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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Kentucky Department of Public Information

American frontiersman Daniel Boone first entered what is now the U.S. state of Kentucky in 1767. At that time, herds of bison roamed the grassy areas, and the forests offered a seemingly unlimited supply of bear, deer, and wild turkey. Two years later he returned with some companions to hunt and trap in this lush, wild country, which he called a “second paradise.” Many others had explored the region before Boone, but he eventually blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap and later tried to establish Kentucky as the 14th American colony.

Today the bison are gone, and the meager bear, deer, and wild turkey populations survive only through careful restocking. For some time Kentucky has been an industrial state. Yet Daniel Boone’s paradise lives on in the tough, individualistic spirit and strong feeling for tradition that continue to characterize its citizens.

Kentucky was originally a part of the western lands of Virginia. The oldest state west of the Appalachian Highlands, it had its first permanent white settlement in 1775—about a year before Boone brought his wife and teenage daughter to live in the town that was named after him—Boonesborough (now Boonesboro). During the next 15 years the population of the area grew to more than 73,000. In 1792, with the permission of Virginia, Kentucky was admitted to the Union as the 15th state.

Kentucky is a more rural state than Virginia, but it boasts a strong manufacturing sector and an economy that has grown increasingly varied over the years. Service industries are now a main source of income and employment in the state. Although tobacco remains one of the leading crops, the scarcity of farm labor has driven many small tobacco farmers out of business. In addition, agriculture is diversifying as many farms change over to crops other than tobacco and total production is strictly limited by the federal government. Coal mining and the bourbon whiskey industry have traditionally been important in the economy.

The state’s name probably comes from the Wyandot (Huron) American Indian word Kentake, meaning “meadowland” or “prairie.” During its pioneer days Kentucky was called the “dark and bloody ground” for the many battles that took place there between the settlers and the Native Americans. Its most popular nickname, Bluegrass State, comes from the unusual long-stemmed grass that grows in various parts of Kentucky and is most abundant in the Lexington-Fayette area. Area 40,408 square miles (104,656 square kilometers). Population (2010) 4,339,367.

Survey of the Bluegrass State

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Courtesy of the Kentucky Department of Parks

Kentucky lies in the south-central section of the United States. On the north the Ohio River separates the state from Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. To the northeast is West Virginia, which is separated from Kentucky by the Big Sandy River and its Tug Fork. Virginia is to the southeast. To the south is Tennessee. On the west the Mississippi River is the boundary between Kentucky and Missouri. The state’s greatest length, from east to west, is 425 miles (684 kilometers). Its greatest width is 182 miles (293 kilometers), from north to south.

Natural Regions

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From the edge of the Appalachian Highlands in the east, the surface of Kentucky slopes generally north and west. The highest point in the state is Black Mountain, at the Virginia border—4,145 feet (1,263 meters). Here the average elevation is about 2,800 feet (850 meters). Central Kentucky has an average elevation of about 1,000 feet (300 meters); western Kentucky, about 400 feet (120 meters). The lowest point in the state is 257 feet (78 meters), along the Mississippi River near Hickman. There are three distinct natural regions.

Appalachian Plateaus

Part of the Appalachian Highlands, the Appalachian Plateaus region covers the eastern fourth of Kentucky. The southeastern edge of this region is formed by the Cumberland and Pine mountain ranges, known also as the Cumberland Mountains. From these highlands a series of sharp ridges and narrow valleys extend northward (in the Kanawha section) and westward (in the Cumberland Plateau section). Another name that is sometimes used to designate the Appalachian Plateaus is the Eastern Coalfield. (See also Appalachian Mountains.)

