Lexington

Lexington, Kentucky 

The county seat of Fayette County is the city of Lexington in Kentucky, USA. It is the 57th-largest city in the United States and the second-largest city in Kentucky in terms of population. It is the 28th-largest city in the nation in terms of land area. The "Horse Capital of the World" is another name for the city. It is located in the Bluegrass area of the state. The Kentucky Horse Park, The Red Mile and Keeneland Racetracks, Rupp Arena, Central Bank Center, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, and Bluegrass Community and Technical College are a few notable locations in the city. 

A combined statistical area of 747,919 people and a metropolitan area of 516,811 people comprise the city's population as of the 2020 census, which was 322,570. Fayette County encompasses all of Lexington, and vice versa. Its nonpartisan mayor-council style of government has twelve council districts, three members elected at large, and a vice mayor who receives the most votes. 

History 

17 years before Kentucky became a state, in June 1775, in what was then referred to as Fincastle County, Virginia, Lexington was given its name. At the location of the modern-day McConnell Springs, a group of frontiersmen commanded by William McConnell set up camp on the Middle Fork of Elkhorn Creek (now known as Town Branch and rerouted beneath Vine Street). They gave the location the name Lexington after learning of the colonists' success in the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. The Massachusetts town's name was given to the first of several American locations. 

The Lexington Compact, also known as the "Articles of Agreement, made by the people of the town of Lexington, in the County of Kentucky," was signed by 45 founding settlers on January 25, 1780. Due to the surrounding fortifications that served as protection from both the British and Indians, the town at Lexington at this period was also known as Fort Lexington. In accordance with the Articles, each share received a "In" lot of 1/2 acre and a "Out" lot of 5 acres. The "Out" lots were to be "cleared" for farming, whilst the "In" lots were probably for the family living inside the walls. (The only crop listed in the Articles that is particularly corn.) It is believed that several of these early settlers—possibly many of them—fought under General George Rogers Clark in the Illinois campaign, also known as the Northwestern campaign, which took place in 1778–1779 against the British. William McConnell, the purported founder of Lexington, is not listed among the signatories, but an Alexander McConnell is. Both John and Jacob Wymore were killed by Indians outside "Fort Lexington" in separate instances within two years of the Agreement's signing. 

Historic The Henry Clay law firm is located in Lexington. 

The Traveling Church, a massive caravan of over 600 settlers from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, arrived in the Lexington region in December 1781. The Traveling Church, which was headed by the preacher Lewis Craig and Captain William Ellis, founded a number of churches, including the South Elkhorn Christian Church in Lexington. The town of Lexington was incorporated on May 6, 1782, thanks to a Virginia General Assembly legislation. Peter Durrett, a preacher of the Baptist faith and a slave owned by Joseph Craig, established the First African Baptist Church in Lexington sometime about 1790. Durrett had assisted "The Traveling Church" in navigating its journey to Kentucky. The third-oldest church in America, this congregation is the oldest black Baptist congregation in Kentucky. 

In a published version of his tour notes from Ohio and Kentucky, Josiah Espy wrote about Lexington, a growing city in the area to the west of the Appalachian Mountains, as follows: 

The largest and wealthiest town in Kentucky is called Lexington, and it is located west of the Allegheny Mountains. Market Street in Philadelphia looks just like Market Street in Lexington on a busy day. I estimate that it had approximately 500 homes—more likely, it was closer to 300—many of them elegant and three stories high. About thirty brick buildings were then being built, and I have little doubt that in a few years it would be comparable to the most populous inland town in the United States, both in terms of money and population. The countryside surrounding Lexington stretches for miles in every direction, is already highly farmed, and rivals anything the imagination can conjure in terms of beauty and fertility. 

