Kentucky Facts

63 Kentucky Facts

1. Kentucky is one of the 50 states of the United States of America.
2. Kentucky was the 15th state to join the United States on June 1, 1792.
3. Kentucky is in the southern region of the United States.
4. Kentucky is the 37th largest U.S. state, covering a total of 40,407.8 square miles or 1.06% of the total area of the United States.
5. Kentucky's 40,407.80 square miles is 97.72% land and 2.28% surface water.
6. Kentucky is ranked 37th with the most land area in the United States, with 39,486.34 square miles of land area.
7. Kentucky is ranked 34th with the most water area in the United States, with 921.46 square miles of water area.
8. Kentucky is the 26th most populated U.S. state with a population of 4,505,836 or 1.36% of the total population of the United States.
9. The state capital of Kentucky is the city of Frankfort.
10. Kentucky is divided into 120 counties statewide.
11. Jefferson County is the most populated county in Kentucky
12. The most populated city in Kentucky is Louisville with an estimated 620,578 residents.
13. The five most populated city in Kentucky are Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Owensboro and Covington.
14. A native or resident Kentucky is called a Kentuckian.
15. Kentucky's average elevation statewide is 750 feet.
16. Kentucky's highest elevation point is Black Mountain at 4,145 feet.
17. Kentucky's lowest elevation point is the Mississippi River at 257 feet.
18. Kentucky is in both Eastern Time Zone (ET) and Central Time Zone (CT).
19. The two letter abbreviation for Kentucky is KY.
20. The ISO 3166 code for Kentucky is US-KY.
21. Kentucky is called the Bluegrass State.
22. The estimated median household income in Kentucky is $52,295.
23. Kentucky is the 45th most expensive U.S. state to buy a home with an estimated median home price of $146,871.
24. Kentucky is ranked 34th on the cost of living index out of all 50 U.S. states.
25. Kentucky has the 21st oldest population in the United States with a median age of 39.2.
26. Kentucky's average temperature is 55.62°F making it the 16th warmest state in the United States.
27. Kentucky on average has 46.27 inches of precipitation per year, making it the 15th wettest U.S. state.
28. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Kentucky was 114 °F on Monday, July 28, 1930, in Greensburg, KY.
29. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Kentucky was -37 °F on Wednesday, January 19, 1994, in Shelbyville, KY.
30. During World War 2, a Ford plant in Louisville, Kentucky produced around 100,000 Jeeps for the war effort.
31. The Kentucky Derby is an annual horse race held in Louisville, Kentucky at Churchill Downs. It is the oldest continuously ran horse race in the world. The Kentucky Derby is the Super Bowl of horse racing.
32. Every Chevrolet Corvette since 1981 has been produced at the Chevy automobile manufacturing plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
33. Fort Knox is the United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky. In 2021, it’s estimated there was over 8,966.2 US tons of gold being held at Fort Knox.
34. The city of Middlesboro, Kentucky was built inside of a massive meteorite crater.
35. A former limestone mine, known as Mega Cavern, located in Louisville, Kentucky is classified as a building due to its unique support structures. In fact, the Mega Cavern is technically the largest building in Kentucky.
36. In 1796, the Wilderness Road is improved to handle all types of weather and accommodate carriages and wagons.
37. In 1817, the first commercial route for a steamboat starts operating between Louisville and New Orleans.
38. In 1855, a series of riots in Louisville, Kentucky, known as Bloody Monday, resulted in the death of at least 22 people.
39. In 1875, the first race of the Kentucky Derby horse race is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
40. In 1891, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is updated and is the version in use today.
41. In 1892, Emma Guy Cromwell became the first woman to be elected into office in Kentucky as state librarian.
42. In 1909, the State Capital opens in Frankfort and is still in use today.
43. In 1918, the United States military installation known as Fort Knox is completed in Kentucky.
44. In 1937, a devastating flood known as the Ohio River Flood of 1937 had water reach a height of 40 feet in Louisville, Kentucky, effectively 70% of the city was underwater.
45. In 1941, the Mammoth Cave National Park near Brownsville, Kentucky is established by the U.S. National Park Service.
46. In 1958, a school bus accident near Prestonsburg, Kentucky results inn the death of 26 students and the bus driver.
47. In 1977, a fire at a nightclub in Southgate, Kentucky claims the lives of 165 people. This nightclub fire is known as the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire and is ranked the 7th deadliest nightclub fire in the world.
48. In 1996, the Kentucky Civil Rights Act and becomes to the first southern state to pass a civil rights bill.
49. In 1972, the first Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was created and then Kentucky became the 15th state of the United States of America.
50. In 1983, Martha Layne Collins is elected the first woman governor of Kentucky and serves between 1983 and 1987.
51. In 2001, the first self-contained artificial heart implant is performed in Kentucky, the patient survived for 151 days.
52. In 2006, Comair Flight 5191 crashes shortly after takeoff in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49 of the 50 people onboard.
53. Lawyer and politician John C. Breckinridge was born in Lexington, Kentucky on January 16th, 1821. He is famous for serving as the 14th vice president of the United States between 1857 and 1861.
54. Military officer John T. Thompson was born in Newport, Kentucky on December 31st, 1860. He is known for inventing the Thompson submachine gun.
55. Four-Star United States Navy admiral Husband E. Kimmel was born in Henderson, Kentucky on February 26th, 1882. He is known as the United States Pacific Fleet’s commander in chief during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
56. Photographer Moneta Sleet Jr. was born in Owensboro, Kentucky on February 14th, 1926. He is known for being the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1969.
57. Activist and professional boxer Muhammad Ali was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17th, 1942. He is considered to be the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
58. Actor and producer Johnny Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 9th, 1963. He is known for his success in films as a lead actor, such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).
59. Comic book and screenwriter Robert Kirkman was born in Lexington, Kentucky on November 30th, 1978. He is known as one of the co-creators of the Walking Dead.
60. Kentucky's official state motto is "Deo gratiam habeamus" (Latin: Let us be grateful to God).
61. Kentucky's official state bird is the Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).
62. Kentucky's official state tree is the Tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera).
63. Kentucky's official state flower is the Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea).

Pictures of Kentucky, USA

The state of Kentucky and its regional area on a Map of the United States of America.

The official state flag of Kentucky waving in the wind on a flag pole.

The official state seal of Kentucky that is used by the state's government.

Frankfort the capital city of Kentucky.

Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America.

Natural Arch At Daniel Boone National Forest