Kentucky interesting facts. Open left menu kentucky. Population and religion

Kentucky, USA (Kentucky, KY, USA) - Photo

Kentucky (Kentucky, KY) is the eastern state of the United States of America, and is bordered by Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. State capital - Frankfort city, other large cities include Bowling Green, Louisville, Hopkinsville, Lexington-Fayette. Kentucky joined the United States in 1792 and became the 15th state.

The territory of the state is divided into parts; the Camberlain limestone plateau is located on a huge area. The state is surrounded by rivers: Ohio, Mississippi, Big Sandy And Tug Fork. The bulk of the territory is occupied by the Appalachian Mountains. State of Kentucky nicknamed “the land of blue grass” because the lands are covered with meadow bluegrass. The climate in Kentucky is continental with cold winters and hot summers.

Kentucky is home to almost 4.5 million residents. By race, the state has the largest American population, and when it comes to religion, the majority are evangelical.

The state has mineral resources such as natural gas, oil and coal. On high level Kentucky has developed tobacco, textile and food industry, as well as the production of shoes, electronics, furniture, metal products, alcoholic drinks and rolled ferrous metals. Many industrial companies are located along the Ohio (river). The city of Paducah is considered a large center of the nuclear industry. The state ranks second in the United States in tobacco production. Kentucky farms raise cattle and racehorses. The state produces bourbon (corn whiskey) and develops tourism.

The state has a huge number of places to visit and have a good time, here you can see places that are not found anywhere else in the world.

One of the largest waterfalls in the country is located in Kentucky. There are also a huge number of limestone caves near the Kentucky River. Here is the longest cave in the whole world - Mammoth Cave, it stretches for 630 kilometers. This place alone is visited by half a million tourists every year.

Mammoth Cave

Louisville is famous for its horse racing track called Churchill Downs, where horse racing is held annually. You can also visit museums dedicated to equestrian sports and competitions. Not far from the city there is a storage facility, which houses the US gold reserves.

Newport has a huge aquarium, and Frankfort is home to a whiskey distillery and capitol buildings.

The berry of this state is the black currant and the drink is milk. Kentucky gets its name from the Iroquoian word kenhtake, meaning “meadow” or “prairie.” The bluegrass growing everywhere here has given rise to the state's unofficial nickname, the "Bluegrass State." Moreover, one of the five main regions into which Kentucky is divided is also called the Bluegrass Region. Such a variety of symbols and meanings in one bottle!

Almost every inhabitant of the planet knows the congratulation song “Happy Birthday to you”. The melody for the famous song was composed in Kentucky!

The state capital is Frankfort.

Major cities - Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, Bowling Green, Covington, Hopkinsville, Henderson, Richmond, Jeffersontown.

How to get there

The route to Kentucky is neither close nor cheap. One of the options is by three planes on the route Moscow - Washington - Atlanta - Louisville. The journey, including waiting for flights, will take 19 hours (this is the longest best option) and will cost at least 95,000 RUB one way per passenger.

Prices on the page are as of November 2019.

Search for flights to Kentucky

Weather in Kentucky

Kentucky has a subtropical continental climate. The thermometer in winter does not fall below -5 °C, and in summer it does not rise above +31 °C. From time to time, disasters occur in Kentucky. The last major tornado occurred in 2008, and severe flooding occurred in 1977 and 1997.

Popular hotels in Kentucky

Attractions, entertainment and features of Kentucky

Almost every inhabitant of the planet knows the congratulation song “Happy Birthday to you”. The melody for the famous song was composed in Kentucky! In 1893, two teachers primary school Louisville wrote it to say hello to children before school started. But the words and content were originally different - “Good Morning to All”. And by 1912, the words of the song unexpectedly changed.

As a result, the congratulation song was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the most recognizable song on English language. Today “Happy Birthday to you” has been translated into 18 languages!

Louisville

Louisville has 122 city parks with a total area of ​​more than 57 km. The most visited is Cherokee Park.

Louisville is the birthplace of chewing gum. In 1873, it was invented by a native of this city, John Cogan.

The most famous landmark is "Old Louisville": the largest historic urban district in the United States and the third largest in the world, built entirely in the Victorian style.

