Kentucky Facts and information
Kentucky (KY) was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792State Capital: Frankfort
Kentucky is situated in the Southern Midwest region
States sharing a border with Kentucky:
West Virginia Virginia Tennessee Missouri Illinois Indiana Ohio
West Virginia , Virginia , Tennessee , Missouri , Illinois , Indiana , Ohio
Size in square miles:
40,444
Major Lakes & Rivers in / through or touching Kentucky:
Mississippi River
Ohio River
Major sports teams/venues/accomplishments:
Kentucky does not sponsor any major league sports teams at this time.
Main industry/ jobs:
Horses
Cattle
Dairy
Hogs
Tobacco
Soybeans
Corn
Chemical products
Machinery and equipment
Coal
Tourism
Healthcare:
KYHealthCare
Manufacturing Facilities:
Chevrolet Corvette
Ford Explorer
Ford Super Duty Trucks
Toyota Camry
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Solara
Major Natural Disasters:
March 27, 1890 – The Mid-Mississippi Valley Tornado Outbreak hit Louisville, KY and killed over 100 people. The system created more than 20 tornadoes and still stands as the 25th most deadly storm in the nation’s history. The tornado that hit Louisville measured an F4 and caused millions of dollars worth of damage.
April 3, 1974 – The Super Outbreak was a storm that created almost 50 tornadoes and ravaged 13 of the states as well as a Canadian province. Over 70 people in Kentucky were killed, but the tornadoes damaged over 900 square miles before the storm was complete.
March 1, 1997 – Massive flooding occurred throughout the state and the entire Ohio Valley area. Thousands of people were left homeless and more than 50 people were killed.
Kentucky Area codes:
270 592 606 859
Famous People Born in Kentucky:
Larry Flynt, publisher
Hunter S. Thompson, author
Ned Beatty, actor
George Clooney, actor
Rosemary Clooney, Actress
Tom Cruise, actor
Johnny Depp, actor
Ashley Judd, actress
Jim Varney, actor
Chuck Woolery, game show host
Abraham Lincoln, United States president
Steven Curtis Chapman, singer
Billy Ray Cyrus, singer
Naomi Judd, singer
Wynonna Judd, singer
Muhammad Ali, boxer
Population
1960 – 3,038,156
1970 – 3,218,706
1980 – 3,660,324
1990 – 3,685,296
2000 – 4,041,769
2005 – 4,206,074
Major cities & populations 2004:
1. Louisville – 556,429
2. Lexington – 268,080
3. Owensboro – 55,459
4. Covington – 42,811
5. Bowling Green – 52,272
6. Richmond – 30,893
7. Hopkinsville – 28,821
8. Henderson – 27,557
9. Frankfort – 27,210
10. Florence – 26,349
Politics
Congress / House of Representatives:
Congressman Edward Whitfield (Republican)
Congressman Ron Lewis (Republican)
Congressman John Yarmuth (Democrat)
Congressman Geoff Davis (Republican)
Congressman Harold Rogers (Republican)
Congressman Ben Chandler (Democrat)
Governor:
Ernie Fletcher (Republican)
Senators:
Mitch McConnell (Republican)
Jim Bunning (Republican)
House Prices, Wages, Taxes
State Sales Tax:
6%
Income Tax:
2%-6%, depending on income.
Median Home Values:
1940: $29,800
1950: $45,400
1960: $59,100
1970: $67,200
1980: $77,200
1990: $77,400
2000: $115,600
Number of People employed in the state:
2,380,763 people employed in Kentucky
Mean annual yearly income:
2005: $32,872
2000: $25,717
1990: $22,534
1980: $23,401
1970: $20,573
Tourism
Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat Monument
Thunder Over Louisville Fireworks Display
Kentucky Derby Museum
Churchill Downs
Cumberland Gap
Mammoth Cave National Park
Red River Gorge
Black Mountain
Lake Cumberland
Audubon Memorial State Park
Big Bone Lick State Park
Blue Licks Battlefield State Park
Clark State Fish Hatchery
Columbus-Belmont State Park
Cumberland Falls State Park
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Daniel Boone National Forest
Fort Boonesboro State Park
Gatiffi State Fish Hatchery
General Burnside Island State Park
General Butler State Park
Grayson Lake State Park
Green River Lake State Park
Guist Creek Lake State Park
Jefferson Davis State Park
Jenny Wiley State Park
Kenlake State Park
Kentenia State Forest
Kentucky Dam State Park Airport
Kentucky Dam Village State Park
Kentucky Ridge State Forest
Kentucky Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge
Kingdom Come State Park
Lake Barkley State Park
Lake Barkley State Park Airport
Lake Cumberland State Park
Lake Malone State Park
Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park
Lincoln Homestead State Park
Lincoln Memorial National Historic Park
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mill Springs State Park
My Old Kentucky Home State Park
Natural Bridge State Park
Old Fort Harrod State Park
Old Mulkey Meeting House State Park
Olympia State Forest
Pennyrile State Forest
Perryville Battlefield State Park
Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge
Rough River Dam State Park
Rough River State Park Airport
Tygarts State Forest
Walker Memorial State Park
West Kentucky State Wildlife Management Area
Old News Stories Involving Kentucky
October 8, 1862 – A pivotal batter of the Civil War at Perryville pitted both sides against each other in a battle that lasted for one day. It was the deciding battle that made the Confederate Army decide to stop trying to bring this border state in the Confederacy.June 1, 1792-Kentucky Becomes 15th State of the Union
Kentucky is one of first states admitted to the original states of the Union, which is now called the United States of America. It was number 15 of the 50 states that now belong to the Union (present-day called U.S.A.).
