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Kentucky: Quick Facts

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News •

Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes calls matchup with Kentucky 'personal' • Nov. 11, 2026, 1:22 AM ET (AP)
Tre White and Tyran Stokes help No. 15 Kansas beat No. 24 Kentucky 89-69 • Nov. 11, 2026, 12:16 AM ET (AP)
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky launches bid to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth • Nov. 9, 2026, 5:33 PM ET (AP)
Kentucky appeals judge denies NCAA bid to block 30 athletes from playing as hoops season draws near • Oct. 30, 2026, 1:46 PM ET (AP)
Trump touts his power at Kentucky rally to energize voters ahead of midterm elections • Oct. 17, 2026, 5:54 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As Bluegrass State
Capital Frankfort
Population1 (2020) 4,505,836; (2025 est.) 4,606,864
Governor Andy Beshear (Democrat)
Date Of Admission June 1, 1792
U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (Republican) ā€¢ Rand Paul (Republican)
State Nickname Bluegrass State
State Motto "United We Stand, Divided We Fall"
State Bird northern cardinal
State Flower2 goldenrod
State Song ā€œMy Old Kentucky Homeā€ ā€¢ ā€œBlue Moon of Kentuckyā€ ā€¢ ā€œKentucky Homemade Christmasā€
Seats In U.S. House Of Representatives 6 (of 435)
Time Zone Central (GMT āˆ’ 6 hours) ā€¢ Eastern (GMT āˆ’ 5 hours)
Total Area (Sq Km) 104,656
Total Area (Sq Mi) 40,408
1Excluding military abroad.2Species not designated.

Photos

Kentucky: flag
Kentucky: seal
Kentucky: state bird
Kentucky: state flower
Political map of Kentucky showing state and county boundaries, major cities, and county seats. Neighboring states-Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Missouri-are labeled around the border. Insets provide a locator map of Kentucky within the United States and a detailed view of the western border region.
Several horses graze on green pasture behind a wooden fence at a farm in Kentucky, with trees and a farmhouse visible in the background.
Map of Kentucky highlighting its physical features, including major rivers such as the Ohio, Green, and Kentucky rivers, lakes like Kentucky Lake and Lake Cumberland, and regions such as the Cumberland Plateau and Pine Mountains. National parks and recreation areas, including Mammoth Cave National Park and Land Between the Lakes, are marked. Insets show Kentucky's location within the United States and a detailed view of the western border area. State boundaries, major features, and dams are indi
Map of the Upper South region of the United States, highlighting states including Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and parts of surrounding states. The map shows major physical features such as the Appalachian Mountains, Blue Ridge, Cumberland Plateau, major rivers, and lakes, along with the locations of national and state capitals and numerous cities.
Kentucky: Bluegrass region
Aerial view of farmland east of Bowling Green, Kentucky, showing numerous grassy sinkholes and depressions scattered across the fields.
See All Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
American frontiersman
George Rogers Clark, portrait by J.W. Jarvis; in the Filson Club collection, Louisville, Ky.
George Rogers Clark
American military leader and explorer
Crittenden, John J.
John J. Crittenden
American statesman
Chandler, Happy
Happy Chandler
American politician and baseball commissioner
default image
John Breckinridge
American politician [1760ā€“1806]
Simon Bolivar Buckner.
Simon Bolivar Buckner
United States general
Bristow
Benjamin Helm Bristow
United States official
default image
Christopher Gist
American colonial explorer

Related Places

United States
United States
country, North America
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville
Kentucky, United States
Red Mile racecourse, Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington
Kentucky, United States
Frankfort: State Capitol
Frankfort
Kentucky, United States
Paducah: Museum of the American Quilter's Society
Paducah
Kentucky, United States
Elizabethtown: Hardin county courthouse
Elizabethtown
Hardin county, Kentucky, United States
default image
Middlesboro
Kentucky, United States
Richmond: Madison county courthouse
Richmond
Kentucky, United States
Danville
Danville
Kentucky, United States
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Owensboro
Kentucky, United States
Licking River
Covington
Kentucky, United States
Paris: Duncan Tavern Historic Shrine
Paris
Kentucky, United States
Harlan county courthouse
Harlan
Kentucky, United States
Mayfield: Graves county courthouse
Mayfield
Kentucky, United States
default image
Boonesborough
Kentucky, United States

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