John Wesley Hunt, a planter in Lexington, made history by becoming the first millionaire west of the Alleghenies in the early 19th century. In order to increase the demand for American goods, the War Hawks, led by Henry Clay, a lawyer who married into one of the wealthiest families in Kentucky and served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives in 1812, pushed for war with Great Britain. A ropewalk on James Erwin's farm on the Richmond Road served as a recruiting office and barracks until the end of the war, and six companies of volunteers came from Lexington. Several prominent Lexingtonians participated in the war as officers. For instance, following the Battle of the River Raisin, Captain Nathaniel G.S. Hart, who led the Lexington Light Infantry (commonly referred to as the "Silk Stocking Boys"), was slain while being held captive. In 1814, Henry Clay participated in the negotiations for the Treaty of Ghent. 

In 1833, a cholera pandemic that had spread over the Mississippi and Ohio basins' waterways ravaged the expanding town, killing 500 of its 7,000 citizens within two months, including about one-third of Christ Church Episcopal's flock. One of three clergy that lingered in the city to assist the suffering victims was London Ferrill, the second preacher of First African Baptist. 

Slaves were kept as household servants, field hands, laborers, and artisans by farmers in the Lexington region. Slaves mostly served as household helpers and artisans in the city, however they also worked for merchants, shippers, and a wide range of trades. In this region of the state, farms produced hemp and tobacco as commodity crops, and thoroughbred horse breeding and racing developed. The majority of the state's slaves lived in Lexington by the year 1850. Free Blacks, many of whom were multiracial, made up a sizeable portion of the black population in the city. First African Baptist Church had 1,820 members by 1850, under the leadership of free black Virginian London Ferrill. First African Baptist Church at the time had the biggest congregation of any church in Kentucky, black or white. 

Geography 

Clark, Jessamine, Bourbon, Woodford, and Scott are five other counties that are part of the Lexington-Fayette metro area. After Louisville, this is Kentucky's second-largest metro region. The city has a total area of 285.5 square miles, according to the United States Census Bureau (739 km2). Its total area is 284.5 square miles (737 km2), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.35%) is covered by water. 

Climate 

Lexington, which is in USDA hardiness zone 6b, is on the northern edge of the humid subtropical climatic zone (Cfa), which has hot, humid summers and somewhat chilly winters with sporadic mild spells. The city and the neighboring Bluegrass region experience four distinct seasons, with mild summer nights, refreshing plateau breezes, and no protracted bouts of heat, cold, rain, wind, or snow. The yearly mean temperature is 56.3 °F (13.5 °C), while the monthly daily average temperature ranges from 33.9 °F (1.1 °C) in January to 76.7 °F (24.8 °C) in July. There are about 25 days per year with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, and 23 days every winter with highs at or below freezing. Snowfall averages 14.5 inches (37 cm) every season, with an annual precipitation of 49.84 inches (1,270 mm), with late spring and summer being slightly drier. From 108 °F (42 °C) on July 10 and 15, 1936, to 21 °F (29 °C) on January 24, 1963, extreme temperatures have been recorded. 

According to the American Asthma and Allergy Foundation, Lexington has a high allergy rate. 

Economy 

The economy of Lexington is among the most secure in the country. With "a fortified economy, strong in manufacturing, technology, and entrepreneurial assistance, benefiting from a varied, balanced company base," Lexington describes its own economy. In August 2015, the unemployment rate in the Lexington Metro Area was 3.7%, which was lower than it was in many comparable-sized cities. 

Numerous big businesses call the city home. Four Fortune 500 firms, Xerox (which purchased Affiliated Computer Services), Lexmark International, Lockheed-Martin, and IBM, with respective workforces of 3,000, 2,800, 1,705, and 552, produce a significant amount of employment. The city is home to sizable facilities for United Parcel Service, Trane, and Amazon.com, Inc. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky is part of the Lexington CSA and is situated in neighboring Georgetown. Here, a Jif peanut butter factory makes more peanut butter than any other facility on earth. The area around the factory emits a characteristic burning scent that can be detected depending on the wind conditions. 

A&W Restaurants, a chain of restaurants known for its root beer, Link-Belt Construction Equipment, a designer and manufacturer of telescopic and lattice boom cranes, Big Ass Fans, a manufacturer of large ceiling fans and lighting fixtures for industrial, commercial, agricultural, and residential use, and Fazoli's, an Italian-American fast-food chain, are a few notable companies with notable corporate headquarters. 

