Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a  located in the East Central. Kentucky is normally included in the group of (in particular the ), but it is sometimes included, geographically and culturally, in the. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states to be officially known as a. Originally a part of, in 1792 it became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th largest state in terms of land area, and ranks 26th in population.

Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State," a nickname based on the fact that is present in many of the lawns and pastures throughout the state. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources, including the world's longest cave system, the most miles of navigable waterways and streams in the states, and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River. It is also home to the highest per capita number of and   in the United States, and the nation's most productive. Kentucky is also known for, ,  distilleries, ,  manufacturing (including the best selling , , and  in the U.S. market), tobacco, and.

Origin of name
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. For example, Kentucky's name does not come from the combination of "cane" and "turkey"; and though it is the most popular belief, it is unlikely to mean "dark and bloody ground" because it isn't found in any known. The most likely etymology is that it comes from an word for "meadow" or "prairie"  (c.f.  kenhtà:ke,  këhta’keh). Other possibilities also exist: the suggestion of early Kentucky pioneer that the name means "the river of blood", a  name meaning "land of tomorrow", a  term possibly referring to the head of a river, or an  word for a river bottom.

Geography


Kentucky borders states of both the and the. lies to the east, to the southeast,  to the south,  to the west,  and  to the northwest, and  to the north and northeast. Kentucky's northern border is formed by the, its western border by the.

Kentucky is the only U.S. state to have a non-contiguous part exist as an surrounded by other states. , in the far west corner of the state, includes a small part of land,, on the Mississippi River bordered by Missouri and accessible via Tennessee, created by the.

Kentucky can be divided into five primary regions: the in the east, the north-central, the south-central and western , the  and the far-west. The Bluegrass region is commonly divided into two regions, the Inner Bluegrass — the encircling 90 miles (145 km) around — and the Outer Bluegrass, the region that contains most of the Northern portion of the state, above the. Much of the outer Bluegrass is in the area, made up of short, steep, and very narrow hills.

Kentucky has 120 counties, third in the U.S. behind ' 254 and 's 159. The original motivation for having so many counties was to ensure that residents in the days of poor roads and horseback travel could make a round trip from their home to the county seat and back in a single day. Later, however, politics began to play a part, with citizens who disagreed with the present county government simply petitioning the state to create a new county. The 1891 placed stricter limits on county creation, stipulating that a new county:


 * must have a land area of at least 400 sqmi;
 * must have a population of at least 12,000 people;
 * must not by its creation reduce the land area of an existing county to less than 400 sqmi;
 * must not by its creation reduce the population of an existing county to less than 12,000 people;
 * must not create a county boundary line that passes within 10 mi of an existing county seat.

These regulations have reined in the proliferation of counties in Kentucky. Since the 1891 Constitution, only has been created. Because today's largest county by area,, is 788 sqmi, it is now impossible to create a new county from a single existing county under the current constitution. Any county created in this manner will by necessity either be smaller than 400 sqmi or reduce the land area of the old county to less than 400 sqmi. It is still theoretically possible to form a new county from portions of more than one existing county (McCreary County was created from portions of three counties), but the area and boundary restrictions would make this extremely difficult.

Climate
Located within the southeastern interior portion of North America, Kentucky has a climate described as humid subtropical (indicating that all monthly average temperatures are above freezing). Monthly average temperatures in Kentucky range from a high in the high 80s and low 90s (30.9 °C) to a low in the high 30s to low 40s (-4.9 °C) and averages 46 inches (116.84 cm) of precipitation a year. Kentucky experiences all four seasons, usually with striking variations in the severity of summer and winter from year to year. In fact, it is not unusual to see marked changes in temperature and weather conditions within the same day, leading many locals to observe, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a few hours and it will change."

Major weather events that have affected Kentucky include:
 * The
 * The
 * The of es in 1974
 * Massive flooding in 1997
 * The (mostly ice in Kentucky)

Lakes and rivers
Kentucky’s 90000 mi of streams provides one of the most expansive and complex stream systems in the nation. Kentucky has both the largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi in water volume and surface area. It is the only to be bordered on three sides by rivers — the  to the west, the  to the north, and the  and  to the east. Its major internal rivers include the, , , , and.

Though it has only three major natural lakes, the state is home to many s. Kentucky also has more navigable miles of water than any other state in the union, other than.

