Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington
Official seal of Lexington
Nickname(s): 
Athens of the West,[1] Horse Capital of the World
Map
Interactive map of Lexington
Lexington is located in Kentucky
Lexington
Lexington
Location within Kentucky
Lexington is located in the United States
Lexington
Lexington
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 38°02′47″N 84°29′49″W / 38.04639°N 84.49694°W / 38.04639; -84.49694
CountryUnited States
StateKentucky
CountiesFayette
Established1782[2]
Incorporated1831[2]
Named forLexington, Massachusetts
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorLinda Gorton (R)
 • Urban County Council15-member legislative council
Area
 • Consolidated city-county285.54 sq mi (739.54 km2)
 • Land283.64 sq mi (734.62 km2)
 • Water1.90 sq mi (4.92 km2)
 • Urban
87.5 sq mi (226.7 km2)
Elevation
978 ft (298 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Consolidated city-county322,570
 • Estimate 
(2022)[5]
320,347 Decrease
 • RankUS: 59th
Kentucky: 2nd
 • Density1,100/sq mi (440/km2)
 • Urban
315,631 (US: 130th)[4]
 • Metro
517,056 (US: 109th)
 • CSA
745,033 (US: 70th)
DemonymLexingtonian
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
40502–40517, 40522–40524, 40526, 40533, 40536, 40544, 40546, 40550, 40555, 40574–40583, 40588, 40591, 40598
Area code859
FIPS code21-46027
Websitewww.lexingtonky.gov

Lexington is a consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the second-most populous city in Kentucky (after Louisville), the 14th-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 59th-most populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 30th-largest city.

Lexington is known as the "Horse Capital of the World" due to the hundreds of horse farms in the region, as well as the Kentucky Horse Park, The Red Mile and Keeneland race courses. It is within the state's Bluegrass region. Notable locations within the city include venues Rupp Arena and Central Bank Center, colleges and universities such as the University of Kentucky, Transylvania University, and Bluegrass Community and Technical College, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Headquarters.

The city anchors the Lexington–Fayette metropolitan area of 516,811 people and the greater Lexington–Fayette–Richmond–Frankfort combined statistical area of 747,919 people. It has been consolidated entirely within Fayette County since 1974 and has a nonpartisan mayor-council form of government, with 12 council districts and three members elected at large, with the highest vote-getter designated vice mayor.

  1. ^ "Athens of the West". National Register of Historic Places (Essay). National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. May 2, 2019. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office. "Lexington, Kentucky". Accessed September 18, 2013.
  3. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  4. ^ United States Census Bureau (December 29, 2022). "2020 Census Qualifying Urban Areas and Final Criteria Clarifications". Federal Register. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.

Developed by StudentB