The University of Kentucky, the biggest employer in the area, had 16,743 workers as of 2020. 

The Lexington-Fayette County government and more hospitals are some other significant employers. 5,374 people work for the Fayette County Public Schools, while 2,699 people work for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. 7,000 people are employed by Central Baptist Hospital, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph East, and the Veterans Administration Hospital together. 

Education 

The population of Lexington over the age of 25 has 22.4% bachelor's degree holders, 11.4% master's degree holders, 3.1% professional degree holders, and 2.6% PhD degree holders, according to the United States Census. 

Fayette County Public Schools provide education for the city. Currently, the system consists of six district high schools, numerous smaller multidistrict high schools, twelve middle schools, one middle/high school, and thirty-seven primary schools, in addition to numerous private schools. August 2016 saw the opening of two new elementary schools by FCPS, and August 2017 saw the opening of a new high school. 

The University of Kentucky, the state's premier public university, and Transylvania University, the state's first four-year institution and the first university west of the Alleghenies, are the two traditional colleges. 

Media 

The Lexington Herald-Leader is the most widely read daily newspaper in Lexington. A monthly business newspaper is called Business Lexington. Two local magazines are Southsider Magazine and The Chevy Chaser Magazine. 

Eight major television stations, including WLEX, WKYT, WDKY, WTVQ, WLJC, WUPX, WKLE, WKON, and online news source KyForward.com, all provide service to the area. 

With a headquarters in Lexington and a reach of all 1.6 million television households in the state, Kentucky Educational Television is the state's public television network. 

Population 

Kentucky's Fayette County is home to the city of Lexington. It is the largest city in Kentucky and the 58th largest city in the United States with a projected population of 330,601 in 2023. Lexington's population has grown by 2.49% since the most recent census, which showed a population of 322,570 in 2020, and is now rising at a pace of 0.82% annually. Lexington has a population density of 1,166 persons per square mile and a total length of about 286 miles. 

With an 18.38% poverty rate, Lexington's average household income is $83,111. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Lexington, the median age is 34.8 years, with 33.8 years for men and 35.8 years for women. 

Lexington is a city in Kentucky's Fayette County. The Kentucky Horse Park, The Red Mile, and Keeneland racetracks are all situated in Lexington, which is dubbed the "Horse Capital of the World." 

Top 2 News Websites 

Lexington Herald-Leader 

Read the most recent Lexington and other Kentucky cities' news, business, crime, and sports headlines, including those from Fayette County. Keep up with the latest news, trends, and more. 

Wdrb.com 

The Louisville Fox station, WDRB News, offers news, sports, weather, and traffic reports from the best journalism staff in Kentucky. 

Current Mayor 

Serving in her first term as mayor of Lexington is Linda Gorton, who has been a member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council for the longest period of time. On November 6, 2018, Mayor Gorton was chosen with 63% of the vote. 

Ohio-born Mayor Gorton has spent the majority of her adult life in Lexington. Mayor Gorton has served our community with a commitment to volunteerism for 16 years, including 4 years as vice mayor. 

Mayor Gorton has kept her administration focused on three objectives throughout the pandemic: keeping Lexington residents safe by adhering to state and CDC guidelines; continuing to offer basic services to residents; and moving Lexington forward to make sure that our city continued to draw new businesses despite the pandemic. Although the pandemic originally caused a slowdown in economic activity and led to budget cuts at City Hall, Mayor Gorton succeeded in his objectives. Lexington is surviving the pandemic with its finances in tact because to her prudent budget management. 

To combat structural racism in the Lexington community, Mayor Gorton established the Mayor's Commission on Racial Justice & Equality in the summer of 2020. The City is making good progress in putting the Commission's recommendations into practice. 

Mayor Gorton has two children and five grandchildren with her retired Army Major General spouse Charlie. She graduated from the University of Kentucky and is a registered nurse.