Natural environment and conservation
Kentucky has an expansive park system which includes one national park, two National Recreation areas, two National Historic Parks, two national forests, 45 state parks, 37696 acre of state forest, and 82 Wildlife Management Areas.

Kentucky has been part of two of the most successful wildlife reintroduction projects in history. In the winter of 1997, the state's eastern counties began to re-stock, which had been extinct from the area for over 150 years. As of 2006, the state's herd was estimated at 5,700 animals, the largest herd east of the.

The state also stocked s in the 1950s. Once extinct in the state, today Kentucky has more turkeys per capita than any other eastern state.

Significant natural attractions

 * , chief passageway through the in early American history.
 * State Park, one of the few places in the Western Hemisphere where a "" may be regularly seen.
 * , featuring the world's longest cave system.
 * Geological Area, part of the.
 * , a National Recreation Area managed by the.
 * a 14,000 acre (57 km²) arboretum, forest and nature preserve located in.
 * in.
 * near.
 * also passes through Kentucky.
 * , state's highest point. Runs along the border of and  counties.
 * , 2639 acre state nature preserve on southern slope of Pine Mountain in . Includes one of the largest concentrations of rare and endangered species in the state, as well as a 60 ft waterfall and a Kentucky Wild River.
 * , located south of in the, the largest municipally run forest in the.
 * , located in.
 * , 1255 mi of shoreline located in.

History


Although inhabited by in prehistoric times, when explorers and settlers began entering Kentucky in the mid-1700s, there were no major Native American settlements in the region. Instead, the country was used as hunting grounds by s from the north and s from the south. Much of what is now Kentucky was purchased from Native Americans in the treaties of (1768) and  (1775). Thereafter, Kentucky grew rapidly as the first settlements west of the were founded, with settlers (primarily from, , and ) entering the region via the  and the. The most famous of these early explorers and settlers was, traditionally considered one of the founders of the state. s north of the Ohio River, however, were unhappy about the settlement of Kentucky, and allied themselves with the in the  (1775–1783). Kentucky was a battleground during the war; the, one of the last major battles of the Revolution, was fought in Kentucky.

After the American Revolution, the counties of beyond the  became known as. Eventually, the residents of Kentucky County petitioned for a separation from Virginia. Ten constitutional conventions were held in the Constitution Square Courthouse in between 1784 and 1792. In 1790, Kentucky's delegates accepted Virginia's terms of separation, and a state constitution was drafted at the final convention in April 1792. On, , Kentucky became the fifteenth state to be admitted to the union and , a military veteran from Virginia, was elected the first Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Kentucky was a during the. Although frequently described as never having seceded, a group of Kentucky soldiers stationed at did pass an  under the moniker "Convention of the People of Kentucky" on, , establishing a  government for the state with its capital in. Though Kentucky was represented by the central star on the. the legitimacy of the may well be questioned. Only a year earlier, philosopher wrote in a letter to  that the result of a vote deciding how Kentucky would be represented at a convention of the  was "100,000 for the Union ticket, only a few thousand for secession." Kentucky officially remained "neutral" throughout the war due to Union sympathies of many of the Commonwealth's citizens. Even today, however, is observed by some in Kentucky on Jefferson Davis' birthday,.

On, , Governor was mortally wounded by an assailant while in the process of contesting the election of 1899, initially assumed to be won by. For several months,, Goebel's running mate, and Taylor fought over who was the real governor until the decided in May that Beckham was the rightful governor. Taylor fled to and was later indicted as a co-conspirator in Goebel's. Goebel remains the only governor of a U.S. state to have been assassinated while in office.

Government
Kentucky is one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd numbered years (The others are, , , and ). Kentucky holds elections for these offices every 4 years in the years preceding Presidential election years. Thus, the last year when Kentucky elected a Governor was 2007; the next gubernatorial election will occur in 2011, with future gubernatorial elections to take place in 2015, 2019, 2023, etc.

State government
Kentucky's legislative branch consists of a body known as the. The is considered the. It has 38 members, and is led by the, currently. The has 100 members, and is led by the Speaker of the House, currently. The executive branch is headed by the and. Under the current, the assumes the duties of the governor only if the governor is incapacitated. (Prior to 1992, the assumed power any time the governor was out of the state.) The governor and  usually run on a single ticket (also per a 1992 constitutional amendment), and are elected to four-year terms. Currently, the governor and are Republicans  and ; however, on, Democrats  and , who defeated Fletcher and his running mate  in the , will be sworn in as their successors. The judicial branch of Kentucky is made up of courts of limited jurisdiction called District Courts; courts of general jurisdiction called Circuit Courts; an intermediate appellate court, the ; and a court of last resort, the. Unlike federal judges, who are usually appointed, justices serving on Kentucky state courts are chosen by the state's populace in non-partisan elections. The state's chief prosecutor, law enforcement officer, and law officer is the. The is elected to a four-year term and may serve two consecutive terms under the current. Currently, the is Democrat, with fellow Democrat  to take his place on.

