About Lexington

Lexington, Fayette-County, a consolidated Urban County Government is located in the heart of the Bluegrass Region of central Kentucky. The grass is not really blue. It’s green like everywhere else, but when a sea of blue purplish buds spring up, it sure looks blue!

Rich in culture and history, Lexington is known as “The Horse Capital of the world”, and will be the host of the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. Famous for beautiful Horse Farms and The University of Kentucky wildcats, Lexington and the surrounding area has much to offer.

*The June 2008 issue of Delta Sky Magazine has an insightful article regarding the Lexington Bluegrass Region. Click HERE and access the table of contents “Portrait: Lexington” icon for the entire article.

Location

Lexington is located closely to three major airports and is conveniently serviced by Interstates 75 and 64.

Demographics

Population:

  • Lexington –Fayette population (2006): 275,478
  • Lexington and surrounding MSA (2005): 635,547
  • Lexington is the 68th largest city in the United States
  • Median age for Lexington MSA-33.3yrs

Climate:

  • Lexington average minimum and maximum temperatures: Spring 34-74F, Summer 61-86F, Fall 36-79F, and Winter 23-54F
  • Annual Precipitation: 45.7”

Economy

  • Lexington and the surrounding MSA enjoy a thriving economy with a vast array of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Lexington and its surrounding MSA are home to corporations such as Lexmark, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, and Amazon.com Inc.
  • Overall living expenses are approximately 4.5% below the national average.
  • The Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Jessamine, Scott, and Woodford Counties.

Search Surrounding Areas; Including City & Chamber Of Commerce Sites

Entertainment and Culture

The excitement of Horse Racing and University of Kentucky Basketball are only the beginning of what Lexington has to offer. Eating out in Lexington takes you from traditional Southern cooking to the finest in continental and exotic cuisine, all can be found here.

Lexington is home to several Galleries, Museums, Sports Teams, and Wineries:

Best reasons to live here.

  • Beautiful Horse farm Country
  • Friendly people
  • Delightful Year round Climate
  • Historic College Town
  • Low Crime Rate
  • Range Of Housing Options
  • Strong Public School System
  • Abundant recreation and Entertainment

Links to useful information about Lexington and the Bluegrass Region

Fayette County Schools

Links to higher education in Lexington Area

Brief Historical Facts of Lexington

  • The city of Lexington was names for Lexington, Massachusetts, the site of the first battle of the Revolutionary War.
  • In 1775 famous frontiersman Daniel Boone established nearby Boonsborough, one of the first settlements in Kentucky, paving the was for others to follow and settle at McConnell Springs, Lexington’s birthplace.
  • Fayette County was names in honor of Marquis de Lafayette, France’s largest supporter of the American Revolution, in 1780. Once a part of Virginia, in 1782 the Virginia Assembly granted the town 710 acres.
  • The first Thoroughbred Horse was introduced to Lexington from Virginia in 1779.
  • In 1792, Virginia released Kentucky and it assumed statehood, appointing Frankfort the State Capital. In 1812, Henry Clay, known as the great compromiser, built Ashland, his then 400 acre estate. Lexington opened its first city school in 1834. The 1890’s saw tobacco replace hemp as the major cash crop and by the early 1900’s, Lexington had become the world’s largest burley tobacco market.
  • Lexington and its surrounding areas are the most concentrated horse breeding grounds in the world.
  • In 1924, William Monroe Wright, founder of Calumet Baking Powder, joined a number of farms to form Calumet, home of eight Kentucky Derby Champions. Keeneland Race Course opened in 1936 and Blue Grass airport took flight in 1942. And in 1974, Lexington and Fayette County merged into Kentucky’s first urban-county government.
  • Transylvania University is the oldest University west of the Allegheny Mountains and the 16th oldest University in the United States.
  • The historic fieldstone fences were built by Irish immigrants without the use of any type of mortar.