties in Kentucky and
Massac County in
Illinois . The total population of the metro area was 103,481 in 2020. The
Paducah–Mayfield combined statistical area had a total population of 140,138. (
Full article... )
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Kentucky Derby Hatfield–McCoy feud University of Kentucky Thomas Hunt Morgan Louisville, Kentucky Owensboro, Kentucky Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky Bowling Green, Kentucky History of Louisville, Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky W. B. Belknap Iroquois Park Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball Kentucky in the American Civil War Kentucky coffeetree Kentucky warbler Ashland, Kentucky Kentucky Colonel Kentucky Bend Johnny Depp Mary Todd Lincoln Gus Van Sant Rand Paul Chuck Woolery Thomas Massie Loretta Lynn Hunter S. Thompson Mitch McConnell Billy Ray Cyrus Shaun King Skeeter Davis George Clooney Ned Beatty Muhammad Ali Colonel Sanders Bourbon whiskey Wynonna Judd Fort Knox Dippin' Dots Richmond, Kentucky Jim Beam Georgetown, Kentucky History of Kentucky Covington, Kentucky Black Patch Tobacco Wars Kentucky meat shower Casey County, Kentucky Louisville City FC Bardstown, Kentucky Cuisine of Kentucky Culture of Kentucky Lake Cumberland Red River Gorge Martin County coal slurry spill Transylvania University Bill Monroe Chris Stapleton Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Louisville International Airport Keeneland Mammoth Cave National Park Belle of Louisville Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Ernest Hogan Mint julep Cincinnati metropolitan area Vent Haven Museum Waverly Hills Sanatorium Wigwam Motel Martin Castle National Corvette Museum Rabbit Hash, Kentucky Black Mountain (Kentucky) Cave Hill Cemetery Thomas Merton Florence Y'all Water Tower Downtown Louisville Floyd Collins Big Bone Lick State Park Louisville and Portland Canal Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Old Talbott Tavern Corbin, Kentucky Top Chef: Kentucky Kentucky Mr. Basketball Kentucky River Bluegrass region Kentucky cave shrimp Lexmark Buffalo Trace Distillery Texas Roadhouse Kentucky–Tennessee football rivalry Kentucky common beer Blue Moon of Kentucky Sugartit, Kentucky Brandenburg stone French–Eversole feud Brown–Forman Rooster Run University of Louisville Kentucky Women Remembered List of Kentucky women in the civil rights era Churchill Downs James Ohio Pattie
The following are images from various Kentucky-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Dunmore War Saga (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 3 A barge hauling coal in the
Louisville and Portland Canal , the only manmade section of the
Ohio River (from
Transportation in Kentucky )
Image 4 Old Louisville is the largest Victorian Historic neighborhood in the United States. (from
Culture of Kentucky )
Image 5 Map of Kentucky published in 1784 with
John Filson 's
The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 6 High Bridge over the
Kentucky River was the tallest rail bridge in the world when it was completed in 1877. (from
Transportation in Kentucky )
Image 7 This 1800
Low's Encyclopaedia map of Kentucky and surrounding region did not include southwestern Kentucky and
West Tennessee , which were held by the
Chickasaw until 1818. (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 8 Artist's conception of
Annis Mound and Village , a Mississippian site in
Butler County , c. 1250–1300 CE (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 9 James Pierce Barton's
Kentucky Landscape (1832) (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 10 The
Earl of Dunmore via
Dunmore's War cleared the way for settlement of Kentucky (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 11 At 464 miles (747 km) long,
Kentucky Route 80 is the longest route in Kentucky, pictured here west of
Somerset . (from
Transportation in Kentucky )
Image 12 Biggs Site , also known as the
Portsmouth Earthworks Group D, an Adena culture archaeological site located Greenup County (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 13 The Native American Crab Orchard culture existed in western Kentucky and southern
Indiana from c. 200 BCE to 500 CE. (from
History of Kentucky )
Image 14 Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap (
George Caleb Bingham , oil on canvas, 1851–52) (from
History of Kentucky )
National Register of Historic Places listings in Kentucky by county
Largest cities or towns in Kentucky
Rank
Name
County
Pop.
Louisville Lexington
1
Louisville
Jefferson
623,349
Bowling Green Owensboro
2
Lexington
Fayette
321,959
3
Bowling Green
Warren
67,067
4
Owensboro
Daviess
59,404
5
Covington
Kenton
40,455
6
Richmond
Madison
35,397
7
Georgetown
Scott
33,660
8
Florence
Boone
32,305
9
Hopkinsville
Christian
30,789
10
Nicholasville
Jessamine
30,553
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