Mammoth Cave

Near Louisville is located one of the largest karst caves in the world - Mamontova. It was opened in 1799, its depth is 300 m. The largest hall of the cave stretches for 5 km, its width is 90 m, and the height of the arches is 40 m. The cave is decorated with stalactites and stalagmites. In 1936, Mammoth Cave was declared a National Park. It is adjacent to the Flint Ridge cave, and the single Flint-Mamontov system reaches a length of 500 km.

Horse racing

Kentucky supplies 30% of all America's racehorses, so there is no shortage of equestrian competitions here. In May, thousands of horse racing fans flock to Louisville for America's most famous Kentucky Derby. They have been held since 1875 at Churchill Downs Race Course. Not far from Louisville is the Kentucky Horse Farm. Here you can see a horse show, ride a horse-drawn carriage or horseback, or just relax at the campsite.

Summer in Kentucky

Kentucky whiskey

The Kentucky town of Bardstown is famous for a popular type of whiskey in America - bourbon. This is one of the unofficial symbols of the USA. The bourbon drink first appeared in Kentucky, when immigrants from Scotland and Ireland arrived here at the end of the 18th century, familiar with the technology of making regular whiskey. The first person to age whiskey in a charred barrel, which gave the drink a reddish tint and original taste, was Baptist preacher Elijah Craig Kentucky.

The main difference between bourbon and Scotch, Irish or other whiskey is that bourbon is made from corn, not barley, and is aged in oak barrels, necessarily burned from the inside.

Political Kentucky

Kentucky was home to two politicians who led two militant camps during the Civil War of 1861-1865. This is the 14th US President Abraham Lincoln and the leader of the Southern Confederacy Jefferson Davis. The first of them was born near Hodgenville, and the second was born 150 km from this place, in Fairview. The hut in which Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 has been preserved and is now located inside the memorial structure.

Fort Knox

The city of Fort Knox is not a tourist center, but it is notable for the fact that it houses the US gold reserve, the walls of which are made of granite and poured with concrete. Fort Knox is a US military base located 30 miles southwest of Louisville and covers an area of ​​440 square km. Currently, more than $6 billion worth of gold bars are stored here!

"The Bluegrass State" Frankfort

The largest city

Louisville 4,369,356 (2011)
26th US density
42.5 people/km² 37th place Total
104,659 km²
water surface
1763 km² (1.68%) latitude
36° 30′ N. w. at 39° 09′ N. w. , 225 km
longitude 81° 58′W long at 89° 34′W. d., 610 km

Height above sea level

maximum 1263
average 230 m
minimum
78 m

Adoption of statehood

June 1, 1792
15 in a row before accepting the status
Kentucky County UTC-5/-4

Reduction

KY

Official site:

kentucky.gov

Kentucky, official name Kentucky(English) Kentucky , Commonwealth of Kentucky) - a state in the eastern United States, one of the so-called states of the Southeast Center. Population 4,369,356 (; 26th among states). The capital is Frankfort. The largest city is Louisville, other major cities are Lexington-Fayette, Owensboro, Bowling Green, Hopkinsville.

During World War I, Kentucky, like other cities in the United States, faced the problem of inflation. At the same time, during this period, active infrastructure construction is underway in the state, new roads are being laid in order to adapt the state to the needs of the growing number of car owners. The war also led to a significant reduction in forests in the state due to their active deforestation.

Tobacco farming and whiskey production experienced active growth during this period, however, when the Eighteenth Amendment came into force, which introduced Prohibition in the United States, the state's economy was dealt a serious blow. Then, alcohol smuggling flourished in Kentucky, which continued until the mid-20th century.

Also in the twenties, the phenomenon of crusade anti-gambling movement, driven by progressives from the Democratic Party, with the support of the rural population, Protestant clergy and the Ku Klux Klan. The most prominent figure of those events can be called Alben Barkley, who, in addition to the actual fight against gambling, was also notable for the fact that he actively advocated for the interests of workers and farmers, supported Roosevelt's New Deal, and fought against the dominance of the coal industry, all of which allowed him to build a successful political career not only within the state, but also at the national level, from the beginning he became a member of the House of Representatives, then a Senator from Kentucky in Congress, and from 1949 to 1953 he served as Vice President of the United States during the administration of Harry Truman.

