AREA INFO ~ RELOCATING OR RETIRING

COME DISCOVER KENTUCKY’S UNBRIDLED SPIRIT

KENTUCKY OFFERS SOME GREAT TRADITIONS, EVENTS, & SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY THAT MAKES FOR LASTING MEMORIES & TRADITIONS.

(Please scroll down for area distance map & local links)

 Real estate perks such as low property tax rates (including homestead & farmstead property tax exemptions), affordable insurance premiums, rural utilities services, & affordable prices are just a few of the incentives to relocate or retire to South Central Kentucky!  Also don’t forget about excellent local, regional, & world-renowned health care services Kentucky has to offer.

 

Symbols & Traditions

Commonwealth of Kentucky
Kentucky is one of four states to call itself a "commonwealth." In 1792 when Kentucky became the 15th state - the first on the western frontier - both "commonwealth" and "state" were used. Commonwealth, meaning government based on the common consent of the people, dates to the time of Oliver Cromwell's England in the mid-1600s. The other U.S. commonwealths, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, were originally British colonies. Kentucky, once part of Virginia, chose to remain a commonwealth when it separated from Virginia.

Bluegrass State
Bluegrass is not really blue - it's green - but in the spring, bluegrass produces bluish-purple buds that, when seen in large fields, give a rich blue cast to the grass. Early pioneers found bluegrass growing on Kentucky's rich limestone soil and traders began asking for the seed of the "blue grass from Kentucky." The name stuck and today Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State.

State Seal
The official insignia was authorized in 1792; six months after Kentucky became a state. The motto is believed to be from "The Liberty Song," popular during the American Revolution, and a favorite of Isaac Shelby, Kentucky's first governor.

Kentucky Flag
The state seal imprinted on a field of navy blue was approved by the General Assembly in 1928. The original flag is displayed in Frankfort at the Kentucky History Center.

State Flower - Goldenrod
The golden plumes of this wildflower line Kentucky's roadsides in the fall. Native to all of Kentucky, 30 of nearly 100 species of this herb are found here.

State Bird - Cardinal
The pleasant melodies of this red crested song bird are heard year round in Kentucky. The male boasts a vivid red plumage; the female is light brown with red highlights.

State Horse - Thoroughbred
The first thoroughbred was brought to Lexington in 1779, and a 1789 census showed even more horses than people. Horses are a multibillion dollar industry in Kentucky. Central Kentucky's Bluegrass Region has the world's greatest concentration of thoroughbred breeding farms. More registered thoroughbred foals are produced here than any other state - more than 10,000 were foaled in 2000.

State Wild Animal - Grey Squirrel 
State Butterfly - Viceroy Butterfly
State Fish - Kentucky Bass
State Gemstone - Fresh Water Pearl
State Fossil - Brachiopod
State Tree - Tulip Tree

Sometimes called the tulip poplar, it is not a poplar at all, but a member of the magnolia family. It can grow up to 145 feet and live for 200 years. It blossoms in May with yellow-green flowers resembling tulips.

State Song - "My Old Kentucky Home" Stephen Collins Foster - 1853.

State Bluegrass Song - "Blue Moon of Kentucky" Bill Monroe - copyright 1947. 


Kentucky Facts  State Facts

Economy
Kentucky’s Gross State Product (GSP) increased to a record $128.98 billion during 2003. Kentucky’s GSP for 2002 was $122.28 billion. The largest industry groups, based on their contribution to the total state gross product are: manufacturing; services; government; insurance and real estate; retail trade; transportation and public utilities; wholesale trade; construction; mining; farming and agricultural services, forestry, and fisheries. For more information, please visit the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development web site.

Agriculture
Kentucky had 84,000 farms in 2005, according to the Kentucky field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Kentucky farm size averaged 164 acres.

In 2004, Kentucky set a record for farm income with $4.13 billion. Horses were the leading source of farm income for Kentucky farmers, followed by broilers, cattle, tobacco, soybeans and corn. Kentucky is home to some of the world’s leading thoroughbred farms and thoroughbred auctions.

