Fun Facts

Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky.

The motto of Kentucky is United we stand, divided we fall.

Kentucky has the nickname "The Bluegrass State."

Get more information on

• Kentucky Facts (Commonwealth of KY Web Server)
• Kentucky Facts (from Kentucky Tourism)

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.
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 Museum.
A joint resolution of the 1926 General Assembly named the cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) the state bird. Hear the cardinal's call (courtesy of the British Library).
The tulip poplar tree was named the state tree of Kentucky by the 1994 General Assembly, replacing the Coffee Tree.
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) was named the state flower by a joint resolution of the 1926 General Assembly.
Thoroughbred is the state horse.
A 1956 joint resolution of the General Assembly declared the Kentucky bass (Micropterus punctulatus) the state fish. Sometimes called the spotted bass, it is one of four black bass species found in Kentucky.
The gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) became the state wild animal in 1968.
In 1990 the General Assembly named the viceroy butterfly (Basilarchia archippus) to be the state butterfly.

Cardinal photo & recording by Elaine Moore; the rest of the pictures from Kentucky Government site.

the Kentucky Symbols

My Old Kentucky Home, by Stephen Foster, is the state song of Kentucky. Listen to A. B. Happy Chandler singing My Old Kentucky Home, courtesy of University of Kentucky.

The state bluegrass song is Blue Moon of Kentucky by Bill Monroe.

[Top of Page]

Reference

• Atlas of Kentucky
• Biographies of:
  • Governor Ernie Fletcher
  • First Lady Glenna Fletcher
  • Lt. Governor Steve Pence
• Commonwealth of Kentucky Home Page
• Constitution of Kentucky
• Distance & Mileage Chart (Ky Tourism Development Cabinet)
• Past Kentucky Election Returns (from 1973)
• Famous Kentuckians
• General Assembly Directory
  • House of Representatives
  • Senate
• How Far Is It? (calculate distance, as the crow flies, between 2 geographic points)
• Kentucky Crime Statistics (from University of Louisville)
• Kentucky Criminal Justice & Crime (from University of Louisvillel)
• Kentucky Gazetteer
• Kentucky Driver History Records
• Kentucky License Plates
• Kentucky Place Names (Kentucky Geological Survey)
• Kentucky 511 Road Report
• Kentucky Town and Region Info
• Lottery Results
• Notable Kentuckians
• Population
  • County Profiles (U.S. Census Bureau)
  • State Profile (U.S. Census Bureau)
• Relocation Salary Calculator
• State of the Commonwealth Address (Gov. Ernie Fletcher Janury 9, 2006)
• Weather from Kentucky Climate Center, NOAA's Interactive Weather Information Network, or try these other weather links.
• Who's Who: Finding & Contacting Your Legislator

It is currently maintained by Brian Coutts, Haiwang Yuan, Rosemary Meszaros, Debbie LaMastus and Nancy Marshall, Department of Library Public Services, Western Kentucky University.
Copyright © 1997-2006 Western Kentucky University
Last updated November 7, 2008

Send comments to brian.coutts@wku.edu or write to 500 Cravens Library, Western Kentucky University, 1906 College Heights Blvd. #11067, Bowling Green, KY 42101-1067

This site was originally created by Cindy Etkin, the former Coordinator of Government Information.

URL: www.wku.edu/library/KIIC