Horse Capital of the World — Keeneland, Thoroughbred horse farms and bourbon distilleries in the Kentucky Bluegrass
Lexington is the Horse Capital of the World — 400+ horse farms in the surrounding Bluegrass country produce a disproportionate share of Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup champions, and the Kentucky Horse Park (490 acres north of the city) offers year-round immersion in equine culture. Keeneland Race Course, which holds spring and fall meets that draw international buyers and racing royalty, is widely considered the most beautiful track in North America. Seven craft distilleries within a mile of downtown and the full Kentucky Bourbon Trail within easy driving range make Lexington the natural ba…
Lexington was founded in 1775 — the first permanent settlement west of the Alleghenies in what would become Kentucky — named by long hunters for the opening battle of the Revolutionary War before they knew whether the patriots had won. The Bluegrass region's calcium-rich limestone soil produces exceptionally strong-boned Thoroughbreds, and the same limestone filters the iron-free water ideal for bourbon mash fermentation, linking the two industries that have defined Lexington's global identity since the 1820s.