Kentucky

History: Native Americans settled in Kentucky sometime before 10,000 BCE, then slowly changed from a hunter-gatherer to agricultural lifestyle. By the 16^th century, there were five major culture groups living in Kentucky – Iroquoian, Sioux, Algonquian, Muskogean, and Yuchi. Although the French claimed the Kentucky area, they never settled it and lost any claim after the French and Indian War. The British considered Kentucky as an extension of Virginia, and the first settlement was not made until 1774. During the following years, many settlers came in via the Ohio River, or through the Cumberland Gap led by Daniel Boone. Kentucky became the fifteenth state in the Union on June 1, 1792. It is one of only four states that calls itself a ‘commonwealth’.

Economy: From its beginnings, Kentucky was known for its excellent farming conditions. Because of the high calcium content in the soil, the Bluegrass region quickly became a major horse breeding area. It also ranks 5^th in goat farming and 8^th in beef production, along with growing a lot of corn and tobacco. In recent times, they rank 4^th in automobile & trucks production. Coal mining and uranium processing supports 25% of U.S. electricity production. It produces 95% of the bourbon whiskey in the world, which contributes greatly to Kentucky’s economic health. Kentucky is home to Ft. Knox, where most U.S. gold is kept.

Climate: Kentucky’s climate is best described as humid subtropical. It has relatively humid warm rainy summers and moderately cold and rainy winters. It hardly ever gets as extremely cold as far northern states, nor have the high heat of the states in the Deep South. It is rare for temperatures to drop below 0 degrees or rise above 100 degrees. The average rain and snowfall is 45 inches per year. Also, within the state, there is a lot of variation from northern, western, southern-central, and so on.

Geography: Kentucky is primarily made up of five main regions; the Cumberland Plateau in the east, the north-central Bluegrass region, the south-central and western Penny Royal Plateaus, the Western Coal Fields and the far-west Jackson Purchase. A lot of eastern Kentucky is part of Appalachia (part of Appalachian Mountain Range).

Fun Facts:

Murray is the home to the Boy Scouts of America Scouting Museum (Murray State University)
The oldest (starting 1875) and most famous horse race in the country, “The Kentucky Derby”, is held in Louisville every year.
The electric light bulb was first introduced to the public by Thomas Edison at the Southern Exposition, held in Louisville in 1833.
Until 1997, all of our “Post-It notes” were made in Cynthiana.
Vent Haven Museum, in Fort Mitchell, is home to the largest collection of ventriloquist dummies.
Our 16^th president, Abraham Lincoln, was famously born in a log cabin in Kentucky.

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