Kentucky

Kentucky is a state in the east-central United States famed for bourbon whiskey, thoroughbred horses and bluegrass music. Its capital is Frankfort, while Louisville is the largest city, home of the Kentucky Derby. Nicknamed the Bluegrass State, it bridges the South and the Midwest.

Kentucky ranges from the Appalachian Mountains and coalfields in the east to the rolling Bluegrass region around Lexington and the lowlands along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers in the west. It contains Mammoth Cave, the longest known cave system in the world. The climate is humid subtropical.

Kentucky culture celebrates horse racing, bourbon distilling, and a rich musical heritage including bluegrass, born here through Bill Monroe. College basketball, especially the University of Kentucky, inspires intense devotion.

Originally part of Virginia and home to the Shawnee and Cherokee, Kentucky became the 15th state in 1792. A border state during the Civil War, it built an economy on tobacco, coal, horses and whiskey.