Lexington, Kentucky Totally Explained

Everything about Lexington Kentucky totally explained

Lexington, Kentucky, United States, known as the "Horse Capital of the World," is located in the heart of the Bluegrass region. It is the second-largest city in Kentucky, after Louisville, and the 68th largest in the United States. On January 1, 1974 Lexington became the first municipality in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to form a consolidated city-county government by merging with Fayette County. In 2006, the population estimate given by the U.S. Census Bureau was 275,754.
Lexington is home to the Kentucky Horse Park, Keeneland race course, the Red Mile race course, Transylvania University, and the University of Kentucky.
Lexington has been selected to be the site of the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games.

History

ť See also: History of Kentucky

Lexington was founded in June 1775 in what was then Virginia (15 years before Kentucky became a state in 1792). A party of frontiersmen, led by William McConnell, camped on the Middle Fork of Elkhorn Creek (today called Town Branch and rerouted under Vine Street) at the location known today as McConnell Springs. Upon hearing of the colonists' victory in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775, they named their campsite Lexington after Lexington, Massachusetts. Due to the danger of Indian attacks, permanent settlement was delayed for four years. In 1779, Colonel Robert Patterson and 25 companions came from Fort Harrod and erected a blockhouse. Cabins and a stockade were soon built, making the fort a place of importance. The town of Lexington was established on May 6, 1782, by an act of the Virginia General Assembly.
By 1820, it was one of the largest and wealthiest towns west of the Allegheny Mountains. So cultured was its lifestyle, Lexington gained the nickname "Athens of the West." One early prominent citizen, John Wesley Hunt, became the first millionaire west of the Alleghenies. Slaves were widely held and used as laborers, field hands and domestic servants in Kentucky. In 1850, 1/5 of the state's population were slaves, and Lexington had the highest concentration of slaves in the state. However, the state attempted to remain neutral during the Civil War. Not only were both Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis born in Kentucky (less than one year and apart), but both had spent time in Lexington. Davis attended Transylvania University in 1823 and 1824. Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was born and raised in Lexington; the couple visited the city several times after their marriage in 1842.
Lexington hosted one of the first drug rehabilitation clinics, known as the "Addiction Research Center," which opened in 1935 (External Link

). The first alcohol and drug rehabilitation hospital in the United States of America was also known as "Narco" of Lexington, as well as the "Addiction Research Center". This was later converted into a federal prison.

Geography

Fayette County consists of, mostly gently rolling plateau, in the center of the inner Bluegrass Region. The area is noted for its beauty, fertile soil, excellent pastureland, and horse and stock farms. Poa pratensis (bluegrass) thrives on the limestone beneath the soil's surface, playing a major role in the area's scenic beauty and in the development of champion horses. Numerous small creeks rise and flow into the Kentucky River. The Lexington-Fayette Metro area is home to 5 counties that make up the metro area. These counties include: Clark, Maddison, Bourbon, Woodford, and Scott.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 739.5 km² (285.5 mi²). 736.9 km² (284.5 mi²) of it's land and 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it's water. The total area is 0.35% water.

Climate

Lexington is in the transition area between a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa)and a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Summers are hot and humid, and winters are moderately cold with mild periods.
The average temperature in Lexington is 54.9 °F (13 °C). Annual precipitation is 45.68 inches (1,200 mm). Lexington and the Bluegrass have four distinct seasons that include cool plateau breezes, moderate nights in the summer, and no prolonged periods of heat, cold, rain, wind, or snow.
Lexington has the dubious distinction of being recognized as a high allergy area by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The results for the spring of 2006 rank Lexington at 75th.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F	76	80	83	88	92	101	103	103	103	91	83	75
Norm High °F	39.9	45.2	55.3	65.1	74	82.3	85.9	84.6	78.1	66.9	54.5	44.3
Norm Low °F	24.1	27.7	35.9	44.1	53.6	62.2	66.4	64.9	57.9	46.4	37.3	28.4
Rec Low °F	-21	-15	-2	18	26	39	47	42	34	20	-3	-19
Precip (in)	3.34	3.27	4.41	3.67	4.78	4.58	4.81	3.77	3.11	2.7	3.44	4.03
Source: USTravelWeather.com (External Link)

Cityscape

urban growth boundary that includes greenbelts and strict zoning definitions. This has been done to not only protect the Bluegrass landscape from further sprawling development, but to ensure that tourism, one of its leading industries, isn't affected.
The city is home to several notable skyscrapers. The Lexington Financial Center is currently the tallest building, followed by Kincaid Towers, and then the World Trade Center complex. It is also home to many other notable structures, and to many new urban developments within two major districts. It also has many uncompleted projects, ranging from the 41 floor World Coal Center to an elevated park above Vine Street and the Harrison Avenue viaduct.

