Portal:Kentucky

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The Kentucky Portal

Kentucky (US: /kənˈtʌki/ ^ⓘ, UK: /kɛn-/), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It 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 most populous city is Louisville. As of 2024, the state's population was approximately 4.6 million.

Previously part of Virginia, Kentucky was admitted into the Union as the fifteenth state on June 1, 1792. It is known as the "Bluegrass State" in reference to Kentucky bluegrass, a species of grass introduced by European settlers which has long supported the state's thoroughbred horse industry.

The fertile soil in the central and western parts of the state led to the development of large tobacco plantations similar to those in Virginia and North Carolina, which utilized enslaved labor prior to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. Kentucky ranks fifth nationally in goat farming, eighth in beef cattle production, and fourteenth in corn production. While Kentucky has been a long-standing center for the tobacco industry, its economy has diversified into non-agricultural sectors including auto manufacturing, energy production, and medicine. Kentucky ranks fourth among US states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled. It is one of several states considered part of the Upland South. (Full article...)

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There are 120 counties in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. Despite ranking 37th in size by area, Kentucky has 120 counties, fourth among states (including Virginia's independent cities). 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 in a single day, as well as being able to travel from one county seat to the next in the same fashion. Later, however, politics began to play a part, with citizens who disagreed with their county government petitioning the state to create a new county. Today, 22 of the 120 counties have fewer than 10,000 residents, and half have fewer than 20,000. The 20 largest counties by population all have populations of 49,000 or higher, and just 7 of the 120 have a population of 100,000 or higher. The average county population, based on the estimated 2023 state population of 4.526 million, was 37,718.

Following concerns of too many counties, the 1891 Kentucky Constitution placed stricter limits on county creation, stipulating that a new county:

must have a land area of at least 400 square miles (1,036 km²);
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 square miles;
must not by its creation reduce the population of an existing county to fewer than 12,000 people;
must not create a county boundary line that passes within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of an existing county seat.

These regulations have reined in the proliferation of counties in Kentucky. Since the 1891 Constitution, only McCreary County has been legally created, in 1912. The General Assembly's creation of Beckham County in 1904 was ruled unconstitutional. Because today's largest county by area, Pike County, is 788 square miles (2,041 km²), it is only still possible to form a new county from portions of more than one existing county; McCreary County was formed in this manner, from parts of Wayne, Pulaski and Whitley counties. (Full article...)

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Monroe (left) and his brother Charlie in 1936

William Smith Monroe (/mənˈroʊ/ mən-ROH; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the "Father of Bluegrass".

The genre takes its name from his band, the Blue Grass Boys, who named their group for the bluegrass of Monroe's home state of Kentucky. He described the genre as "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It's Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound." (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Kentucky-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1At 464 miles (747 km) long, Kentucky Route 80 is the longest route in Kentucky, pictured here west of Somerset. (from Transportation in Kentucky)
Image 2Map of Kentucky published in 1784 with John Filson's The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke (from History of Kentucky)
Image 3Dunmore War Saga (from History of Kentucky)
Image 4High Bridge over the Kentucky River was the tallest rail bridge in the world when it was completed in 1877. (from Transportation in Kentucky)
Image 5James Pierce Barton's Kentucky Landscape (1832) (from History of Kentucky)
Image 6A barge hauling coal in the Louisville and Portland Canal, the only manmade section of the Ohio River (from Transportation in Kentucky)
Image 7Artist's conception of Annis Mound and Village, a Mississippian site in Butler County, c. 1250–1300 CE (from History of Kentucky)
Image 8Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through the Cumberland Gap (George Caleb Bingham, oil on canvas, 1851–52) (from History of Kentucky)
Image 9This 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 10The Earl of Dunmore via Dunmore's War cleared the way for settlement of Kentucky (from History of Kentucky)
Image 11Biggs Site, also known as the Portsmouth Earthworks Group D, an Adena culture archaeological site located Greenup County (from History of Kentucky)
Image 12Mount Horeb Site 1, an Adena culture causewayed ring ditch and timber circle located in Fayette County (from History of Kentucky)
Image 13The Native American Crab Orchard culture existed in western Kentucky and southern Indiana from c. 200 BCE to 500 CE. (from History of Kentucky)
Image 14Old Louisville is the largest Victorian Historic neighborhood in the United States. (from Culture of Kentucky)

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... that after becoming "convinced of the evils of slavery", James Townsend left Kentucky for Indiana?
... that John White shot himself after it was discovered that he had plagiarized a speech by Aaron Burr?
... that a Kentucky TV station gained industry attention after it criticized the overuse of the term "breaking news"?
... that a man found 700 gold coins on his own land in an undisclosed part of Kentucky?
... that Enoch Edgar Hume was presented as a candidate for election to the Kentucky House of Representatives without his knowledge?
... that in the wake of a hazing scandal, Western Kentucky University placed their swimming and diving programs on a five-year suspension?

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Kentucky by county

Largest cities

See List of cities in Kentucky for a full list.

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Alex Thompson (filmmaker) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Robert McClenon (talk · contribs · new pages (19)) started on 2025-01-15, score: 30

Finesse Juvenile Novices' Hurdle (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by JockeyColours (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-01-28, score: 20
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Catherine Seals (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Rubystaramaryllis (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-01-28, score: 40

Kentucky Blood Center (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Pollia (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-01-26, score: 20
Jim Gooch Jr. (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Mad Mismagius (talk · contribs · new pages (5)) started on 2025-01-26, score: 40
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Allie George (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Hameltion (talk · contribs · new pages (41)) started on 2025-01-20, score: 30

2025 Winter Cup (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Mypurplelightsaber (talk · contribs · new pages (1)) started on 2025-01-21, score: 34
Nini Nguyen (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools) by Citrivescence (talk · contribs · new pages (2)) started on 2025-01-21, score: 20

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Sources

^ "Biggest US Cities By Population – Kentucky – 2017 Populations". City Population. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.

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[1] "Biggest US Cities By Population – Kentucky – 2017 Populations". City Population. February 21, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.

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