Bluegrass Region

Area of rich farmland in north-central Kentucky. It is particularly famous for its thoroughbred horse studs and tobacco farms, but cattle, other livestock, and forage and cereals are also produced here. Lexington is its geographical and cultural centre. The Bluegrass has lent its name to a style of folk music and to the ‘Bluegrass State’, the nickname of Kentucky.

Covering about 20,700 sq km/8,000 sq mi, the Bluegrass Region is bounded on the northwest, north, and northeast by the Ohio River, and on all other sides by the U-shaped Knobs Region. It extends roughly from Louisville (in the northwest) to Danville (in the south) and to Maysville (in the northeast). The gently rolling plateau land reaches a height of around 240–300 m/800–1000 ft and has exceptionally rich phosphatic limestone soil. The region takes its name from the plant Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), which was probably a native of southeastern Europe, and was introduced by the early colonists; it grows abundantly here, producing a bluish appearance when in bud. The Bluegrass was once home to the renowned frontiersman Daniel Boone.