Interior Low Plateaus

The area extending from the eastern mountains to the Tennessee River in the west is part of the Interior Low Plateaus, a province of the larger Interior Plains region, which covers much of the central United States. In the north lies Kentucky’s Bluegrass area, named for its bluish-tinted grass. The area is also known as the Lexington Plain. Around the edge of the Bluegrass area is a semicircle of rounded hills called the Knobs. To the south and west, in the Highland Rim section of the Interior Low Plateaus, is the Pennyrile (Pennyroyal) Plateau, named for a native variety of the mint plant that is used in making the famous Kentucky mint juleps. Another low plateau, the Western Coalfield, lies on both sides of the Green River, from Edmonson County north to the Ohio River.

Coastal Plain

The Coastal Plain region occupies the eight westernmost counties of Kentucky. It is part of the great lowland that sweeps north from the Gulf of Mexico. This region is also called the Jackson Purchase, or simply Purchase. It is so named because Andrew Jackson helped buy the land between the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers from the Chickasaw Indians in 1818. (At the time he was a commander of United States Army troops.) The Purchase is the lowest area of Kentucky, but it is not uniformly flat. Wide floodplains are broken by low hills that may have been sandbars in ancient oceans. Bluffs, swamps, and lagoons form part of the terrain.


Most of Kentucky’s rivers flow north and west into the Ohio River. These include, from east to west, the Licking, Kentucky (with its branch, the Dix), Salt, and Green—the longest stream within the state. The Cumberland River rises in the southeast, makes a loop in Tennessee, then reenters Kentucky to join the Ohio. The Tennessee flows through the western end of the state. Along the northern and western boundaries are the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.


Kentucky has a continental climate, with warm summers and cool winters. The coldest part of the state is the far north, which has an average annual temperature of about 55 ° F (13 ° C). This is about 5 ° F (3 ° C) degrees lower than that of the extreme southwest, the warmest section. The growing season varies from 176 days a year in the eastern highlands to 197 days in the western part of the state.

The average precipitation varies from 40 inches (100 centimeters) a year in the extreme north to 52 inches (132 centimeters) in the extreme south-central part of the state. The heaviest rainfall falls along the southern border between Allen and Bell counties. Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties in the far north area of Kentucky receive the least.

Natural Resources

Among Kentucky’s chief natural resources are its fertile soil, a favorable climate, and its wide diversity of species. Nearly half of the land is forested. Millions of trees are planted annually for reforestation, erosion control, and wildlife habitat enhancement.

Deposits of coal, petroleum, and natural gas provide fuels for manufacturing. The state’s rivers are an important means of transportation. Kentucky has iron-free water for making distilled and malt liquors.

Courtesy of the Tennesse Valley Authority

Several large dams have been built, primarily to improve navigation and to supply power. The lakes formed by these dams also offer boating, fishing, and swimming, and facilities for camping are available along their shores. Kentucky Dam, on the Tennessee River, is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Barkley Dam, on the Cumberland River, was built and is maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Wolf Creek Dam, on the Cumberland, and Dale Hollow Dam in Tennessee, on the Obey, a branch of the Cumberland, have aided the economy of the Cumberland Basin. Other important dams are the Rough River, Nolin, Green River, Buckhorn, and Dewey.

The state’s Energy and Environment Cabinet is concerned with all aspects of controlling pollution and preserving resources. The conservation work is shared by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.


The vast majority of Kentucky’s population is of white European ancestry. According to the 2010 census, whites accounted for nearly 88 percent of the population. African Americans, the largest minority group in the state, made up approximately 8 percent. Only about 1 percent of the population was of Asian descent, and there were even smaller numbers of Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. Some 3 percent of Kentucky’s residents identified themselves as Hispanic.

Kentucky remains a strongly rural state of small towns and crossroads. In the early 21st century about half of the state’s population was rural, despite pronounced migration from rural to urban areas in the second half of the 20th century.


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Most of the state’s large manufacturing centers are located on the Ohio River. The largest city and chief industrial center in Kentucky is Louisville. The second largest city is Lexington-Fayette, a medical services and retail trade center in the heart of the Bluegrass region.

