'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, Kentucky,
[1] 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 (UK). UK's basketball program is immensely popular in the city and throughout the state. The
University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team has won more games than any other team in college basketball history.
Lexington has been selected to be the site of the
2010 FEI World Equestrian Games.
[2]
History
:''See also:
History of Kentucky''
Lexington was founded in June 1775 in Virginia (17 years before
Kentucky became a state). 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
[2]. The first alcohol and drug rehabilitation hospital in the United States of America was also know as "Narco" of Lexington, as well as the "Addiction Research Center". This was later converted into a
federal prison.
Geography
A prominent building in downtown Lexington.
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.
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 is land and 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.35% water.
[3]
Climate
Lexington is in the transition area between a
humid continental climate and a
humid subtropical climate. 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.
[4] The results for the spring of 2006 rank Lexington at 75th.
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 [3]'' |
Cityscape
Victorian Square Shoppes
Lexington features a diverse cityscape. From its vibrant downtown that features much-needed infill projects to its famed horse farms, the city prides itself in featuring an
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, is not 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
[5] 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 [6]. 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
. This was based upon the Health Department recommendations because the rural portions of the county rely upon individual on-site septic systems; the larger lot sizes would better protect the groundwater, the agricultural economy, and the rural environment. Two years, a comprehensive Design Plan for the downtown was completed
[7], 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
. The Urban Activity Centers were commericial and light-industrial districts in urbanized areas, while Rural Activity Centers were retail trade and light-industrial centers clustered around the
Interstate 64/
Interstate 75 interchanges. In 1996, the Urban Service Area was expanded when of the Rural Service Area was acquired through the Expansion Area Master Plan
. This was not without its controversy, as it was the first major update to the Comprehensive Plan in over a decade
. The Expansion Area Master Plan included impact fees, assessment districts, neighborhood design concepts, design overlays, mandatory greenways, major roadway improvements, stormwater management and open space mitigation for the first time; it also included a draft of the Rural Land Management Plan, which included large lot zoning and traffic impact controls. A pre-zoning of the entire expansion area was refuted in the Plan. A 50 acre minimum proposal was also defeated, although the mention of the proposal led to a deluge of 10 acre subdivisions in the Rural Service Areas
.
Three years after the expansion was initiated, the Rural Service Area Land Management Plan was adopted, which increased the minimum lot size in the agricultural rural zones to 40 acre minimums
. In 1998, a moratorium was issued on rural lot creations to curb the development of new rural 10 acre subdivisions that were incompatible with the existing agricultural uses. Two years later, the Purchase of Development Rights plan was adopted, which granted the city power to purchase the development rights of existing farms; in 2001, $40 million was allocated to the plan from a $25 million local, $15 million state grant
. An Infill and Redevelopment study was also initiated during that time, along with design guidelines for the areas surrounding the new
Fayette County courthouses.
Government and politics
In 1974, the governments of the city of Lexington and
Fayette County, Kentucky combined to create the current ''Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government''. Lexington has an elected mayor and city council-style of government.
Mayor
On November 7, 2006,
Jim Newberry was elected Mayor of Lexington.
[8] In January 2007, he succeeded
Teresa Isaac, the city's mayor since 2000. During Isaac's tenure as Mayor, Lexington was the largest American city with an Arab-American mayor.
[The Arab American Institute web site.]
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 with 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: Richard Moloney
★ 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. In addition, the
University of Kentucky Police Department, the
Transylvania University Department of Public Safety,
Blue Grass Airport Public Safety, and the
Kentucky Horse Park Police have jurisdiction within their geographic areas.
Demographics
Calvary Baptist Church, Lexington
The estimated 2000 population of Lexington-Fayette was 260,512. 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.
[9]
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 is an important commuter county.
[10]
As of the
census² 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
Hispanic or
Latino 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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★ Post-1980 figures include a combined Lexington and Fayette County population census.
Sources:
★ 1790 to 1960 census: [11]
★ 1970 census: [12]
★ 1980 census: [13]
★ 1990 census: [14]
★ 2000 to 2005 census: [15]
★ 2006 census: [16]
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Lexington, Kentucky
Since the early 1950s, Lexington's economy has increasingly become a manufacturing, technology-oriented, and university oriented economy. There are three public universities, five private colleges, and two theological seminaries located within the Lexington CSA. In addition, the city plays an integral part in the region as being the leading medical and commercial center.