Federal representation
Kentucky's two are   and, both. The state is divided into six, represented by  ,  ,  , and  , and    and. Judicially, Kentucky is split into two Federal court districts: the and the. Appeals are heard in the based in.

Political leanings
Where politics are concerned, Kentucky historically has been very hard fought and leaned slightly toward the, although it was never included among the "." In 2006, 57.05% of the state's voters were officially registered as Democrats, 36.55% registered, and 6.39% registered with some other. Kentucky has voted Republican in five of the last seven presidential elections but has supported the Democratic candidates of the. The Commonwealth supported Democrats in 1976, and  in 1992 and 1996, but Republican  in 2000 and 2004. Bush won the state's 8 electoral votes overwhelmingly in 2004 by a margin of 20 percentage points and 59.6% of the vote.

Law
Kentucky's body of laws, known as the (KRS), were enacted in 1942 to better organize and clarify the whole of Kentucky law. The statutes are enforced by local, s, and sheriff's deputies. Unless they have completed a elsewhere, these officers are required to complete training at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training Center on the campus of. Additionally, in 1948, the established the, making it the 38th state to create a force whose jurisdiction extends throughout the given state. Kentucky is one of 38 states in the that sanctions the  for certain crimes. Criminals convicted after, are always executed by ; those convicted before this date may opt for the. Only have been executed in Kentucky since the  reinstituted the practice in 1976. The most notable execution in Kentucky, however, was that of on,. Bethea was publicly hanged in for the  and  of Lischia Edwards. Irregularities with the execution led to this becoming the last public execution in the. Kentucky has been on the front lines of the debate over displaying the on public property. In the 2005 case of , the upheld the decision of the  that a display of the  in the  courthouse of  was unconstitutional. Later that year, Judge, writing for the in the case of  of Kentucky v. , wrote that a display including the , the , the , the , , and the  could be erected in the  courthouse.

Demographics


As of, , Kentucky has an estimated population of 4,206,074, which is an increase of 33,466, or 0.8%, from the prior year and an increase of 164,586, or 4.1%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 77,156 people (that is 287,222 births minus 210,066 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 59,604 people into the state. from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 27,435 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 32,169 people. As of 2004, Kentucky's population included about 95,000 foreign-born (2.3%).

Since 1900, rural Kentucky counties have experienced a net loss of over 1 million people, while urban areas have experienced a slight net gain in population.

The of Kentucky is located in, in the city of.

Race and ancestry
The five largest ancestries in the commonwealth are: (20.9%) (Mostly of  ancestry),  (12.7%),  (10.5%) (Most actually of  descent),  (9.7%),  (7.8%). Only eight Kentucky counties have a majority ancestry listed that is not 'American', those being and, where African American is the largest reported ancestry, and the state's most urban counties of , , , , , , and , where German is the largest reported ancestry.

African Americans, who made up one-fourth of Kentucky's population prior to the, declined in number as many moved to the industrial North in the. Today 44.2% of Kentucky's African American population is in Jefferson County and 52% are in the Louisville Metro Area. Other areas with high concentrations, besides Christian and Fulton Counties, are the city of, the Bluegrass, and the city of. Many mining communities in far Southeastern Kentucky also have populations between five and 10 percent African American.

Religion
In 2000, The Association of Religion Data Archives reported that of Kentucky's 4,041,769 residents:


 * 33.68% were members of churches
 * (979,994 members, 24.25%)
 * (106,638 members, 2.64%)
 * (58,602 members, 1.45%)
 * 10.05% were
 * 8.77% belonged to churches
 * (208,720 members, 5.16%)
 * (67,611 members, 1.67%)
 * 0.05% were members of
 * 0.88% were affiliated with other theologies
 * 46.57% were not affiliated with any church.

