Kentucky - Welcome to U.S. County Courthouses!

Entered Union June 1, 1792 (15^th state)

Kentucky (4,506,297), Frankfort (28,609), Louisville (632,550)

The limestone and granite capitol was originally completed in 1909 using the designs of Frank Mills Andrews. It is located on Capitol Street at State Street. Interstate Highway 64 is one mile south of the capitol. The Capitol is designed in Beaux Arts style. The only major supporting structure is the Court of Appeals building. The state was officially created as the 15^th state on June 1, 1792 from Native American lands, Virginia and the Kentucky Territory. Frankfort has been the capital since Kentucky became a state after winning the debate among Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort. The state’s name comes from the river which comes from a Native American word meaning “on the meadow.” Frankfort is named for a ford on the Kentucky River and a settler Stephen Frank. Louisville is named for French King Louis XVI. Black Mountain in Harlan County is the highest point and the lowest point is in Fulton County where the Mississippi River bends back into Kentucky/Missouri after entering Tennessee/Missouri (Kentucky Bend.)

Kentucky government, in the Executive, consists of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer, and Agriculture Commissioner. There are 38 Senators and 100 Representatives in the Legislative. Seven Supreme Court Justices and Fourteen Court of Appeals Justices serve Kentucky in the Judicial. Kentucky is located in the east central part of the United States. The geographic center is in Boyle County 3 miles north northwest of Danville. The state is surrounded clockwise by Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Missouri.

The area is 40408 square miles. It is 37^th largest state in the country. It is the 26^th most populated state in the country. It has a density of 111.5 persons per square mile making it 21^st in the country. Its major rivers are the Ohio, the Mississippi, the Kentucky, the Tennessee, the Cumberland, and the Green. Frankfort is located in the north central half of the state. Louisville is in the northwest central border of the state.