Kentucky still leads the nation in burley tobacco production, even though the federal tobacco price support program was discontinued in 2005. The state is second in the U.S. in total tobacco production and is in the top 20 in corn, soybeans, winter wheat, hay, barley and sorghum.

Kentucky is the leading beef cattle state east of the Mississippi River and is eighth in the nation overall. Kentucky is seventh in broilers and in the top 20 in goats, dairy cows, swine and chickens other than commercial broilers. For more information about Kentucky agriculture, visit the Kentucky Department of Agriculture web site.

Geography
Located in the south central United States along the west side of the Appalachian Mountains, Kentucky ranks 37th in land size, with 39,732 square miles (102,907 square kilometers). The Commonwealth is bordered by seven states: Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois. The Ohio River flows 664 miles (1,068 kilometers) along the northern and western borders of the state. Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain in Harlan County, 4,145 feet (1,264 meters) above sea level; its lowest point, the Mississippi River in Fulton County, 257 feet (78 meters) above sea level.

Natural Resources
Kentucky has more miles of running water than any other state except Alaska. The numerous rivers and water impoundments provide 1,100 commercially navigable miles (1,770 kilometers).

Kentucky has 12.7 million acres of commercial forest land - 50% of the state's land area. The main species of trees are white oak, red oak, walnut, yellow poplar, beech, sugar maple, white ash and hickory. Kentucky ranks third among hardwood producing states.

The total value of Kentucky's mineral production in 1999 was $3.8 billion. Principal minerals and by-products produced in order of value are coal, crushed stone, natural gas and petroleum. Kentucky is the nation's third largest coal producer - 152.4 million tons in 1996. For more information, please visit the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet web site.

Population
In 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Kentucky's population was 4,041,769. The largest cities are listed below: 

Louisville-Jefferson County Metro-693,604

Owensboro-54,067 

Covington-43,370

Frankfort-27,741 

Richmond-27,152 

Paducah-26,307 

Lexington-Fayette County-260,512

Bowling Green-49,296 

Hopkinsville-30,089 

Henderson-27,373 

Jeffersontown-26,633 

Our central location and excellent road system makes us only minutes away from some of the above-listed popular destinations.  With the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway virtually linking us directly to I - 65 & I - 75, easy access to many central destinations are only a short and easy drive from home.  Our community offers a relaxed country atmosphere, yet exciting day trips are only a short distance away.

OUR CENTRAL LOCATION IS LESS THAN A DAYS DRIVE FROM MOST OF MID-AMERICA!!!

 

 Dining

One of the best places to understand Kentuckians and our love of Southern fare is in our kitchens. From down-home country cooking to the five-star splendor of the Culinary Institute, Kentucky has something for every palate. So, sink your teeth into cuisine at Kentucky's white linen restaurants, cozy cafes and roadside diners. We've set a place for you at our table.

Few states can claim a native cuisine as defined as that of Kentucky. For starters, there's the state's famed country ham, different from that of other states in that it's cured by dry-rubbing rather than soaking. Our justly famous barbecue is also a bit different from that of our Southern neighbors in that the meat - usually pork or mutton rather than beef - is smoked in a hickory pit, sometimes for a full day to achieve its unique flavor.

Everyone knows about Kentucky Fried Chicken, developed by Colonel Harlan Sanders in the southeastern part of the state, and the Kentucky Hot Brown, a tasty combination of bread, turkey, bacon and pimento browned under a broiler and topped with Mornay sauce, originated in the kitchen of Louisville's Brown Hotel in 1923.  You’ll find southern comfort in knowing a pleasing meal is just around the corner.

Come and enjoy Kentucky and what we have to offer, you’ll be glad you did!!!

 

Please feel free to visit local area links as provided below:

Columbia - Adair County, KY
Adair County Chamber of Commerce
Call Today!!!


Russell Springs/Jamestown - Russell County, Kentucky
Russell County Chamber of Commerce
Call Today!!!


Lake Cumberland - Kentucky
Russell County Tourist Commission
Call Today!!!



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