Today Kentucky is home to several seminaries. in is the principal seminary for the. Louisville is also the home of the. Lexington has two seminaries,, and the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky. is located in nearby. In addition to seminaries, there are several colleges affiliated with denominations. in is affiliated with the. In Louisville, and  are affiliated with the. Louisville is also home to the headquarters of the and their printing press. Louisville is also home to a sizable ish population.

Religious movements
Religious movements were important in the early history of Kentucky. Perhaps the most famous event was the interdenominational revival in August 1801 at the Meeting house in. As part of what is now known as the "Western Revival", thousands began meeting around a  service on, , and ended six days later on ,  when both humans and horses ran out of food. Some claim that the revival was propagated from an earlier  at  in.

Economy
The total gross state product for 2005 was US$140.4 billion, 27th in the nation. Its per-capita personal income was US$28,513, 43rd in the nation. Kentucky's agricultural outputs are s,, , s, , s, and. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery, food processing, tobacco products,, and. The are recognized as being among the most productive in the nation.

Kentucky ranks 4th among U.S. states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled. The, , , Ford Super Duty trucks, , , and are assembled in Kentucky.

Unlike many bordering states which developed a widespread industrial economy, much of rural Kentucky has maintained a farm based economy, with cattle, corn, and soybeans being the main crops. The area immediately outside Lexington is also the leading region for breeding racing horses, due to the high  content in the soil. 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. state. The average farm size in Kentucky is only 153 acre.

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

State taxes
There are 5 brackets, ranging from 2% to 6% of personal income. The sales tax rate in Kentucky is 6%. Kentucky has a broadly based classified system. All classes of property, unless exempted by the Constitution, are taxed by the state, although at widely varying rates. Many of these classes are exempted from taxation by local government. Of the classes that are subject to local taxation, three have special rates set by the, one by the and the remaining classes are subject to the full local rate, which includes the tax rate set by the local taxing bodies plus all voted levies. Real property is assessed on 100% of the fair market value and property taxes are due by. Once the primary source of state and local government revenue, property taxes now account for only about 6% of the Kentucky's annual General Fund revenues.

Until, , Kentucky imposed a tax on intangible personal property held by a taxpayer on of each year. The Kentucky intangible tax was repealed under House Bill 272. Intangible property consisted of any property or investment which represents evidence of value or the right to value. Some types of intangible property included: bonds, notes, retail repurchase agreements, accounts receivable, trusts, enforceable contracts sale of real estate (land contracts), money in hand, money in safe deposit boxes, annuities, interests in estates, loans to stockholders, and commercial paper.

"Unbridled Spirit"
To boost Kentucky’s image, give it a consistent reach, and help Kentucky stand out from the crowd" the Fletcher administration launched a comprehensive ing campaign with the hope of making its $12 - $14 million advertising budget more effective. The "Unbridled Spirit" brand was the result of a $500,000 contract with New West, a Kentucky-based public relations, advertising and marketing firm to develop a viable brand and tag line. The administration has been aggressively marketing the brand in both the public and private sectors. The "Welcome to Kentucky" signs at border areas have Unbridled Spirit's symbol on them.

The previous campaign was neither a failure nor a success. Kentucky's "It's that friendly" slogan hoped to draw more people into the state based of the idea of southern hospitality. Though most Kentuckians liked the slogan, as it embraced southern values, it was also not an image that encouraged tourism as much as initially hoped for. Therefore it was necessary to reconfigure a slogan to embrace Kentucky as a whole while also encouraging more people to visit the Bluegrass.

Roads


Kentucky is served by five major, nine s, and three bypasses and spurs. The parkways were originally s, but on, , Governor ended the toll charges on the  and the , the last two parkways in Kentucky to charge tolls for access. The related s have been demolished.

Ending the tolls some seven months ahead of schedule was generally agreed to have been a positive economic development for transportation in Kentucky. In June 2007, a law went into effect raising the speed limit on rural portions of Kentucky Interstates from 65 to 70, with signs expected to be changed by mid-July.

Rails




, the national passenger rail system, provides service to, and. The, Trains 50 and 51, is the line that offers Amtrak service to Ashland and South Portsmouth. Amtrak Trains 58 and 59, the serves Fulton. The area, is served by the Cardinal at the. The Museum Center is just across the in.

As of 2004, there were approximately 2,640 miles (4,250.4 km) of railways in Kentucky, with about 65% of those being operated by. was by far the most common cargo, accounting for 76% of cargo loaded and 61% of cargo delivered.

features a tourist attraction known as My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. Run along a 20 mi stretch of rail purchased from in 1987, guests are served a four-course meal as they make a two-and-a-half hour round-trip between  and Limestone Springs. The is located in nearby.