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Owensboro, Paducah, Ashland, and Henderson are industrial cities on the Ohio. Covington is a manufacturing city upstream opposite Cincinnati, Ohio, at the river’s juncture with the Licking River. Nearby is Newport, a residential city with metal-manufacturing plants.

Bowling Green and Hopkinsville are manufacturing centers in the southwestern part of the state. Middlesboro, in the southeast, is noted for its mountain resorts and nearby coal mines. Frankfort, on the Kentucky River, is the state capital.


The state’s scenic mountains, valleys, and historical landmarks attract many visitors. Three of the chief attractions are maintained by the federal government—Mammoth Cave National Park, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

Kentucky Department of Parks

Man-made lakes such as Kentucky, Cumberland, and Herrington are noted for fishing and other water sports. Louisville is the site of the annual Kentucky State Fair and the Kentucky Derby, the most-watched event in horse racing’s Triple Crown. There are a variety of state parks. In Bardstown a state park preserves Federal Hill, the Georgian house where musician Stephen Foster is said to have composed the song “My Old Kentucky Home,” now the Kentucky state song.


The first school in what is now Kentucky was opened in Fort Harrod in 1775. By 1800 many private academies had been established. One of these schools was Transylvania Seminary (now Transylvania University), which was founded in what is now Danville in 1780. Moved to Lexington in 1788, it was the first school of higher learning west of the Allegheny Mountains.

The state legislature passed the first public school law in 1838. There was little progress, however, until 1847, when Robert Breckinridge became superintendent of education. By 1853 a public school system had been established in every county. The American Civil War only called a temporary halt to the progressive improvement of the school system.

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The state’s largest universities are the University of Kentucky, at Lexington-Fayette, and the University of Louisville, at Louisville. Other state-supported universities are Western Kentucky University, at Bowling Green; Eastern Kentucky University, at Richmond; Murray State University, at Murray; Morehead State University, at Morehead; and Kentucky State University, at Frankfort. Other schools include Bellarmine University and Spalding University, both at Louisville; University of the Cumberlands, at Williamsburg; and Georgetown College, at Georgetown. Berea College was founded at Berea in 1855 to serve needy students from Appalachia and has become a regional center for traditional arts.


In the early 21st century the largest sectors of Kentucky’s economy were services and manufacturing. Mining and agriculture accounted for smaller shares of the state’s income and employment.

Agriculture, Fishing, and Forestry

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Less than 3 percent of the labor force in Kentucky is engaged in agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Tobacco still ranks as one of the principal cash crops, although tobacco acreage has been declining in the state since the late 20th century. The chief growing region for tobacco is between the Green and Cumberland rivers.

Soybeans, another valuable field crop, are grown in western Kentucky. Other important crops are corn, hay, wheat, and greenhouse and nursery crops. Kentucky also raises many cattle (for beef and milk), hogs, and chickens.

Kentucky Department of Public Information

The Bluegrass State ranks first nationally in the breeding of Thoroughbred horses. Breeders have produced strains of saddle horses that combine speed with endurance. The chief breeding area, where horses are also developed for harness racing and for show, is around Lexington-Fayette.

Kentucky has little commercial fishing, but its streams and reservoirs provide excellent opportunities for sportfishing, and they attract numerous tourists. Forestry is important in eastern Kentucky, where most of the land is unsuitable for farming, and in the eastern part of the Pennyrile. The majority of the trees cut are hardwoods, including oak, hickory, ash, walnut, and maple.


Manufacturing represents a significant part of Kentucky’s economy, accounting for approximately one-sixth of the state’s gross product. The principal manufacturing industries in the state are transportation equipment and food products. Kentucky has become a major producer of automobiles, trucks, and automotive parts. Other industries include chemicals, metal products, plastics, and paper products. Several cities, including Frankfort and Bardstown, among others, are noted for their bourbon distilleries.