Planning

In 1958, the Urban Service Area and Rural Service Area was implemented as a way of controlling growth and urban sprawl through an urban growth boundary . An Historic District Zoning Overlay was adopted as well to protect the historic character of the surrounding neighborhoods. In 1964, the minimum lot size in the Rural Service Area was established at 10 acres, which called for the removal of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway lines on what is today's Vine Street. In 1967, the Urban Service Area shrunk; various zoning regulations were also amended from the original 1958 issue. Several years later, in 1973, the first Lexington Comprehensive Plan was completed.
In 1980, the Comprehensive Plan was updated and the Urban Service Area was modified to include Urban Activity Centers and Rural Activity Centers In January 2007, he succeeded Teresa Isaac, the city's mayor since 2002. During Isaac's tenure as Mayor, Lexington was the largest American city with an Arab-American mayor.

Urban County Council

The Urban County Council is a fifteen-member legislative group. Twelve of the members represent specific districts and serve two-year terms; three are elected city-wide as at-large council members and serve four-year terms. The at-large member receiving the highest number of votes in the general election automatically becomes the Vice Mayor who, in the absence of the Mayor, is the presiding officer of the Council. The current council members are:

Jim Gray: Vice Mayor
Linda Gorton: At-Large
Chuck Ellinger II: At-Large
1st District: Andrea James
2nd District: Tom Blues
3rd District: Dick DeCamp
4th District: Julian Beard
5th District: David Stevens
6th District: Kevin Stinnett
7th District: K. C. Crosbie
8th District: George Myers
9th District: Jay McChord
10th District: Don Blevins
11th District: Peggy Henson
12th District: Ed Lane

The Urban County Council Clerk is Liz Damrell. The Deputy Clerk is Susan Lamb.

Law enforcement

Primary law enforcement duties within Lexington are the responsibility of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Division of Police. The Division of Police resulted from the merger of the Lexington Police Department with the Fayette County Patrol in 1974. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office is responsible for court service, including court security, prisoner transport, process and warrant service, and property tax collection. The University of Kentucky Police Department, the Transylvania University Department of Public Safety, Blue Grass Airport Public Safety, the Veterans Affairs Police Department and the Kentucky Horse Park Police also have jurisdiction within their geographic areas in Lexington-Fayette County. In addition, the Lexington-Fayette Animal Care & Control exercises law enforcement over animal control issues and the Kentucky State Police, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources can be seen performing their respective law enforcement duties within the county.

Demographics

The estimated 2000 population of Lexington-Fayette was 260,512. Of the 17 cities with the name "Lexington" in the continental United States, Lexington, Kentucky is the largest in both size and population. It is even larger than its namesake, Lexington, Mass. The Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) includes Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Jessamine, Scott, and Woodford counties. As of 2005, the MSA population stands at 429,889.
   The Lexington-Fayette-Frankfort-Richmond, KY Combined Statistical Area, established in 2005, had an estimated population of 635,547 in 2005. This includes the metro area and an additional seven counties, although Garrard County was excluded even though it's an important commuter county.
   As of the census of 2000, there were 260,512 people, 108,288 households, and 62,915 families residing in the city. The population density was 353.5/km² (915.6/mi²). There were 116,167 housing units at an average density of 157.6/km² (408.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was:
81.04% White
13.48% African American
0.19% Native American
2.46% Asian
0.03% Pacific Islander
1.21% from other races
1.58% from two or more races
3.29% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. There were 108,288 households out of which:
27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them
43.5% were married couples living together
11.5% had a female householder with no husband present
41.9% were non-families
31.7% of all households were made up of individuals
7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older
   The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90. The age distribution was:
21.3% under the age of 18
14.6% from 18 to 24
33.2% from 25 to 44
20.9% from 45 to 64
10.0% who were 65 years of age or older
   The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
   The median income for a household in the city was $39,813, and the median income for a family was $58,677. Males had a median income of $36,166 versus $26,964 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,109. 12.9% of the population and 8.2% of families were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those 65 and older.
   There are over 230 churches, mosques and synagogues in Lexington, representing 38 denominations.

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   TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:* Post-1980 figures include a combined Lexington and Fayette County population census.

_{Sources:
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2006 census:

Economy
   As such, the city is home to several large corporations. There are two Fortune 500 companies located within the city, Affiliated Computer Services and Lexmark International, employing 1,200 and 3,450 respectively. United Parcel Service, Trane and Amazon.com, Inc. have a large presence in the city, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky is within the Lexington CSA in adjoining Georgetown. The city is also host to a Jif peanut butter plant that produces more peanut butter than any other factory in the world, and to the Forcht Group of Kentucky, a holding company that employs more than 2,100 people across Kentucky. Forcht Group operates several businesses in Lexington including First Corbin Bancorp, Kentucky National Insurance Company, My Favorite Things, BSC, a bank data services company, and First Lab, among others.

