{"id":816,"date":"2018-09-03T04:00:28","date_gmt":"2018-09-03T04:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=816"},"modified":"2018-09-03T21:32:57","modified_gmt":"2018-09-03T21:32:57","slug":"kentucky-the-bluegrass-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/kentucky-the-bluegrass-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky – The Bluegrass State"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

Kentucky is officially known as the Commonwealth of Kentucky.\u00a0 Kentucky is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. \u00a0Although styled as the “State of Kentucky” in the law creating it, Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth<\/a> (the others being Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts). \u00a0Originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 Kentucky became the 15th state to join the Union.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kentucky in the United States<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

Kentucky is situated in the Upland South<\/a>. A significant portion of eastern Kentucky is part of Appalachia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kentucky borders seven states, from the Midwest and the Southeast. \u00a0West Virginia lies to the east, Virginia to the southeast, Tennessee to the south, Missouri to the west, Illinois and Indiana to the northwest, and Ohio to the north and northeast.<\/p>\n

Kentucky’s northern border is formed by the Ohio River<\/a> and its western border by the Mississippi River<\/a>. The official state borders are based on the courses of the rivers as they existed when Kentucky became a state in 1792 but some parts of the river have deviated since then. \u00a0For instance, northbound travelers on U.S. 41<\/a> from Henderson, after crossing the Ohio River, will be in Kentucky for about two miles. Ellis Park<\/a>, a thoroughbred racetrack, is located in this small piece of Kentucky. \u00a0Waterworks Road is part of the only land border between Indiana and Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Kentucky has a non-contiguous part known as Kentucky Bend, at the far west corner of the state. It exists as an exclave surrounded completely by Missouri and Tennessee, and is included in the boundaries of Fulton County. \u00a0Road access to this small part of Kentucky on the Mississippi River requires a trip through Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Kentucky can be divided into five primary regions: the Cumberland Plateau<\/a> in the east, the north-central Bluegrass region<\/a>, the south-central and western Pennyroyal Plateau<\/a>, the Western Coal Fields<\/a> and the far-west Jackson Purchase<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kentucky Regions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Bluegrass region is commonly divided into two regions, the Inner Bluegrass\u2014the encircling 90 miles around Lexington<\/a>\u2014and the Outer Bluegrass\u2014the region that contains most of the northern portion of the state, above the Knobs. Much of the outer Bluegrass is in the Eden Shale Hills area, made up of short, steep, and very narrow hills.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kentucky Bluegrass Country<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Eastern Kentucky Coalfield is known for its rugged terrain.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Eastern Kentucky Coal Region<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Jackson Purchase and western Pennyroyal are home to several bald cypress\/tupelo swamps.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

French explorers in the 17th century documented numerous tribes living in Kentucky.\u00a0 However, by the time that European colonial explorers and settlers began entering Kentucky in greater numbers in the mid-18th century, there were no major Native American settlements in the region.<\/p>\n

The Shawnee<\/a> from the northwest and Cherokee<\/a> from the south sent parties into the area regularly for hunting. \u00a0As more settlers entered the area, warfare broke out because the Native Americans considered the settlers to be encroaching on their traditional hunting grounds.\u00a0 Today there are two state recognized tribes in Kentucky, the Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky<\/a> and the Ridgetop Shawnee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On December 31, 1776, the region of Virginia beyond the Appalachian Mountains was established as Kentucky County by the Virginia General Assembly.\u00a0 On several occasions the region’s residents petitioned the General Assembly and the Confederation Congress for separation from Virginia and statehood.<\/p>\n

One petition, which had Virginia’s assent, came before the Confederation Congress in early July 1788. Unfortunately, its consideration came up a day after word of New Hampshire’s all-important ninth ratification of the proposed Constitution, thus establishing it as the new framework of governance for the United States. \u00a0In light of this development, Congress thought that it would be “unadvisable” to admit Kentucky into the Union, as it could do so “under the Articles of Confederation” only, but not “under the Constitution”, and so declined to take action.<\/p>\n

On December 18, 1789, Virginia again gave its consent to Kentucky statehood. \u00a0The United States Congress gave its approval on February 4, 1791.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Frankfort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Central Kentucky, the bluegrass region, was the area of the state with the most slave owners. Planters cultivated tobacco and hemp and were noted for their quality livestock. \u00a0During the 19th century, Kentucky slaveholders began to sell unneeded slaves to the Deep South, with Louisville becoming a major slave market and departure port for slaves being transported downriver.<\/p>\n

