Kentucky County Map

Kentucky County Maps

Kentucky is home to 120 counties, making it one of the states with the highest number of counties in the U.S. It’s second to only to Texas and Georgia. Geographically, Kentucky is diverse. It stretches from the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the rolling farmlands of the Bluegrass region and the Mississippi River floodplains in the west.

Kentucky Counties

Jefferson County, which includes Louisville, is the most populous in Kentucky. It boasts a population that dwarfs most other counties in the state. On the other hand, Robertson County is the least populous. Located in the rolling hills of northeastern Kentucky, it’s mostly rural without any major communities.

When it comes to size, Pike County takes the lead as the largest in Kentucky. It covers over 780 square miles, including a large section of the Appalachian Mountains. Conversely, Gallatin County is the smallest, with only about 100 square miles of land. Despite its size, Gallatin County plays an important role due to its location along the Ohio River.

Kentucky’s counties are named after early American statesmen, Revolutionary War heroes, and Native American tribes. Fayette County, for instance, is named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat who supported the American Revolution. The first county in Kentucky, Fayette County, was established in 1780 when Kentucky was still part of Virginia. This county was one of the three original ones created by Virginia’s legislature before Kentucky gained statehood in 1792.