Kentucky is a state located in the East Central area of the United States. The “Bluegrass State” is part of the Upland South. Kentucky borders both Midwestern states, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, and Southeastern states, Missouri, West Viriginia, Virginia, and Tennessee. Kentucky’s northern border is the Ohio River and its western border is the Mississippi River.
Kentucky has the third highest amount of counties behind Texas and Georgia with one hundred twenty. Five primary regions can also divide Kentucky: the eastern Cumberland Plateau, the central northern Bluegrass region, the south western Pennyroyal Plateau, the Western Coal Fields, and the far-western Jackson Purchase.
Known for its natural attractions, Kentucky boasts several state and national parks and the greatest length of waterways and streams in the lower forty-eight states. Kentucky is also known for horse racing, bluegrass music, and automobile manufacturing.
In 2006, Kentucky had a population of around 4,206,074. Total population in Kentucky has increased every decade since records began. The largest ancestries in Kentucky are American, German, Irish, English, and African-American. Most Kentuckians do not affiliate themselves with any specific church, but 33.68% are evangelical Protestants, and 10.05% are Roman Catholics.
Kentucky’s gross state product was $146 billion in 2006. Kentuckian’s per-capita personal income was $28,513, which places Kentucky at 43rd in the nation. Agriculturally, Kentucky’s outputs include horses, cattle and dairy products, tobacco, hogs, soybeans, and corn. Much of rural Kentucky has maintained an agricultural based economy, raising cattle, corn, and soybeans. Thoroughbred racing horses also thrive in the area due to the high calcium content in the soil. Kentucky’s industrial outputs are transportation equipment, chemical products, electric equipment, machinery, food procession, coal, and tourism.