Other areas in Kentucky are reclaiming old railways in projects. One such project is Louisville's. If completed, the  will contain the second longest pedestrian-only bridge in the world. The longest pedestrian-only bridge is also found in Kentucky — the, popularly known as the "Purple People Bridge", connecting to.

Air
Kentucky's primary airports include (Standiford Field),, and. Louisville International Airport is home to 's, its international air-sorting hub. There are also a number of regional airports scattered across the state.

On, , Kentucky's in  was the site of a crash that killed 47 passengers and 2 crew members aboard a  designated. The lone survivor was the flight's, James Polehinke, who doctors determined to be brain damaged and unable to recall the crash at all. The 's report has not yet been released, but reports state that the air traffic controller on duty at the time of the crash was working on approximately two hours of sleep with outdated charts of the airport. According to rules, should have been working alongside another controller, which he was not.

Water
Being bounded by the two largest rivers in, water transportation has historically played a major role in Kentucky's economy. Most barge traffic on Kentucky waterways consists of coal that is shipped from both the Eastern and Western Coalfields, about half of which is used locally to power many power plants located directly off the, with the rest being exported to other countries, most notably.

Many of the largest ports in the United States are located in or adjacent to Kentucky, including


 * Huntington-Ashland, largest inland port and 7th largest overall
 * Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky, 5th largest inland port and 43rd overall
 * Louisville-Southern Indiana, 7th largest inland port and 55th overall

As a state, Kentucky ranks 10th overall in port tonage.

The only natural obstacle along the entire length of the Ohio River was the, located just west of.

Counties
Kentucky is subdivided into 120, the largest being at 787.6 , and the most populous being  (the county containing ) with 693,604 residents as of 2000.

County government, under the of 1891, is vested in a County Judge (later renamed ), who serves as the  head of the county, and a  called a. Despite the unusual name, the Fiscal Court no longer has functions.

Cities and towns
The Greater holds a very disproportionate share of Kentucky's population, growth and wealth, and is by definition Kentucky's. The city has a 2006 estimated population of 554,496, while the (CSA) has a population of 1,356,798; including 1,003,025 in Kentucky, which is nearly 1/4 of the state's population. Since 2000 over 1/3 of the state's population growth has occurred in the Louisville CSA. In addition, the top 28 wealthiest places in Kentucky are in Jefferson County and seven of the 15 wealthiest counties in the state are located in the Louisville CSA.

The second largest city is Lexington with a 2006 census estimated population of 270,789 and its having a population of 645,006. The area (the seven Kentucky counties in the  CSA) had an estimated population of 408,783 in 2006. The metropolitan areas of Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky have a combined population of 2,169,394 as of 2006, which is 51.5% of the state's total population.

The two other fast growing urban areas in Kentucky are the area and the "Tri Cities Region" of southeastern Kentucky, comprised of, , and.

Although only one town in the "Tri Cities", namely Somerset, currently has more than 10,000 people, the area has been experiencing heightened population and job growth since the 1990s. Growth has been especially rapid in Laurel County, which outgrew areas such as Scott and Jessamine counties around Lexington or Shelby and Nelson Counties around Louisville. London is currently on pace to double its population in the 2000s from 5,692 in 2000 to 10,879 in 2010. London also landed a distribution center in 1997, bringing thousands of jobs to the community.

In northeast Kentucky, the greater area is an important transportation and manufacturing center. and production, as well as the transport of coal by rail and, have been historical pillars of the region's economy. Due to a decline in the area's industrial base, Ashland has seen a sizable reduction in its population since 1990. The population of the area has since stabilized, however, with the medical service industry taking a greater role in the local economy. The Ashland area, including the Kentucky counties of and, is a part of the -Ashland, -KY-,  (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. About 20,000 of those people reside within the city limits of Ashland.

Education


Kentucky maintains eight public four-year colleges and universities. The two major research institutions are the, which is the land grant system, and the. Both combine for over 99% of in the system and rank first or second in academic rankings and average ACT scores in the state system. The other six colleges in the state system are regional universities.

The state's sixteen public two-year colleges have been governed by the since the passage of the Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997, commonly referred to as House Bill 1. Prior to the passage of House Bill 1, most of these colleges were under the control of the.

