Formed June 1, 1780 (1st county)
Fayette County (322,567), Lexington (322,567)
The 2001 multi-contoured Modern courthouse is located at Main, Limestone and Short streets. United States Highway 25 is Main Street. Sherman-Carter-Barnhart, Hartman-Cox, and Ricci & Associates are the architects of this masonry structure. There was an 1898 classier courthouse in Lexington, the only county seat. An Administrative Center was created when a local hotel was converted. The county was created as one of the original three (1st county) on June 1, 1780. It assumed its current boundaries in 1799. It is named for Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette. The county seat is named for Lexington, Massachusetts. Fayette County was the birthplace of 1 Kentucky Governor, John Y. Brown, Jr. The county and the county seat joined governments in 1974.
The area of the county is 284 square miles. It is 72 out of 120 in the state. It ranks 2 out of 120 in population in the state. It has a density of 1135.8 persons per square mile making it 2 out of 120 in the state. Fayette County has 100.0% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 64 crosses the county east to west from Clark County to Scott County. Interstate Highway 75 goes north to south from Scott County to Madison County. United States Highway 25 parallels Interstate Highway 75 from Scott to Madison counties. United States Highway 27 travels northeast to southwest from Bourbon County to Jessamine County. United States Highway 60 parallels Interstate Highway 64 from Clark County to Woodford County. United States Highway 68 enters joined with United States Highway 27, splits and exits into Jessamine County. United States Highway 421 comes in from Scott County, north, joins United States Highway 25 and exits to Madison County. The county is shaped like a rocket with the eastern part caved in.
Fayette County government consists of a County Judge Executive, a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive). It has 15 Council Members (legislative.) Five Circuit Court Judges, Nine District Court Judges, Three Family Court Judges and a court clerk serve Fayette County (judicial.) Lexington and Fayette County coexist and thus the City of Lexington is the entire county. Lexington is the county seat and the largest city. It is 100.0% of the county population. The county center is in Lexington 1 mile Southeast of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Scott, Bourbon, Clark, Madison, Jessamine, and Woodford counties. This county is in the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Lexington
