Bluegrass region
Bluegrass and stone wall
of local limestone in central Kentucky
The Bluegrass region is located in central and northern Kentucky, USA, with a small area extending into southern Ohio. It is characterized by underlying fossiliferous limestone, dolostone, and shale of Ordovician geologic age. Hills are generally rolling, and the soil is highly fertile for growing pasture. Hence, the Bluegrass is well known for its horse farms. The region is roughly centered around Lexington, Kentucky. The area has experienced an economic boom, particularly around Lexington, and farms are disappearing to development.
The Bluegrass in Kentucky is bounded on the east by the Cumberland Plateau, with the Pottsville Escarpment forming the boundary. On the south and west, it borders the Pennyroyal Plateau, also called the Pennyrile, with Muldraugh Hill, another escarpment, forming the boundary. Much of the region is drained by the Kentucky River and its tributaries. The river cuts a deep canyon through the region, preserving meanders that indicate that the river was once a mature low valley that was suddenly uplifted.
Kentucky River in the Bluegrass Region
Particularly near the Kentucky River, the region exhibits karst topography, with sinkholes, caves, and disappearing streams which drain underground to the river.
Kentucky Bluegrass is the common name for grass of the genus Poa, which is a favored lawn and pasture grass for eastern United States from Tennessee northward. (It does poorly in hot southern climates.)
The area gave its name to Bluegrass music, which is popular throughout Appalachia and the South.