Kentucky was one of the border states during the American Civil War.\u00a0 Although frequently described as never having seceded, representatives from 68 of 110 counties met at Russellville calling themselves the “Convention of the People of Kentucky” and passed an Ordinance of Secession on November 20, 1861.\u00a0 They established a Confederate government of Kentucky<\/a> with its capital in Bowling Green.<\/p>\n

Though Kentucky was represented by the central star on the Confederate battle flag, it remained officially “neutral” throughout the war due to the Union sympathies of a majority of the Commonwealth’s citizens.\u00a0 Both Confederate President Jefferson Davis<\/a> and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln were born in Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

Early in its history Kentucky gained recognition for its excellent farming conditions. \u00a0It was the site of the first commercial winery in the United States, started in present-day Jessamine County in 1799, and due to the high calcium content of the soil in the Bluegrass region quickly became a major horse breeding, and later racing, area. Today Kentucky ranks 5th nationally in goat farming, 8th in beef cattle production, and 14th in corn production.\u00a0 Kentucky has also been a long-standing major center of the tobacco industry \u2013 both as a center of business and tobacco farming.<\/p>\n

Today Kentucky’s economy has expanded to importance in non-agricultural terms as well, especially in auto manufacturing, energy fuel production, and medical facilities.<\/p>\n

Kentucky ranks 4th among U.S. states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled.\u00a0 The bestselling car in the United States, the Toyota Camry, is manufactured in Georgetown, Kentucky.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Toyota Camry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The bestselling truck in the United States, the Ford F-Series, is manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ford F150<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition, the Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac XLR (2004\u20132009), Ford Escape, Ford Super Duty trucks, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Solara, Toyota Venza, and Lexus ES 350 are assembled in Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Kentucky has historically been a major coal producer, but employment by “King Coal” has been in a 30-year decline there, and the number of people employed in the coal industry there dropped by more than half between 2011 and 2015.<\/p>\n

As of 2010, 24% of electricity produced in the U.S. depended on either enriched uranium rods coming from the Paducah Gasseous Diffusion Plant<\/a>, the only domestic site of low grade uranium enrichment, or from the 107,336 tons of coal extracted from the state’s two coal fields.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Paducah Enrichment Plant<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kentucky produces 95% of the world’s supply of bourbon whiskey<\/a>, and the number of barrels of bourbon being aged in Kentucky (more than 5.7 million) exceeds the state’s population.\u00a0 Bourbon has been a growing market \u2013 with production of Kentucky bourbon rising 170 percent between 1999 and 2015.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Bourbon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kentucky exports reached a record $22.1 billion in 2012, with products and services going to 199 countries.<\/p>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Kentucky is served by six major interstate highways (I-24<\/a>, I-64<\/a>, I-65<\/a>, I-69<\/a>, I-71<\/a>, and I-75<\/a>), nine parkways, and four bypasses and spurs (I-264, I-265, I-275, and I-471).<\/p>\n

The Amtrak Cardinal line<\/a> offers service to Ashland, South Shore, Maysville and South Portsmouth. \u00a0The City of New Orleans line serves Fulton.<\/p>\n

Kentucky’s primary airports include Louisville International Airport<\/a> (Standiford Field (SDF)) of Louisville, Cincinnati\/Northern Kentucky International Airport<\/a> (CVG) of Cincinnati\/Covington, and Blue Grass Airport<\/a> (LEX) in Lexington.<\/p>\n

Louisville International Airport is home to UPS’s Worldport<\/a>, its international air-sorting hub.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Louisville Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cincinnati\/Northern Kentucky International Airport is the largest airport in the state, and is a focus city for passenger airline Delta Air Lines<\/a> and headquarters of its Delta Private Jets<\/a>. The airport is one of DHL Aviation<\/a>‘s three super-hubs, serving destinations throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, making it the 7th busiest airport in the U.S. and 36th in the world based on passenger and cargo operations.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the state is bounded by two of the largest rivers in North America, water transportation has historically played a major role in Kentucky’s economy. \u00a0Louisville was a major port for steamships in the nineteenth century. \u00a0Today, most barge traffic on Kentucky waterways consists of coal that is shipped from both the Eastern and Western Coalfields, about half of which is used locally to power many power plants located directly off the Ohio River, with the rest being exported to other countries, most notably Japan.<\/p>\n

Many of the largest ports in the United States are located in or adjacent to Kentucky, including:<\/p>\n