Last updated on June 21st, 2024
Kentucky is the 26th most populous and the 37th most extensive of the 50 states of the United States. It lies in the east south-central region of the United States. Kentucky attained statehood on June 1, 1792, becoming the 15th state to join the union. It shares its border with seven bordering states (Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio.) See the full list of the 50 states and their borders here. Kentucky has 120 counties. The state’s capital is Frankfort. The postal abbreviation for the state is KY. With these Kentucky facts, let us explore more about its history, geography, culture, people, economy and more.
Interesting facts about Kentucky
1. Kentucky actually started off as a county in the state of Virginia. The residents did not feel that they were properly being represented by the state though, and in 1792, it became its own state.
2. When KY became the 15th state, it was the first in the western frontier.
3. There is actually part of Ky. that is not attached to the rest of the state. About 17 square miles are located on the Mississippi River, connected to Tennessee. This weird part of the state is due to a surveying error. Known as the Kentucky Bend, just 17 people live in the area, and it is a 40-mile drive to actually get to the rest of the state.
4. Harrodsburg, previously known as Fort Harrod, was the first permanent settlement established in Kentucky. The settlement was established in 1774 and got its name from James Harrod, who was supervising the construction.
5. Fort Boonesborough, located in Richmond, was established by Daniel Boone and his men in 1775. This fort became the second settlement in the area that was to become the state of Kentucky. Boone was a pioneer, woodsman, and explorer who became a legendary folk hero in the United States.
Where is Kentucky on map?
6. Roughly half of the state is covered in forests (around 48%), which means over 12.4 million acres of forests. The diverse hardwood strains here are second only to Florida. That makes it one of the largest providers of hardwoods in the United States.
7. The city of Florence was officially incorporated in 1830, but before that time it had been known by the Native American names of Polecat and Pow-Wow because this area was where Native Americans came to exchange their furs. Additionally, the area was situated at the intersection of two major country roads, earning it its first English name of Crossroads.
8. Louisville is constantly being pronounced in different ways around the world. The most common way locals say it is “looavull” or “luhvul.” Anything else is going to get weird looks.
9. Years ago, Fleming County picked up the nickname “Covered Bridge Capital of Kentucky“. Although most have been demolished, a handful still remains in the lightly populated county.
10. Black Mountain is the highest point in Kentucky at 4,145 feet above sea level. People can climb to the summit near Paducah, as long as they sign a waiver beforehand.
11. The Kentucky Derby, held in Louisville, is the oldest horse race held continuously in the world. It is also the first and most famous leg of the Triple Crown.
12. Louisville in Kentucky made the state famous for the oldest sporting event that was held continuously, known as the Kentucky Derby. Secretariat won a record in 1973 when he won the race in 1 minute and 59 seconds.
13. The Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday in May. In the United States, it is known as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” or “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” in reference to its approximate duration.
14. Man o’ War, one of the most recognized Kentucky-bred horses of all-time, never actually raced in the state of his birth.
15. Kentucky has the highest population of elk in the eastern part of the United States by far. With more than 11,000 elk currently roaming the state, the number is expected to continually increase after only being reintroduced to the state in the 1990s.
16. The Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville is considered to be one of the best baseball museums in the world outside of Cooperstown. The huge replica bat attached to the museum itself is 120 feet tall and weighs 68,000 pounds.
17. Did you know that a pro baseball player will order some 120 bats a season?
18. The Covington Blue Sox was a short-lived professional baseball team, lasting only two months in 1913. They were part of the then Federal League of Baseball Clubs which became a third major league competing with the established National League and the American League. Federal Park was the home field for the Blue Sox and was built in just 24 days and was the nation’s smallest professional baseball stadium.
19. The Vent Haven Museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky is known for holding the biggest ventriloquist dummies collection in the world. The museum is located in Fort Mitchell and schedules tours from May to October.
20. Old Louisville, built in the 1850s to the 1920s, has the biggest Victorian architecture in the world with the facades of those homes are still standing to this day. This region will take you to another era if you get the chance to visit it.
21. Transylvania University, located in Lexington, is the oldest university that is west of the Allegheny Mountains. The school was officially chartered in 1780, and despite never growing into a huge school, it remains extremely selective.
22. Covington’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption has a lot of eye-catching displays and architecture, but none bigger than their rendition of the Council of Ephesus. It is the largest hand blown glass window in the world, spanning 24 feet wide and 67 feet high. It depicts an image of Ephesus. A total of 82 stained glass windows are in the church.
23. Mammoth Cave, located in Edmonson, Hart and Barren counties, is more than 400 miles long. The system was declared a World Heritage site on October 27, 1981. It is the longest cave system in the world, pretty much doubling up second place Sac Actun in Mexico.
Kentucky with bordering states
24. The Mega Cavern is one of the more unique limestone mines in the United States. It has a number of support structures that actually qualify it as a building (largest in Kentucky). From tours to storage, the area has a number of uses throughout the year.
25. Kentucky registered a record temperature of 114 degrees F in 1930. There are not many temperatures that can get close to that in the USA, and the record has not been broken until today.
26. Thunder Over Louisville is the biggest fireworks show in the United States. The show has been held each April since 1988, and visitors from all over the world come to witness it.
27. The oldest vice president in the history of the United States is Alben Barkley, who was 71 years old when he entered office in 1949. He was born in Lowes, Kentucky.
28. In 1877, the Nicholasville High Bridge officially opened as the highest railroad bridge over navigable water in North America. The High Bridge stands 275 feet high and is 1,125 feet long. The High Bridge was added to the list of National Civil Engineering Landmarks in 1985.