, located at the extreme southern edge of the Bluegrass below the Cumberland Plateau, was the first coeducational college in the to admit both black and white students, doing so from its very establishment in 1855. This policy was successfully challenged in the in the case of  in 1908. This decision effectively segregated Berea until the landmark  in 1954.

Kentucky has been the site of much educational reform over the past two decades. In 1989, the ruled that the state's education system was unconstitutional. The response of the was passage of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) the following year. Years later, Kentucky has shown progress, but most agree that further reform is needed.

Culture


Although Kentucky's culture is generally considered to be, it is unique and also influenced by the and. The state is known for and  distiling,, and. Kentucky is more similar to the in terms of ancestry which is predominantly. Neveretheless, during the 19th century, the state Kentucky did receive a substantial number of German and Irish immigrants, who settled primarily in the Midwest. Only Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and Oklahoma, all also border states, have higher German ancestry percentages than Kentucky among Census-defined Southern states. Kentucky was a, and blacks once comprised over one-quarter of its population. However, it lacked the system and never had the same high percentage of African Americans as most other slave states. With less than 8% of its current population being black, Kentucky is rarely included in modern-day definitions of the, despite a relatively significant rural African American population in the Central and Western areas of the state. Kentucky adopted the system of racial segregation in most public spheres after the Civil War, but the state never disenfranchised African American citizens to the level of the  states, and it peacefully integrated its schools after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education verdict, later adopting the first state civil rights act in the South in 1966.

The biggest day in horse racing, the, is preceded by the two-week in Louisville. Louisville also plays host to the, the , and 's annual highlight, the. , Kentucky's third largest city, gives credence to its nickname of "Barbecue Capital of the World" by hosting the annual. , Kentucky's fifth largest city and home to the that manufactures the, opened the  in 1994.

, the largest district in the United States featuring  and the third largest overall, hosts the, the largest outdoor art show in the. The neighborhood was also home to the (1883–1887), which featured the first public display of 's, and was the setting of 's novel,  and 's comic strip, the ".

The more rural communities are not without traditions of their own, however. , the birthplace of, hosts the annual Lincoln Days Celebration, and will also host the kick-off for the National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration in February 2008. celebrates its heritage as a major bourbon-producing region with the. (Legend holds that minister  invented bourbon with his black slave in, but some dispute this claim.)  mimics ,  by hosting the , its own version of the , and  hosts "Little Sturgis", a mini version of 's annual. The residents of tiny even pay tribute to their favorite tuber, the, by hosting. Residents of in  celebrate their city's ties to the honey industry by celebrating the. The Clarkson Honeyfest is held the last Thursday, Friday and Saturday in September, and is the "Official State Honey Festival of Kentucky."

Music
The breadth of music in Kentucky is indeed wide, stretching from the Purchase to the eastern mountains. star is a  native, and rs  are closely connected with, where older brother Don was born. Kentucky was also home to Mildred and, the sisters credited with composing the tune to the ditty ;  , and. However, its depth lies in its signature sound —. , "The Father of Bluegrass", was born in the small town of, while , , , , Sonny and , and  (who has been compared to Monroe) all hail from Kentucky. The is located in, while the annual  is held in.

Kentucky is also home to famed musician and pioneer,  (although this has been disputed in recent years). legend and  singer  also spent considerable time in Kentucky. The pop bands and  were both formed in Kentucky, as were country acts  and, as well as -winning Christian groups  (rock) and  (metal).

Cuisine
, like much of the state's culture, is unique and is considered to blend elements of both the South and Midwest, given its location between the two regions. One original Kentucky dish is called the, a layered dish normally in this order: bread, tomatoes, turkey, bacon, and topped with melted cheese. It was developed at the in. The in Louisville is the Birthplace of the drink The .

Sports


Kentucky is the home of several sports teams such as s Class A and AAA. They are also home to the s and several teams in the. They are also the home of the of the  who appear to be interested in making a move up to the "major league"  Major league teams in nearby cities, typically have strong fan support depending on the part of the state, with  teams having strong fan support in South Central and most of Western Kentucky, Nashville and  teams competing for loyalties in,  and  teams predominating in the  area, and  teams having strong support in Central and Eastern Kentucky. The lies across the  from Cincinnati, which is home to a  team, the, and a  team, the. It is not uncommon for fans to park in the city of and use the, locally known as the "Purple People Bridge," to walk to these games in Cincinnati. Many restaurants and stores in Newport rely on business from these fans. Also, in  is the location for the Bengals' summer training camp.

