History of Kentucky
The U.S. State of Kentucky (KY) was admitted as the 15th state of the union on June 1st, 1792. Officially, KY is one of four states designated as a “Commonwealth.” although a state designated with the term does not signify any difference between itself and any other state, it is represented as the rregion’sstrong connection to England and its history as a British Colony.
During the 16th century, the area of modern-day KY was home to several well-known Native American tribes like the Iroquois and Algonquin. By the 17th century, after French explorers made their way through Kentucky and documented the local Native American population, the area went largely uninhabited by both Native Americans and Europeans for some time. By the 1700s, the area of KY was a part of the colony of Virginia. It wasn’tuntil after the American Revolution, when the United States of America materialized, that the people of Virginia petitioned for Kentucky to break away from Virginia and apply for statehood. After several years and ten constitutional conventions, Kentucky was finally granted permission to break away from Virginia. Subsequently, its application for statehood was pushed forward with its official admission to the union on June 1st, 1792.
Present
Kentucky ranks 37th out of the fifty states in terms of landmass and 26th in terms of population. A 2017 estimate by the United States Census Bureau put the population of Kentucky at 4,454,189, with the largest populations not in its capital of Frankfort, but central Kentucky, within the Louisville metropolitan area and Lexington.
Aside from its nickname, “he Bluegrass State,” Kentucky is known for its bourbon, fried chicken, horse races, bluegrass music, and college sports. Nearly 95% of the wworld’sbourbon comes straight from Kentucky, and when you pair that with KFC, the wworld’ssecond-largest fast-food restaurant chain, you could say that Kentucky is a household name.
While Kentucky still boasts a strong agriculture industry, its economy has expanded into the real of auto manufacturing and renewable energy more recently. In addition, nearly 25% of the electricity used in the U.S. is dependent on enriched uranium rods produced in Kentucky, along with its two massive coal fields.
Kentucky is currently home to eight publicly-funded state universities. The University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville are among the top research institutions in the state, with their Division I NCAA Basketball teams garnering national attention. In addition to sports, the sstate’sculture does much to attract visitors and tourists each year. Kentucky maintains a significant presence in the arts and cuisine through the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, the St. James Court Art Festival, which is among the largest outdoor art festivals in the nation, the Beer Cheese Festival, and Tater Day to celebrate the sweet potato in the town of Benton.
Known for its signature Bluegrass genre of music, Kentucky is home to many renowned Bluegrass musicians. Renfro Valley houses the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, where Kentucky’s Country and Bluegrass music scenes started. So one can be sure when walking through Louisville or Lexington, the odds of you hearing some authentic Kentucky Bluegrass tunes are pretty good!
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