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29. The World Peace Bell, which is one of the largest free-swinging bells in the world, is in Newport, Kentucky. The bell weighs 30,000 kg (66,000 lb) and is 3.7 m (12 feet) wide.
30. Georgetown, Kentucky, is home to the largest Toyota manufacturing plant in the world. This plant is the first completely American owned Toyota vehicle plant and is home to the Camry, Lexus ES 350, and Avalon. Visitors can ride a tram through the facility and see how these cars are made from start to finish. The manufacturing plant has been active since May of 1986.
31. Every Corvette in the world has been manufactured in Bowling Green since 1981. This manufacturing facility has produced over 1 million Corvettes since its startup. On June 1, 1981, the first Corvette was rolled out of the assembly line at the plant.
32. The city of Lexington, KY, is home to the Jif peanut butter production plant. This plant not only produces 15 different types of peanut butter, but they are also the largest peanut butter production plant in the world. They produce creamy, crunchy, and extra crunch peanut butter as well as a wonderful selection of creative peanut butter spreads, such as cinnamon peanut butter and maple peanut butter.
33. Kentucky Fried Chicken originated in North Corbin in 1930, where Colonel Harland Sanders developed the recipe that would launch one of the biggest fast food chains in the world. He started the famous KFC by selling Kentucky-style fried chicken from his restaurant during the Great Depression. In 1952, he opened the first KFC restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah.
34. Duncan Hines is much more than a brand of cake mix. The man behind the brand, Duncan Hines, was born in Bowling Green in 1880. This famous native son built his fortune as a traveling salesman. It was during this time on the road that Duncan Hines decided to make notes about the restaurants he visited. He eventually self-published a list of his recommended restaurants that he called Adventures in Good Eating. It was this start that led him to producing food products, including cake mixes for home kitchens.
35. Fort Knox is an army base in Kentucky that got its name after the Founding Father, Henry Knox. The Fort Knox Bullion Depository was completed in December 1936 at a cost of $560,000. This army base reportedly has $260 billion worth of gold on its property that spreads over 109,000 acres. The first gold was moved to the Depository by railroad in January 1937.
No visitors are permitted into the facility and only one president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and one Congressional delegation in 1974 have been inside the vault.
36. Kentucky has owned the Ohio River since 1792. The river borders the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The Ohio River also serves as the official border between Kentucky and Ohio.
37. Kentucky has many lakes, but only three major lakes are natural. The rest were man-made throughout the years.
38. Two largest man-made lakes: Kentucky has the largest man-made lake East of Mississippi in volume, Lake Cumberland, and the largest man-made lake in terms of surface, Kentucky Lake.
39. There are more miles of water for people to use in KY than any other state, save for Alaska. Kentucky also has the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the continental 48 states.
40. Kentucky features the nation’s most productive coalfield.
41. You might know Kentucky for its exquisite Bourbon, but that is not the state’s drink. Ale-8-one has been the official state drink of Kentucky since 2013. Governor Steve Beshear made Ale-8-1 the official soft drink of Kentucky by signing House Bill No. 205.
42. A lot of states have cities named Washington in honor of the first president of the United States, but Washington, Kentucky was the first.
43. Mother’s Day can trace its origins to Henderson. Back in the 1880s, a teacher named Mary Wilson is credited for recognizing her mother on that day. Since 1916, it is an official holiday.
44. Kentucky-born sisters Mildred and Patty Smith Hill wrote the famous “Happy Birthday” song in 1893. The song first appeared in a children’s book titled “Song Stories for the Kindergarten”. Although it took years for it to really take off, Happy Birthday is now one of the most well-known songs in the English language.
45. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was famously born in Kentucky, but so was the other commander of the Civil War, Jefferson Davis. Hodgenville and Fairview, respectively, were their birthplaces. And interestingly, they both were born in log cabins.
46. Governor William Goebel is the only acting governor in the United States to be assassinated. He was shot in front of the state capitol in Frankfort during a protest in 1900. The governor died on February 3rd.
His last words were “Tell my friends to be brave, fearless, and loyal to the common people.”
47. Daniel Boone, the legendary frontiersman, is buried in Frankfort. He died on September 28th, 1820. His grave is one of the major tourist points today. His grave is still a popular tourist destination.
48. The former heavy weight champion and one of the greatest sporting figures of the 20th century, Muhammad Ali, was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. The city now has a museum highlighting his life.
49. The War of 1812 was particularly tough on the state of Kentucky. Out of the roughly 2260 American deaths, more than half of them were from the state. It is estimated that 64 percent of Americans killed in the war were Kentuckians. It is often called the United States’ “forgotten war”.
50. On August 21, 1955 the Sutton family went to the Hopkinsville police station with a terrifying story of their encounter with alien beings. The eight adults and three children were clearly frightened as they described their encounter with small humanoid metallic beings. When news got out to the public, people began to descend on the little farm, curious to see where the aliens had visited.
51. Thomas Edison first introduced the public to the electric light bulb at the 1883 Southern Exposition, held in Louisville. According to some sources, more than 4,500 light bulbs were used to illuminate the exhibition at night, which constituted the largest display set of Thomas Edison’s recently invented incandescent lights.
52. The Post-it notes that you use today were first invented in Kentucky by mistake. In 1968, Spencer Silver, one of the employees of the company 3M, tried to create an aerospace adhesive. His creation failed, though, and ended up being an adhesive that won’t leave residue on any surface. Every single Post-It note originates in Cynthiana, Kentucky.
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