Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KENTUCKY
With an economy based on bourbon, horse racing and tobacco, you might think Ken-
tucky would rival Las Vegas as Sin Central. Well, yes and no. For every whiskey-soaked
Louisville bar there's a dry county where you can't get anything stronger than ginger ale.
For every racetrack there's a church. Kentucky is made of such strange juxtapositions. A
geographic and cultural crossroads, the state combines the friendliness of the South, the
rural frontier history of the West, the industry of the North and the aristocratic charm of
the East. Every corner is easy on the eye, but there are few sights more heartbreakingly
beautiful than the rolling limestone hills of horse country, where thoroughbred breeding
is a multimillion-dollar industry. In spring the pastures bloom with tiny azure buds, earn-
ing it the moniker 'Bluegrass State.'
Information
The boundary between Eastern and Central time goes through the middle of Kentucky.
fishing, camping and more in Kentucky's 52 state parks. So-called 'Resort Parks' have
lodges. 'Recreation Parks' are for roughin' it.
detailed booklet on the state's attractions.
KENTUCKY FACTS
Nickname
Bluegrass State
Population
4.4 million
Area
39,728 sq miles
Capital city
Frankfort (pop 28,000)
Other cities
Louisville (pop 600,000), Lexington (pop 300,000)
Sales tax
6%
Birthplace of
16th US president Abraham Lincoln (1809-65), 'gonzo' journalist
Hunter S Thompson (1937-2005), boxer Muhammad Ali (b 1942), actresses Ash-
ley Judd (b 1968) and Jennifer Lawrence (b 1990)
Home of
Kentucky Derby, Louisville Slugger, bourbon
Politics
Generally to extremely conservative in rural areas