Great Depression period

The most significant rivers are the Ohio and Tennessee. Karst landforms are quite common; cave systems are considered the longest in the world. The climate is subtropical continental, average temperature in summer is +31 °C, in winter about 0 °C.

Economy

In 2003, Kentucky's GDP was $129 billion. The state's most important mineral resources include coal, natural gas, and petroleum. The state's industries are concentrated along the Ohio River. The most developed industries are the food, textile and tobacco industries, as well as mechanical engineering, rolling of ferrous metals, production of metal products, Vehicle, electronics, furniture, shoes, alcoholic beverages, there are chemical industry enterprises.

IN agriculture The leading role is played by crop production - the production of tobacco (Kentucky is the second largest tobacco producer in the country after Virginia), forage grasses, soybeans, and corn. Kentucky ranks first in the United States in the breeding of racehorses and sixth in the breeding of cattle.

Kentucky is considered the birthplace and main territory for the production of bourbon - American corn whiskey. The state of Kentucky is home to all of the largest and most famous bourbon distilleries.

  • The Fort Knox military base is located almost in the center of the military town of Fort Knox, 50 km southwest of Louisville, Kentucky, and covers an area of ​​44,000 hectares (440 km²). Currently owned by the US Army and used as a tank training school. Also on the territory of the military base there is a storage facility for US gold reserves, where there are 4176 tons (4603 US tons) gold bars (147.4 million troy ounces).
  • Horse breeding is the state's livestock specialization.

Famous personalities

see also

Literature

  • // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Links

  • Kentucky Authors and Literature at Southern Literary Review

Notes

Largest cities

Louisville | Lexington | Owensboro | Bowling Green | Covington | Hopkinsville | Frankfort | Henderson | Richmond | Jeffersontown

Districts

Adair | Allen | Anderson | Ballard | Barren | Bath | Bell | Boone | Bourbon | Boyd | Boyle | Bracken | Britit | Breckinridge | Bullitt | Butler | Caldwell | Calloway | Campbell | Carlisle | Carroll | Carter | Casey | Christian | Clark | Clay | Clinton | Crittenden | Cumberland | Davis | Edmonson | Elliott | Estill | Fayette | Fleming | Floyd | Franklin | Fulton | Galatin | Garard | Glynn | Grant | Graves | Grayson | Green | Greenup | Hancock | Hardin | Harlan | Harrison | Hart | Henderson | Henry | Hickman | Hopkins | Jackson | Jefferson | Jessamine | Johnson | Kenton | Knox | La Rue | Laurel | Lawrence | Lee | Leslie | Letcher | Lewis | Lincoln | Livingston |

Kentucky is located in the eastern part of the country and is part of the Southeastern Central states.

It ranks 37th in terms of area. On the eastern side the state shares the border with West Virginia and Virginia, on the southern side with Tennessee, and on the western side with Missouri. In the north, Kentucky borders Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Original title: Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Postal code: KY.
Capital: Frankfort.
Largest city: Louisville.
Other major cities are Lexington, Owensboro, Bowling Green, Covington, Hopkinsville, Henderson, Richmond and Jeffersontown.
The state covers an area of ​​more than 140 thousand square meters. km.
More than 4 million people live on its territory.
Kentucky received official status in 1792, becoming the 15th state of the United States.

The main rivers of the state are the Ohio and Tennessee rivers. Local karst landforms are a fairly common occurrence, and the local cave systems are rightfully considered to be among the longest lasting in the whole world. The climate in Kentucky is subtropical continental. In summer, the thermometer here rises to an average of 31 degrees Celsius, and in winter it usually stays near zero.

Story

Europeans began developing this territory from the second half of the XVIII centuries. Daniel Boone's expedition passed through the Appalachians in 1767-1771. During the Civil War, the state's population was divided. The Kentucky Legislature swore allegiance to the Union, but many residents adhered to Confederate beliefs. Significant battles were fought in the territory, and from 1862 until the end of the war the state was under the control of the Northerners.

Kentucky adopted a new constitution in 1891.

Attractions

The third largest city in the state is Owensboro, which is also called the “BBQ Capital of the World” because it is here that the International Bar-B-Q Festival is held annually. In the manufacturing town of the famous Chevrolet Corvette, Bowling Green, it is worth checking out the National Corvette Museum, which opened in 1994. And in Lincoln's hometown of Hodgenville, you can attend an exciting event - Lincoln Days Celebration.