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Vast reserves of bituminous (soft) coal have placed Kentucky among the country’s leading coal producers for many years. The major coal-mining counties include Union and Hopkins in western Kentucky and Pike, Perry, and Harlan in the eastern part of the state. Other valuable mineral products are natural gas, petroleum, stone, lime, cement, and sand and gravel.


The service sector generates some two-thirds of Kentucky’s gross product and employs more workers than any other segment of the state’s economy. State and local governments are major employers. Two large military bases, Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, contribute substantially to the economies of the surrounding communities. Wholesale and retail trade and various financial and professional services are other significant sources of jobs and income.


The first “highway” into Kentucky was the Wilderness Road blazed by Daniel Boone in 1775. It led through Cumberland Gap northwest to Boonesborough and Harrodsburg, and later to Louisville. The second vital route was the Ohio River, which carried flatboats down to landings at what later became the cities of Maysville, Louisville, and Owensboro.

Railroad transportation began in 1832 with the opening of the Lexington and Ohio line between Lexington and Frankfort. This route was later part of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Today rail lines connect all of the state’s major cities for movement of freight. Bulky freight is often shipped by river barge over Kentucky’s many miles of navigable waterways.

Kentucky has an extensive multilane highway system. Interstate 64, a major east-west route, extends east from Louisville into West Virginia. Western Kentucky Parkway begins at Princeton and extends northeast to Elizabethtown. Interstate 75 crosses the state from north to south, skirting Lexington-Fayette. Interstate 65 extends south through Louisville and Bowling Green.

Major airports in northern Kentucky (part of the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, area) and Louisville offer international and domestic service. The airport in Lexington-Fayette handles domestic flights, mostly within the eastern half of the United States.


Kentucky Department of Travel Development

When Kentucky was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, the capital was Lexington. Later in the year Frankfort was selected as the permanent seat of government. Although generally referred to as a state, Kentucky calls itself a commonwealth. It is governed under a constitution adopted in 1891.

The chief executive officer is the governor, who is elected for a four-year term and may serve two consecutive terms. Lawmaking is in the hands of the General Assembly, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judiciary is headed by the Supreme Court.

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The state became noted for its many prominent political leaders. Henry Clay, author of the Compromise of 1850, served in the U.S. Congress for more than 30 years. The two opposing leaders of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, were both born in Kentucky. The state has also had three vice presidents of the United States—Richard M. Johnson, John C. Breckinridge, and Alben W. Barkley.

In between his terms as governor of Kentucky (1935–39 and 1955–59), Albert B. (Happy) Chandler was a U.S. senator and, from 1945 to 1951, the commissioner of baseball. Before she became Kentucky’s first woman governor in 1983, Martha Layne Collins was the first woman to chair the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.


Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Kentucky region was inhabited by indigenous agricultural and hunting peoples who left behind burial and ceremonial mounds that remain prominent features of the landscape today. Later the area became a hunting ground and battlefield for other native peoples, such as the Shawnee from the north, the Iroquois from the east, and the Cherokee from the south. (See also Northeast Indians; Southeast Indians.)

European Exploration and Settlement

French and Spanish explorers first came to Kentucky via the rivers of the Mississippi basin in the 17th century, and traders from the eastern colonies entered the region during the early 18th century, primarily by way of the Ohio River and Cumberland Gap. Although native resistance and rough terrain hindered European exploration during the 1750s and ’60s, Virginian physician Thomas Walker and a survey party in 1750 established the region’s southern boundary as an extension of the Virginia–North Carolina boundary.

Later John Finley and Daniel Boone were among the woodsmen who came through the Gap looking for fertile land. Many of these adventurers stayed in Kentucky so long that they were called “long hunters.” Meanwhile the region was organized by Virginia as Fincastle (later Kentucky) County.