As in many states, especially those without major league professional sport teams, college athletics are very important. This is especially true of the state's three programs, including the, the  Hilltoppers, and the. The Wildcats, Hilltoppers, and Cardinals are among the most tradition-rich college basketball teams in the United States, combining for nine championships and 22 NCAA Final Fours; and all three are on the lists of total all-time wins, wins per season, and average wins per season. Louisville has also stepped onto the football scene in recent years, with eight straight bowl games, including the 2007. Western Kentucky, the 2002 national champion in Division I-AA football (now, is currently transitioning to Division I FBS football.

Official state places and events

 * State arboretum:
 * State botanical garden: The Arboretum: State Botanical Garden of Kentucky
 * State Science Center:
 * State center for celebration of African American heritage: Kentucky Center for African American Heritage
 * State honey festival: Honeyfest
 * State : Amphitheater


 * State championship: The  Tug-of-War Championship
 * Capital of Kentucky:
 * Official of Kentucky: Switzer Covered Bridge
 * Official of Kentucky: "Old 152" (located in the  in )
 * Official : Louisville Pipe Band
 * State festival:, Incorporated, of

Unless otherwise specified, all state symbol information is taken from Kentucky State Symbols.

Politics

 * Miller, Penny M. Kentucky Politics & Government: Do We Stand United? (1994)
 * Jewell, Malcolm E. and Everett W. Cunningham, Kentucky Politics (1968)

Surveys and reference

 * Bodley, Temple and Samuel M. Wilson. History of Kentucky 4 vols. (1928).
 * , Night Comes to the Cumberlands (1963). ISBN 0-316-13212-8
 * Channing, Steven. Kentucky: A Bicentennial History (1977).
 * Clark, Thomas Dionysius. A History of Kentucky (many editions, 1937–1992).
 * Collins, Lewis. History of Kentucky (1880).
 * Harrison, Lowell H. and James C. Klotter. A New History of Kentucky (1997).
 * Kleber, John E. et al The Kentucky Encyclopedia (1992), standard reference history.
 * Klotter, James C. Our Kentucky: A Study of the Bluegrass State (2000), high school text
 * Lucas, Marion Brunson and Wright, George C. A History of Blacks in Kentucky 2 vols. (1992).
 * Notable Kentucky African Americans http://www.uky.edu/Subject/aakyall.html
 * Share, Allen J. Cities in the Commonwealth: Two Centuries of Urban Life in Kentucky (1982).
 * Wallis, Frederick A. and Hambleton Tapp. A Sesqui-Centennial History of Kentucky 4 vols. (1945).
 * Ward, William S., A Literary History of Kentucky (1988) (ISBN 0-87049-578-X).
 * WPA, Kentucky: A Guide to the Bluegrass State  (1939), classic guide.

Specialized scholarly studies

 * Bakeless, John. Daniel Boone, Master of the Wilderness (1989)
 * Blakey, George T. Hard Times and New Deal in Kentucky, 1929–1939 (1986)
 * Coulter, E. Merton. The Civil War and Readjustment in Kentucky (1926)
 * Davis, Alice. "Heroes: Kentucky's Artists from Statehood to the New Millennium" (2004)
 * Ellis, William E. The Kentucky River (2000).
 * Faragher, John Mack. Daniel Boone (1993)
 * Fenton, John H. Politics in the Border States: A Study of the Patterns of Political Organization, and Political Change, Common to the Border States: Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri (1957)
 * Ireland, Robert M. The County in Kentucky History (1976)
 * Klotter, James C. Kentucky: Portrait in Paradox, 1900–1950 (1992)
 * Pearce, John Ed. Divide and Dissent: Kentucky Politics, 1930–1963 (1987)
 * Remini, Robert V. Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union (1991).
 * Sonne, Niels Henry. Liberal Kentucky, 1780–1828 (1939)
 * Tapp, Hambleton and James C Klotter. Kentucky Decades of Discord, 1865–1900 (1977)
 * Townsend, William H. Lincoln and the Bluegrass: Slavery and Civil War in Kentucky (1955)
 * Waldrep, Christopher Night Riders: Defending Community in the Black Patch, 1890–1915 (1993) tobacco wars
 * Waldrep, Christopher Night Riders: Defending Community in the Black Patch, 1890–1915 (1993) tobacco wars