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Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state of the United States of America and was the 15th state admitted to the Union. The state is a "Border State", with a mixture of midwestern/northern and Southern cultures. Kentucky and its residents are probably most well known for thoroughbred horses and horse racing, local whiskey distilleries, and enthusiasm for basketball (The two principal basketball rivals in the state are the University of Kentucky (blue, Wildcats) and the University of Louisville (red, Cardinals)).
HistoryKentucky is one of four states to call itself a commonwealth. Before the American War of Independence, this land was called Transylvania with its capital at Boonesborough. It was a major gateway for early migration to the west through the Cumberland Gap, and was the first major frontier developed west of the Appalachian Mountains. Guns enabled this movement westward, and even the term shotgun was first coined in Kentucky in 1776. After the war, it became Kentucky County, Virginia and ten constitutional conventions took place at the courthouse of Constitution Square in Danville between 1784 and 1792. In 1790, Kentucky delegates accepted Virginia's terms for separation and the state constitution was drafted at the final convention in April 1792. On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became the fifteenth state in the union and Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary War hero, was named the first Governor of the Commonwealth Of Kentucky. On May 20, 1861 during the American Civil War, Kentucky proclaimed its neutrality in the conflict but was forced to take the side of the Union on September 3 when Confederate forces under General Leonidas Polk invaded. The state was nearly equally divided in the war, with literal 'brother against brother' divisions occurring in families and nearly as many Confederate as Yankee soldiers. Kentucky sent representatives to both the Confederate and Union Congresses. Kentucky's name is possibly derived from the Cherokee word for "meadowland" after the bluegrass pastures that lured early pioneers to the state. A different version of the name is from the Indian word meaning "dark and bloody hunting ground" which is believed to be due to the fact that many Native American tribes went there to hunt the game-rich forests and often fought each other there. Law and governmentThe capital of Kentucky is Frankfort and its governor is Ernie Fletcher (Republican). Kentucky's two U.S. Senators are Jim Bunning (Republican) and Mitch McConnell (Republican). The Kentucky Constitution provides for three branches of government: the legislative, the judicial, and the executive. Kentucky's General Assembly has two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. See List of Kentucky Governors. The judicial branch of Kentucky is made up of trial courts, called District and Circuit Courts, an intermediate appellate court, called the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and a court of last resort, the Kentucky Supreme Court. GeographySee also: List of Kentucky counties   Kentucky, also known as The Bluegrass State, borders the Midwest and Deep South. It touches West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Its northern border is the low-water mark on the north side of the Ohio River. Its western border is the Mississippi River. Other major rivers in Kentucky include the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, the Green River and the Licking River. There are five main regions, the Cumberland Mountains and Cumberland Plateau in the southeast, the north-central Bluegrass Region, the south-central and western Pennyroyal Plateau, also sometimes termed "Pennyrile", the western coal-fields area, and the far-west Jackson Purchase.  The largest cities in Kentucky in terms of geographic area are the two merged city/county governments of Lexington-Fayette and Louisville Metro, although Louisville and its metropolitan area both have a much larger population than Lexington and its metro area. Northern Kentucky, an assemblage of smaller cities across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio, also has a large metropolitan population. Significant natural attractions
EconomyThe total gross state product for 2003 was $129 billion. Its Per Capita Personal Income was $26,575, 41st in the nation. 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. DemographicsAs of 2003, there were 4,117,827 people living in Kentucky. Racially, the population is:
The five largest ancestries in the state are: American (20.9%), German (12.7%), Irish (10.5%), English (9.7%), African American (7.3%). Blacks, who once represented a quarter of the state's population during the height of the tobacco, cotton, and hemp plantation era, are most concentrated in the southwest (notably Christian county), the Bluegrass, and the city of Louisville. Kentuckians of American ancestry dominate most of the state. Residents of British ancestry are prominent in the Pennyroyal and Bluegrass with German-Americans dominant in Louisville and suburban Cincinnati. ReligionReligiously, Kentucky is mostly Protestant. The religious affiliations of the state are as follows:
Important cities and townsPopulation > 100,000 (urbanized areas)
Population > 10,000 (urbanized areas)
Important suburbs and small towns
EducationColleges and universitiesPrivate
Public
Community colleges
Professional sports teamsThe Minor league baseball teams are:
The United Indoor Football team is:
State symbols
TriviaSeveral US Navy ships have been named USS Kentucky in honor of the state. The USS Paducah also served as a naval vessel.
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