Kentucky

Abbreviation	KY Source: United States Postal Service - Abbreviations
Capital	Frankfort
Population	4,339,367 Source: Resident Population Data - 2010 Census
Governor	Steven L. Beshear (Democrat, to December 2015)
Entered the Union	June 1, 1792 as the 15th state
Motto	United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Nickname	The Bluegrass State
Flower	Goldenrod
Bird	Kentucky cardinal
Song	My Old Kentucky Home
Professional Sports Teams	No NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, or NHL teams. (sports listing policy)
Origin of Name	From an Iroquoian word "Ken-tah-ten" meaning "land of tomorrow"
Historical Sites	Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Fort Knox, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, Fort Boonesborough State Park, Fort Campbell Memorial Park, Fort Duffield, Old Fort Harrod Stat e Park
Points of Interest	Kentucky Derby, Mammoth Cave National Park, Daniel Boone National Forest, Red River Gorge Geological Area
Bordering States	Kentucky borders Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
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Follow these links to read articles about Kentucky from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

• Britannica Online Encyclopedia
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Information Please Almanac

Official State Links

• Kentucky.gov: My New Kentucky Home
  http://kentucky.gov/
  This is the official website for the State of Kentucky.
• Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
  http://www.kdla.ky.gov/
  Here is the homepage for the Kentucky State Library Agency and the Kentucky State Archives.
• Kentucky Historical Society
  http://history.ky.gov/
  Here is the homepage for the Kentucky State Historical Society.
• Kentucky State Parks
  http://parks.ky.gov/
  Here is the homepage for Kentucky State Parks.
• TourKy: Kentucky Tourism Council
  http://www.tourky.com/tourky/html/
  Here is the official state tourism website for Kentucky.
• Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit
  http://www.kentuckytourism.com/
  Here is the official state travel website for Kentucky.
• Kentucky.gov Kid's Pages
  http://kentucky.gov/education/Pages/edu_kidspages.aspx
  Here is a list of helpful links for kids gathered by the Kentucky state government.

Other State Links

• 50states.com: Kentucky
  http://www.50states.com/kentucky.htm
  The site provides a wealth of information about Kentucky. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
• Things To Do in Kentucky
  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/KY/index.htm
  ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about Kentucky's entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state's interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
• Roadside America: Kentucky Attractions
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/ky.html
  Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of "weird sites along the highway" in Kentucky.
• Kentucky.com
  http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/
  Kentucky.com is the online partner of the Lexington Herald-Leader newspapers and offers a gateway to things about Kentucky on the Internet. Check it out for news, sports, entertainment, classifieds and more.
• FedStats: MapStat: United States: Kentucky
  http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/21000.html
  Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on "economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more" in Kentucky.

• The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously held horse race in the country. It is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.
• The Bluegrass country around Lexington is the home of some of the world's finest race horses.
• Kentucky was a popular hunting ground for the Shawnee and Cherokee Indian nations prior to settlement by whites.
• In 1774, Harrodstown (now Harrodsburg) was established as the first permanent settlement in the Kentucky region. It was named after James Harrod who led the team of surveyors.
• The state tree is the Tulip poplar.
• Cheeseburgers were first served in 1934 at Kaelin's restaurant in Louisville.
• All Chevrolet Corvettes are manufactured in Bowling Green.
• Mammoth Cave is the world's longest cave and was first promoted in 1816. This makes it the second oldest tourist attraction in the U.S., preceded only by Niagara Falls.
• The first commercial oil well was on the Cumberland River in McCreary County Kentucky in 1819.

Some Famous People from this State

• Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) (1942 - ), world heavyweight boxing champion.
• Jefferson Davis (1808 - 1889), only president of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865.
• Presidents from Kentucky with links to ipl2's POTUS (Presidents of the United States) page:
  
  • Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865), 16th president of the United States.
• Harold ("Pee Wee") Reese (1919 - ), baseball shortstop with Brooklyn Dodgers.
• ("Col.") Harland Sanders (1890 - 1980), founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants.
• John T. Scopes (1900 - 1970), defendant in the "monkey trial" in Dayton, Tenn., charged with illegal teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution; convicted and fined $100.
• Kit Carson (1809 - 1868), scout and Indian agent.