As such, Lexington 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
[17] 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
Georgetown. The city has a
Jif peanut butter plant that produces more peanut butter than any other factory in the world.
The
University of Kentucky employs 10,668.
Not included in that tally is the College of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service, which has a staff of over 900.
[18] The University is the ninth largest economic company in the state of Kentucky, with an annual budget of $1.4 billion. The
College of Medicine within the University is the 21st largest company in the state.
Other sizeable employers rest with the government of Lexington-Fayette County and its 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, St. Joseph Hospital, and the Veterans Administration Hospital employ 6,206 total.
Education
According to the
United States Census, of Lexington's population over the age of twenty-five, 22.4% hold a bachelor's degree, 11.4% hold a master's degree, and 3.1% hold a professional degree. Just 2.6% hold a doctorate degree. Lexington was also ranked #10 in a list of America's most educated cities with a population of more than 250,000, ranked by percentage of bachelor's degrees among residents 25 and older.
[19]
The city is served by the
Fayette County Public Schools. The system consists of seven high schools, 11 middle schools, and 33 elementary schools. Six private schools also serve Lexington.
The city also plays host to 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",
[20] 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 Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra presents several annual concerts.
[21]
★ The Kentucky Women's Writer's 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 School of Architecture.
★ "Thriller" re-enactment in which hundreds of people dress as zombies following a Michael Jackson character through the streets of downtown. Started in Halloween 2005, it hopes to become an annual event.
★ 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
★
The 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. It's 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
Main articles: Media of Lexington, Kentucky
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 40 general-use parks ranging in size from the .20 acre Smith Street Park to the Masterson Station Park
[22]. 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."
Horse racing tracks
Lexington is home to two historic
horse racing tracks.
Keeneland, sporting live races in April and October since 1936, is steeped in tradition where much has not changed since the track's opening.
The Red Mile Harness Track is the oldest
horse racing track in the city, and second oldest in the nation. This is where horses pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies while racing, also referred to as
harness racing. The
Kentucky Horse Park, located along scenic Iron Works Pike, is a relatively late-comer to Lexington, opening in 1978. It is a working horse farm and an educational theme park, along with holding the distinction of being a retirement home for some of the world's greatest competition horses. It will play host to the
2010 FEI World Equestrian Games.
Natural areas
The city is home to 'Raven Run Nature Sanctuary', a nature preserve along the
Kentucky River Palisades
. There are of back-country hiking trails that range from wheelchair-accessible paved trails to difficult single-track trails. The park is home to over 56 species of trees, 600 species of plants, 200 species of birds, and other wildlife. Remains of a grist mill, homestead and limekiln remain. The preserve also has a nature center and various educational programs throughout the year.
The '
Arboretum' is a one-hundred-acre preserve adjacent to the
University of Kentucky . It features the ''Arboretum Woods'', a small, 16 acrer Bluegrass Woodland patch that is home to eighteen native Kentucky tree species, and more than 50 native Kentucky grasses and herbs. It also has 1,500 varieties of roses in the ''Rose Garden'', a ''Home Demonstration Garden'', and numerous paved paths and trails.
The city also plays host to the historic 'McConnell Springs', a 26 acre park within the industrial confines off of Old Frankfort Pike.
[23] There are two miles (3 km) of trails that surround the namesake springs, historic dry-laid stone fences, and historical structures.
Sports
Lexington is home to the
Lexington Legends, a Class A minor league affiliate of the
Houston Astros. Since its creation in 2001, Lexington has produced three major leaguers, the first being
John Buck (Catcher) who plays for the
Kansas City Royals, followed by
Kirk Saarloos (Starting Pitcher) who is with the
Cincinnati Reds and
Mike Gallo (Relief Pitcher), who is currently with the
Colorado Rockies. The Legends belong to the SAL (South Atlantic League), have one league title (2001) and 4 playoff appearances since 2001. Future Hall of Fame hurler
Roger Clemens pitched in one game for the Legends in 2006 as part of his preparation to return to the Houston Astros.
The
Lexington Horsemen are an indoor football team in the
United Indoor Football league.
The
University of Kentucky fields
22 varsity sports teams, most of which compete in the
Southeastern Conference. The most famous team by far is the men's basketball team, led by head coach
Billy Gillispie. The Kentucky Men's Basketball team has won 7 NCAA Championships and is the winningest program in college basketball history.
