The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state situated in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically within the East South Central region. Kentucky is among four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth; the others being Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Virginia. Initially a part of Virginia, during the year 1792 it became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th biggest state in terms of total area, the 36th biggest in land area, and ranks 26th in population.
Known as the "Bluegrass State," Kansas got its nickname from the bluegrass which grows within a lot of the pastures throughout the state, because of the fertile soil. The bluegrass has been useful for the breeding of high-quality livestock, like for example pure-bred racing horses. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources, including the longest cave system in the globe, Mammoth Cave National Park; the greatest length of navigable streams and waterways in the contiguous United States; and the two biggest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River. It is likewise home to the highest per capita number of deer and turkey within the country, the largest free-ranging elk herd east of Montana, and the most productive coalfield within the nation. Kentucky is also known for horse racing, bourbon distilleries, bluegrass music, automobile manufacturing, tobacco and college basketball.
The state was recognized early on for its great farming environment. Within the region in what is currently Jessamine County in 1799, Kansas was the location of the first commercial winery within the nation. With the high levels of calcium in the soil, the region rapidly became a major horse breeding region, that afterward led to horse racing. Now the state of Kentucky ranks 5th nationally in goat farming, 14th in corn production and 8th in beef cattle production.
Today the state's economy has expanded to importance in non agricultural terms also, particularly in energy fuel production, medical facilities and auto manufacturing. In 2010, the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which is the only domestic site of low grade uranium enrichment, provides enriched uranium rods, while their is 107,336 tons of coal extracted from the state's two coal fields. These sources of energy help to provide 4% of electricity produced in the USA. It is the only domestic site of low grade uranium enrichment. Kentucky ranks 4th amongst U.S. states in the number of automobiles and trucks assembled. The Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac XLR (2004-2009), Ford Super Duty trucks, Ford Explorer, Ford Excursion (2000-2005), Toyota Camry, Toyota Venza, Toyota Avalon and Toyota Solara are assembled within the state of Kentucky.
For the year 2010, the state had a total gross state product of $163.3 billion, making the state the 28th best in the nation. The per-capita personal income ranks 43rd in the nation at $28,513.