   Another large employer, the University of Kentucky employs 10,668, The University is the ninth largest economic company in the state of Kentucky, with an annual budget of $1.4 billion, and the College of Medicine within the University is the 21st largest company in the state.

   Other sizable employers include the Lexington-Fayette County government and other hospital facilities. This includes the Fayette County Public Schools, employing 4,651, and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, employing 3,936. Central Baptist Hospital, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East, and the Veterans Administration Hospital employ 6,206 total. A report released by Jack Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, Lexington ranks 13th in the United States in terms of literacy rate. The index was compiled through six indicators of literacy, including Internet sources, newspaper circulation, the number of bookstores, library resources, education and periodical resources.

   The city is served by the Fayette County Public Schools. The system consists of 7 high schools, 11 middle schools, and 33 elementary schools, along with six private schools. There are also two traditional colleges, the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University. Other institutions of higher learning include Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Sullivan University, Spencerian College, Strayer University, and a newly opened distance learning extension of Indiana Wesleyan University.
Culture

Annual cultural events and fairs
Lexington is home to many thriving arts organizations including a professional orchestra, two ballet companies, professional theatre, several museums including a basketball museum, several choral organizations and a highly respected opera program at the University of Kentucky. In addition, there are several events and fairs that draw people from throughout the Bluegrass.

   Mayfest is a free outdoor festival that takes place annually over Mother's Day weekend. Held in Gratz park between the Carnegie Center and Transylvania University, the festival typically features up to 100 art and craft booths, live entertainment throughout the weekend, food, children's activities, adult activities and literary events, free carriage rides, a traditional Morris and Maypole dance and various demonstrations.

   Taking part the first full weekend of June is the Festival of the Bluegrass, Kentucky's oldest bluegrass music festival. It includes three stages for music and a "music camp" that teaches the bluegrass music to school children. Also in June is the popular Broadway review presented by UK Opera Theatre, "It's A Grand Night for Singing!"

   Lexingtonians gather downtown for the Fourth of July festivities which extend for several days. On July 3, the Gratz Park Historic District is transformed into an outdoor music hall when the Patriotic Music Concert is held on the steps of Morrison Hall at Transylvania University. The Lexington Singers and the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra perform at this event. On the Fourth, annual festivities include a reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of the Old Courthouse, a waiter's race in Phoenix Park, a parade, a country music concert, and fireworks. Also, throughout the day street vendors sell their wares and food to the downtown visitors. The Fourth of July is considered to be the biggest holiday in Lexington.

   "Southern Lights: Spectacular Sights on Holiday Nights", taking place from November 18 to December 31, is held at the Kentucky Horse Park. It includes a three-mile (5 km) drive through the park, showcasing numerous displays, many in character with the horse industry and history of Lexington. The "Mini-Train Express", an indoor petting exotic animal petting zoo, the International Museum of the Horse, an exhibit showcasing the Bluegrass Railway Club's model train, and Santa Claus are other major highlights.

   The Lexington Christmas Parade: Held usually the first Saturday in December, the parade route follows Main Street between Midland and Broadway. Festivities include a pre-parade "Santa's Sleigh" charity race, food, light entertainment, and post-show activities.

Other events and fairs include:

"It's A Grand Night for Singing" Presented by UK Opera, 2nd and 3rd weekends in June.
The Artists Market: A small display of arts and craft booths which is set up concurrently with the Farmer's Market each Saturday from the first weekend in June through the last weekend in August. Located on Vine Street opposite the Farmer's Market.
Thursday Night Live: An annual summer series of free, public concerts held in Cheapside Park every Thursday evening from 5pm - 7pm in June, July & August.
A Midsummer Night's Run, a 5K race in early August.
The Woodland Art Fair, an annual event of the Lexington Art League, is held annually in August at Woodland Park and features many local and national artists working in a variety of media.
The Roots & Heritage Festival takes place throughout the month of September and consists of a wide variety of culturally enriching activities including art exhibits, literary readings, film presentations, the Festival Ball and the ever-popular two-day street festival featuring live musical performances from internationally renowned artists.
The Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra presents several annual concerts.
The Kentucky Women Writers Conference which has hosted dozens of the nations foremost women writers.
Festival Latino in September
Gallery Hop, a seasonal event where the city's art galleries are open to the public on the third Friday of every third month.
Beaux Arts, a masquerade ball hosted by the University of Kentucky's College of Design (formerly College of Architecture).
Tournament of Champions: one of three national high school debate championship tournaments featuring policy debate and Lincoln-Douglas debate. The best teams in the nation meet after qualifying during the regular season on the first weekend in May annually.