Additionally, this was the day that the fifth governor of the commonwealth of Kentucky was appointed. Isaac Shelby, who was an American soldier during the American Revolutionary War, was the one who assumed (received) this position.
February 2, 1937-Paducah
On this date, the city of Paducah in Kentucky experienced the affect of the terrible Ohio River Flood of 1937. Waters reached as high as 60.8 feet. A total of 18 inches of rain fell in this area within 16 days and sheets of ice floated in the streets.
February 1941-Husband Edward Kimmel Commands Pearl Harbor Fleet
Kentucky Native Husband Edward Kimmel controlled the Pacific Fleet during the time of the attack of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. His title was that of a Rear Admiral, and he temporarily received the title of Commander-in-Chief.
However, he was largely blamed for the unpreparedness during the Attack of Pearl Harbor -which may or may not be rightfully so. This was in part his reason for returning to his earlier-assumed position as Rear Admiral. However, it was very common for American soldiers to take on a high rank for a short period of time.
1950-Paducah, Kentucky: Site of New Uranium Plant
During this year Paducah became the site for a new uranium project. This particular location was chosen by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Construction for this plant started in 1951 and by 1952 Uranium enrichment programs began.
May 3, 1986 – Bill Shoemaker, a legendary horse jockey, became the oldest person to win first place at the famous Kentucky Derby. He was 54 years old and the horse that helped carry him to victory was Ferdinand.
June 25, 1991-Paducah, Kentucky: Museum of Quilter’s Society Established
The Quilter Society museum was founded in Paducah. People come from all over the world to visit, and/or to attend the annual quilting event that is held every single year.
December 1, 1997-Paducah,
Three students were victims of a shooting on this date, and they all died. Five others were severely injured during this outrage. This terrible crime took place at Heath High School in Paducah, Kentucky.
May 25th, 1999-Congress Looks Back on Commander Kimmel’s Situation During WWII
Commander Husband Edward Kimmel received quite a bit of “flack” for not being prepared for the attack on Pearl Harbor that took place on December 7, 1941. Senator William V. Roth has established that both Edward Kimmel and fellow commander Lieutenant General Walter Short had not at the time received much needed information that could have been made available to them from Washington.
Moreover, Senator Strong Thurmond made an effort to consider Kimmel and Short as the “two final victims of Pearl Harbor”. However, both recent presidents Clinton and George W. Bush did not support this resolution.
October 11, 2000-Inez, Kentucky: Missippi River Dam Collapses
Over 300 gallons of black sludge was released into the Missippi River near Inez, Kentucky. This happens as the result of the collapse of an energy company’s dam that took place on this date. This incident resulted in the death of millions of fish and cost nearly 78 million dollars to clean up.
The energy company whose dam broke received a fine of over $3.35 million dollars to the state of Kentucky. Another few hundred thousand dollars in fines was also paid by this energy company’s subsidiaries as well. This company was charged guilty of Clean Water Act violations.
August 30, 2000-Speedway Announcement
On this date an announcement was made by both Speedway chairman Jerry Carroll and NASCAR’s executive vice-president Mike Helton. Essentially, these two professional racing organizations were acting on a proposal to join forces.
An announcement was also made at this time of a Busch Grand National Race to take place on June 16, 2001 at the Kentucky Speedway.
May 8, 2007-Purchase Agreement Between Churchill Weavers and the Kentucky Historical Society
The company formerly known as Churchill Weavers has recently signed an agreement with the Kentucky Historical Society. The agreement is to allow this company’s vast collection of items such as finished fabrics, samples, old photographs, and weaving loom to be displayed in the Kentucky Historical Society’s Museum.
