Geography
Kentucky is located in the central United States. The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers are on the west, the Ohio River on the north, the Big Sandy River, the Pine and Cumberland mountains on the east, and the state of Tennessee on the south.

History
Originally part of Virginia, the land that is now Kentucky was formed into Kentucky County, Virginia in 1776. Four years later it was divided into the Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln counties of Virginia. It became the fifteenth state of the United States in 1792. The name Kentucky is of American Indian origin and has been attributed to several languages; possible meanings include "land of tomorrow", "cane and turkey lands", and "meadow lands." The name Kentucky referred originally to the Kentucky River and from that came the name of the region.

Early settlers began crossing the mountains to settle in Kentucky during the 1760s, and in 1775 Daniel Boone helped to blaze the Wilderness Road. After Kentucky became the first state west of the Appalachians to join the Union, it prospered from river traffic on the Mississippi and Ohio. Residents of this border state were torn over the question of slavery, and although Kentucky remained in the Union, its residents fought on both sides in the Civil War.

Coal mining, which began on a large scale during the 1870s, was well established by the early 20th century. Mining areas, especially Harlan Company, became the scenes of violent labor strife when the United Mine Workers of America attempted to unionize the mines during the 1930s. Mining subsequently entered a decline, but because of the national energy crisis of the 1970s, Kentucky enjoyed new prosperity from the revival of its coal-mining industry during that time.

Colonel Sanders
Colonel Sanders is the most beloved gentleman in Kentucky, and the only fast food franchiser honored with a bust in the state capitol. Washed-up and broke at 65, the Colonel turned his fortunes around through hard work; a tasty fried chicken recipe, and a face that was a marketer's dream. At Kentucky Fried Chicken Headquarters in Louisville, KY, you can visit the Colonel Harland Sanders Museum, established by the Colonel himself in 1978. The museum serves up a satisfying selection of old KFC commercials, his biographical film Portrait of a Legend, his Restaurateur of the Year award (a wire frame chicken laying a golden egg), and the Colonel's first pot, which talks.

The Kentucky Military History Museum, on East Main at Capital Avenue in Frankfort, traces two centuries of the state's military heritage through an extraordinary collection of weapons, uniforms, flags and photographs.

The Frankfort Cemetery, 215 East Main in Frankfort, features the gravesites of Daniel and Rebecca Boone at a site overlooking the city. Paul Sawyer, Joel T. Hart, Theodore O'Hara, U.S. Senator, Attorney General and Kentucky Governor John J. Crittenden, and Vice President Richard M. Johnson are also buried here.

Buffalo Trace Distillery offers a free-guided tour of "America's largest distillery." A popular stop on the tour is the One-Barrel Warehouse, the smallest bonded whiskey warehouse in the world. It was built in 1953 to hold the two-billionth barrel produced there since the repeal of prohibition in 1933. A new addition to the distillery is the production of Bulleit, an "engineered" bourbon.

The excitement in Louisville comes to a fevered pitch each year during the Kentucky Derby Festival, one of the country's largest civic celebrations. The festival begins with the "Thunder Over Louisville" fireworks extravaganza and ends with the "Run for the Roses," the one and only Kentucky Derby. Louisville also holds the distinction of hosting Equitana USA, the "World's Fair of Equestrian Events" in June.

Bardstown's most recognized attraction is My Old Kentucky Home State Park, known throughout the world for the beautiful song written by Stephen Foster. His inspiration for the ballad was his cousins' plantation, Federal Hill, now the focal point of the park. Your guide will tell you the story of the prominent Rowan family as you see rare furnishings, the formal gardens, carriage house and smokehouse. The park also has a picnic area, golf, camping, and tennis.

New Haven's Kentucky Railway Museum offers a 22-mile roundtrip train ride through the scenic river valley between New Haven and Boston. It features the 1905 L&N steam locomotive #152, vintage coaches and memorabilia at the depot. Next door, Creative Wildlife uses taxidermy to showcase over 100 animals in natural settings.