Historical structures and museums
Lexington is home to numerous museums and historical structures. One of the most famous is Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate along Richmond Road east of downtown. This two-story museum is a National Historic Landmark and was the former home of statesman Henry Clay.

Lexington Public Library, in the Phoenix Park area near the geographic center of Lexington, houses the world's largest ceiling clock, a five story Foucault pendulum and a frieze depicting the history of the horse in the Bluegrass. The library and its branches also house art galleries and traveling exhibits.

   Another important museum is the Lexington History Center in the old Fayette County Courthouse in the heart of downtown. It offers two museums, one dedicated to the history of the region and the other dedicated to public safety. A third museum, devoted to the history of pharmaceuticals in the Bluegrass, is under construction. It will also be home to the Isaac Scott Hathaway Museum in 2007 as well.
Aviation Museum of Kentucky
The Headley-Whitney Museum
Hunt-Morgan House
Kentucky Theatre
Lexington Cemetery
Martin Castle
Mary Todd Lincoln House
Old Morrison, on the Transylvania University campus
Rupp Arena
The UK Art Museum is the premier art museum for Lexington and the only accredited museum in the region. Its collection of over 4000 objects ranges from Old Masters to Contemporary, and it also hosts ongoing special exhibitions. See www.uky.edu/art museum
UK Basketball Museum
Water Fuel Museum
Waveland State Historic Site

Media

Lexington's largest daily circulating newspaper is the Lexington Herald-Leader. It is also home to another daily circulating newspaper, two weekly publications, several bi-weekly and monthly papers and The Lane Report, a monthly statewide business magazine. The region is also served by seven primary television stations, including WLEX, WKYT, WTVQ, The CW, and WKLE. The state's public television network, Kentucky Educational Television (KET), is headquartered in Lexington and is one of the nation's largest public networks. Lexington is also host to eighteen radio stations.
Parks and outdoor attractions

City parks and facilities

Lexington has over 100 parks ranging in size from the .20 acre Smith Street Park to the Masterson Station Park . There are also six public golf courses at Avon, Kearney Links, Lakeside, Meadowbrook, Tates Creek and Picadome and three dog parks, at Jacobson, Masterson Station, and Coldstream. It also has two public 18-hole disc golf courses at Shillito Park and at Veterans Park, and a public skate park at Woodland Park, featuring of "ramps, platforms, bowls, and pipes." that used horse-drawn stagecoaches. The name changed to the Lexington Street Railway Company soon after to avoid confusion with the steam railroads. In 1890, the system was upgraded to streetcars and was referred to as the Kentucky Traction and Terminal Company. The streetcars ceased operations in 1938 when they were replaced by motorized buses under the Lexington Railway System name, which later became the Lexington Transit Corporation.

   By the early 1970s, expenses associated with the operation of the motorized buses soon outstripped revenue for the Lexington Transit Corporation . It offers carpooling and vanpooling computer ridematching services and Lex Van, a work commute vanpool leasing program.

   Today, LexTran operates eight routes from 5:30 AM to 11:20 PM seven-days-a-week from the Lexington Transit Center along Vine Street in downtown. In 2004, the system received additional funding from a successful ballot initiative to implement a new property tax dedicated to helping fund the LexTran system . Since the tax referendum passed, LexTran's system has grown by 50% and the number of passenger boardings and operators more than doubled. The bus fleet will increase from 53 as of May 2007 to 60 by August 2007 as well.

   For 2007, LexTran is poised to receive several upgrades to its fleet of buses and facilities . A renovation and expansion of the main LexTran facilities on East Loudon Avenue, expected to cost $7.5 million, has $4 million already secured. LexTran is also seeking $3.1 million for new buses, $1.5 million for an Automated Vehicle Locator, and $800,000 to purchase new fare boxes. Phase one of the expansion project includes the construction of a new bus fuel and wash building at 109 West Loudon Avenue, along with upgrades to the restrooms and break room at the Lexington Transit Center.
Transportation planning
The Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is responsible for transportation planning for Fayette and Jessamine Counties. This includes activities such as carpool matching, administering a commuter vanpool program, air quality forecasting, bicycle and pedestrian planning, congestion management, and developing transportation plans and documents.
Sister cities

Deauville, France since 1957
County Kildare, Ireland since 1984
Shizunai, Japan since 1988
Newmarket, England since 2003
All four are, like Lexington, major centers of the thoroughbred breeding industry in their respective countries.Further Information

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