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In 1775 James Harrod and a group of Virginians made the first permanent settlement in the region at Harrodstown (now Harrodsburg). That same year Daniel Boone led a party from North Carolina along the famous Wilderness Road from Cumberland Gap. He founded Boonesborough (now Boonesboro) on the Kentucky River in what is now Madison County. There was some rivalry between the two settlements of Boonesborough and Harrodstown, but they united their efforts in fighting off attacks by Native Americans.

Much of the danger from Native Americans was removed by the victories of George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution. The last battle with the Native Americans of Kentucky was at Blue Licks (near Mount Olivet) in 1782. The Native Americans retreated across the Ohio River.

From Statehood to the Civil War

In 1784 a group of Kentuckians meeting at Danville asked to be separated from Virginia. This was the first of 10 such conventions that prepared the way for statehood. Finally, on June 1, 1792, Kentucky was admitted to the Union as the 15th state—the first located west of the Appalachians.

The new state joined with Virginia in 1798 in passing the resolutions denouncing the Alien and Sedition Acts. The resolutions were guided through the state legislature by John Breckinridge of Lexington.

The name Breckinridge over the decades became one of the most famous in Kentucky. Three of John’s sons—Joseph, John, and Robert—were noted as either lawyers or Presbyterian clergymen. Robert served as Abraham Lincoln’s Kentucky adviser during the American Civil War. Two grandsons, however, fought for the Confederacy—John C. Breckinridge, son of Joseph and vice president of the United States under James Buchanan; and William C. Breckinridge, son of Robert.

During the Civil War Kentucky was as divided as the Breckinridge family. A slave state, it tried to remain neutral. Some of its men joined the Confederacy, others fought for the North. Late in 1861 a separate state government at Bowling Green was recognized by the Confederate government; however, the state never officially seceded from the Union. In 1862 Gen. Braxton Bragg led a Southern army into Kentucky. He was turned back at the battle of Perryville by a Union force under Gen. Don Carlos Buell.

The Modern State

Following the Reconstruction period, Kentucky showed a steady growth in agriculture and manufacturing. Coal mining on a large scale was started during the 1870s. There were a number of bloody clashes between miners and operators until the United Mine Workers of America won recognition as the miners’ bargaining agent in 1939.

Improved methods of transportation and communications gradually helped end the physical, social, and economic isolation of many parts of the state. An invaluable aid for the people in Kentucky’s isolated areas was the Frontier Nursing Service, a public health agency founded by Mary Breckinridge in 1925.

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The first Kentucky Derby was held at Louisville’s Churchill Downs in 1875. Another major attraction, Mammoth Cave, became a national park in 1926. The cave is famous for its limestone formations. In 1937 the country’s gold reserve was moved to Fort Knox for safekeeping.

In 1962 the Kentucky legislature passed a law regulating the strip mining of coal. Unchecked, this mining technique ravages the soil. The law was made more comprehensive in 1965. The automation of the large coal mines and the consequent unemployment of the miners, especially in the eastern part of the state, became one of the state’s major problems. In the early 1970s a countrywide energy shortage created a demand for more coal, and Kentucky’s coalfields prospered for nearly a decade. As petroleum prices stabilized, however, the demand for coal diminished.

During the 1980s Kentucky became one of the leading producers of automobiles, trucks, and automotive parts as a new Automotive Alley of the United States. In subsequent decades many manufacturing firms left the state for areas where labor was less expensive. At the same time, however, the state saw an influx of Japanese manufacturers, primarily in the automotive industry. (See also the South; United States, “The South.”)

Additional Reading

Gaines, Ann. Kentucky (Benchmark Books, 2003).Glaser, Jason. Kentucky: The Bluegrass State (PowerKids Press, 2010).Heinrichs, Ann. Kentucky (Compass Point Books, 2003).Klotter, J.C., and Klotter, F.C. A Concise History of Kentucky (Univ. Press of Ky., 2008).Santella, Andrew. Kentucky (Children’s Press, 2008).Zronik, J.P. Daniel Boone: Woodsman of Kentucky (Crabtree, 2006).