Historic Richmond has a variety of attractions to enjoy. This was the site of Daniel Boone's wilderness outpost, the birthplace of Kit Carson, and home of the fiery abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay. Civil War buffs will want to take the Battle of Richmond driving tour. Tapes and maps are available at the visitor center in historic Irvinton, which also includes a museum. The Richmond Area Arts Center is in an 1887 church on Lancaster at Water Street.

Carter Caves State Resort Park is 38 miles west of Ashland near Olive Hill. Various lighted and unlighted cave tours are offered in some of the park's 20 caves including: Cascade Cavern, with an underground waterfall 30 feet high; X Cave; Saltpeter Cave; and Bat Cave, home of the endangered Indiana bat. The Cascade Caverns and Bat Cave portions of the park are also state nature preserves. The park has a lodge, cottages, campground and golf course.

The legendary scenic beauty of Eastern Kentucky is embodied in the Daniel Boone National Forest, a huge area that covers 672,000 acres in 21 counties. When you visit here you are seeing the spectacular land that Daniel Boone once explored—steep forested ridges, magnificent natural arches, rushing streams, abundant wildlife and lush vegetation. You can also enjoy the whole spectrum of outdoor activities—camping, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, boating, fishing, hunting, canoeing and whitewater rafting. The forest has an incredible variety of trees, including red and white oak, chestnut, hickory, yellow poplar, basswood, beech, sugar and red maple, hemlock, and short leaf, pitch and Virginia pine. More than 40 commercial species of timber grow here. The forest also contains two large lakes and many streams, including six Kentucky Wild Rivers.

Magnificent Cumberland Falls is the largest, most impressive waterfall east of the Rockies except for the Niagara itself. Roaring water pours over the rocks in a 125-foot wide curtain and drops 68 feet into the gorge below. Known as the "Niagara of the South," this is one of the few places in the world where you can see a moon bow on a regular basis. Cumberland Falls Rainbow Mist Ride offers an exciting trip to the base of the falls. The park has a lodge, cottages, and campground.

Don't miss Cumberland Gap National Historical Park at the far southeastern corner of the state. Your trip to this ruggedly beautiful park will take you back in time to the history of early America. For nearly 150 years the forbidding Alleghenies kept early colonists from Kentucky. Although Indians had used the gap—a natural passage through the mountain barrier—for centuries, it was not until 1750 that Dr. Thomas Walker documented its location. Daniel Boone and John Finley followed in 1769, making their way to the fabled Bluegrass Region. In 1775, Boone returned with 30 ax men to mark what became the Wilderness Road. By 1783, some 12,000 settlers had entered Kentucky through Cumberland Gap. With 20,305 wilderness acres, this is the largest National Historical Park in the country.

Area: 40,411 sq.mi, Land 39732 sq. mi., Water 679 sq.mi.

State Capital: Frankfort.

Population: 3,960,825.

Largest Cities: Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, Covington, Bowling Green.

Agriculture: Horses, cattle, tobacco, dairy products, hogs, soybeans, corn.

Industry: Transportation equipment, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery, food processing, tobacco products, coal, tourism.

Flag: Placed on a navy blue field is the seal and words "Commonwealth of Kentucky". The two people on the seal, a pioneer and a statesman, represent all the people. They are acting out the meaning of Kentucky's motto: "United We Stand; Divided We Fall". Sprays of goldenrod extend in a half circle around the picture.

State Bird: Cardinal.

State Flower: Goldenrod - Solidago altissima.

State Nickname: Bluegrass State.

State Motto: United we stand, divided we fall.

Origin of state's name: Based on the Iroquois Indian word "Ken-tah-ten," meaning "land of tomorrow".

Topography: Mountainous in east; rounded hills of the Knobs in the north; Bluegrass, heart of the state; wooded rocky hillsides of the Pennroyal; western coal fields; the fertile Purchase in the southwest.