Welcome to Kentucky

With a genteel, bespectacled fried-chicken maker its favorite son, there’s no question that Kentucky has all the character it can handle. Home to the Kentucky Derby and internationally famous for its thoroughbred horses and fine bourbon, the Southern state’s history is easily as fascinating and intricate as it is long and rich.   Before the Colonel, local heroes included not only Daniel Boone but both Union president Abraham Lincoln and Confederate leader Jefferson Davis, a fact that accounts for much of Kentucky’s split personality. The Civil War was a confusing time for the state, and though it did not secede, covert sympathy for the South found expression in a strong upsurge of anti-Union sentiment during Reconstruction.   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. The Eastern Kentucky Coal Fields 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 Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Expedition, Ford Explorer, all Ford F-series trucks, and the Toyota Camry are all assembled in Kentucky.   Historically, a major problem with Kentucky's economy has been the fact that outside the Ohio River towns and Lexington, most rural counties never developed a widespread and localized industrial economy; meaning that up until World War II most families still depended on subsistence farming for survival. 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 state.  This is also the reason that most rural counties have only one sizable town and still have median household incomes that are often half the U.S. national average.   Nestled in the eastern south-central region of the United States, Kentucky runs the topographical gamut; the calm stretches of low, rolling hills and the meandering fingers of six major rivers are a dramatic contrast to the nearly 10,000 square miles of the craggy Appalachian mountains. Black Mountain, Kentucky’s highest peak rises above 4,000 feet, and the Appalachians are where Kentucky’s infamous Kentucky coal mines are found. The legendary Kentucky Bluegrass country is found in the central region, also known as the Interior Lowlands, as is the vast Pennyrile (or Pennyroyal) area. The Coastal Plain area, which covers most of Kentucky’s west and south, is characterized by gentle hills rolling among the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Rainy seasons are typically in spring and summer, and mild yearly temperatures range from 55 to 60F; generally, the weather and terrain are ideal for farming.

Fast Facts Population, 2005 - 4,173,405 Capital - Frankfort Area - 40,411 sq.mi, 37th   Border States - Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Largest Cities - Louisville, Lexington - Fayette, Owensboro Time zones  - Eastern half - Eastern  - Western half - Central Sales tax - 6% Web site - www.kentucky.gov