Transylvania University competes in
NCAA Division III athletics.
Lexington was also home to the
Kentucky Thoroughblades, a minor league (
AHL) hockey team that played between 1996 and 2001. From 2002-2003, the
ECHL Men O' War played minor league hockey in Lexington.
In addition, Lexington is home to two horse racing tracks. At
Keeneland,
thoroughbred horses race while at
The Red Mile harness racing is the featured competition. It is also home to the
Rolex Kentucky Three Day, one of the top 5 annual equestrian
eventing competitions in the world.
Transportation
Highways
Main articles: Roads of Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is serviced by both
Interstate 64 and
Interstate 75, though neither they nor any other
freeway run through the city proper.
New Circle Road (KY 4) acts as an inner-beltway around the city,
Man o' War Boulevard is a semi outer-beltway south of New Circle Road, and numerous U.S. routes and arterial
highways radiate out from downtown to provide access to the numerous bedroom communities ringing the metropolitan area. Citation Boulevard is planned to provide some relief to northern New Circle between Leestown Road and Russell Cave Road. Lexington suffers considerable
traffic congestion for a city of its size due to the lack of out- or inbound freeways, the proximity of the University of Kentucky to downtown, and the substantial number of
commuters from outlying towns.
Air
Lexington is accessible by air with approximately 65 direct and nonstop flights daily from the two runways of
Blue Grass Airport. Six major airlines operate connection serice of Blue Grass, including
American Eagle,
Delta Air Lines,
Continental Express,
Northwest Airlink,
United Express, and
US Airways Express.
The airport is located four miles (six km) west of the city along
US 60 (Versailles Road).
Public transportation
Prior to today's public transit city bus system, ''LexTran'', Lexington was served by numerous private transit systems. The first such system was the ''Lexington Railway Company'' omnibuses which began operation in 1874
[24] 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''
. In April 1972, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government incorporated the system under the local government and renamed the system ''LexTran''. In 1997, LexTran introduced the ''Lexington Bluegrass Mobility Office''
[25]. 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
[26]. 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.
See also
★
Notable residents of Lexington, Kentucky
External links
★
Official website of Lexington, Kentucky
★
Official website of Fayette County Public Schools
★
Official website of Fayette County Sheriff
★
Official website of Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
★
Official website of Downtown Lexington Corporation
★
Official Website of Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate
★
KY Dept. of Parks: Waveland Estate
★
National Register of Historic Places in Fayette County
References
1. Lexington was briefly Kentucky's largest city by 10,000 people, from the 2000 Census until January 1, 2003, when Louisville merged with Jefferson County.
2. [1]
3. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/21/21067.html
4. http://www.aafa.org/
5. Davis, Merlene. "Architects design park to be built over viaduct." 11 October 1984. Herald-Leader [Lexington]. 16 November 2006.
6.
7.
8. "Isaac concedes to Newberry for Lexington Mayor." Herald-Leader [Lexington]. 7 November 2006 [4].
9. Lexington, KY MSA Population. Census Bureau. 28 August 2006 [5]
10. [6]
11. "Population Growth in Kentucky, 1820-1960", , George A., Hillery Jr., University of Kentucky Agriculture Experiment Station, ,
12. "1970 Census of the Population, Volume 1: Characteristics of the Population, Part 19, Kentucky", , , , United States Government Printing Office, ,
13. "1980 Census of the Population, Volume 1: Characteristics of the Population, Part 19, Kentucky", , , , United States Government Printing Office, ,
14. "KSDC News"
15. "Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky - Population finder"
16.
17. Major Employers. Commerce Lexington. 31 August 2006 [7].
18. University of Kentucky Facts At A Glance. University of Kentucky. 31 August 2006 [8].
19. Christie, Les. "America's smartest cities." CNNMoney. 31 August 2006. 2 Sept. 2006 [9].
20. http://www.kyhorsepark.com/khp/holiday
21. http://www.lexphil.org/index.php?b=ct_lexphil_on_tour
22. Fun Guide 2007, , , , City of Lexington, Kentucky, Division of Parks and Recreation, ,
23. Parks. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. 31 August 2006 [10].
24. History of Transit in Lexington
25. LexVan Rideshare Information
26. Fruitful trip to the hill
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