In addition, the state is famous for its musical traditions. The local capital of country music is the city of Renfro Valley, and in Owensboro you can visit the International Bluegrass Music Museum. At one time, it was in this state that Lionel Hampton, Billy Ray Cyrus, Loretta Lynn and V.C. Handy worked and lived.

Nature lovers will surely be attracted to the Mammoth Cave or Cumberland Pass preserves, as well as the Daniel Boone National Forest.

A town called Berea is famous for its liberal arts school, which was created for Appalachian youth who wanted to study but didn't have much prospects. Today it is a popular arts center. Every year, this city hosts various fairs, as well as a Handicrafts Festival.

Not far from Louisville is the Kentucky Horse Farm. It acts as a nature reserve where you can attend a horse show, ride a horse-drawn carriage or horseback, or simply camp and admire the picturesque scenery. On the territory of the same reserve you can visit the International Horse Museum - a kind of monument to this animal. In the specially created Horse Memorial outside the reserve there are graves of expensive purebred trotters who won more than one competition in their lives.

The city of Bardstown is famous for its popular type of whiskey - bourbon. It's kind of the capital of bourbon. Near Hodgeville is the family homestead of Lincoln, and the settlement of Harrodsburg is interesting for its Shaker village on a hill called Pleasant Hill.

Kentucky is home to one of the world's most popular songs. This congratulation song “Happy Birthday to you” was born from two Louisville school teachers. Their names were Patty and Mildred Jay Hill, and the song to which they originally created this famous tune was called “Good Morning to All.” It was written to greet students back in 1893. Already by 1912, in an unexpected way, the words of the song changed, and already in this form this piece of music conquered the whole world. In 1998, she was included in the Guinness Book of Records. It was recognized as the most recognizable song in the English language. By the way, today it has been translated into 18 languages, and delights people in different parts of the world.

The state is popular for black currants, with milk being a popular drink. The Iroquoian word is kenhtake, which translates to prairie or meadow. Thanks to bluegrass, which grows almost everywhere here, the state has received the unofficial name of the Bluegrass State. Additionally, the state of Kentucky is divided into five regions, one of which is called the Bluegrass Region. So, in one bottle they used diverse meanings and symbols. It is noteworthy that it was in the state of Kentucky that the famous song Happy Birthday to you was born. Most likely, there is no one who does not know this congratulatory song. Where is it located?

Particularly interesting events in Kentucky include numerous shows, exhibitions, festivals and concerts. Not everyone knows that the best racehorses in the United States are bred in Kentucky, which is why the Kentucky Derby Festival is held here. Kentucky is also the birthplace of most celebrities, for example, famous actor Johnny Depp was born here. Interesting place is a large karst cave - Mammoth Cave, which was founded in 1799. Inside the cave, stalagmites and stalactites decorate interior walls. Mammoth Cave received the status of a National Park in 1936.

The city of Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky, however, the largest city is Louisville. After all, over 550 thousand people live here. But second place was taken by the city of Lexington, where the number of its residents reaches about 300 thousand people. The administrative center of the state of Kentucky is, of course, Frankfort, which is located on the Kentucky River.

The city of Louisville is considered a developed metropolis, where a large number of of people. The life of this city covers all areas of human activity, and it also has seven sister cities. It is noteworthy that one of them Russian city. Legsington was founded in 1775 and was home to tribes involved in the tobacco industry and horse breeding. A little later, its own university was opened here.

The city of Louisville is proud of its many city parks. But Cherokee Park is called a special place for tourists to visit. It is curious that it was in Louisville that the first chewing gum. The most famous landmark in this region is Old Louisville. The city of Bardstown produces a popular type of whiskey - bourbon, which is called the unofficial symbol of the country.

Kentucky whiskey

The bourbon drink first appeared in the state during the period of resettlement of the Irish and Scots, who were well aware of the technology for making traditional whiskey. Kentucky bourbon is the unofficial symbol of the entire country, as well as the most famous whiskey in America. Baptist Church preacher Elijah Craig Kentucky became the first person to age this drink in a charred barrel, which is why the whiskey received such an original taste and reddish tint. The main ingredient is corn, and the whiskey is aged in charred oak barrels.