Welcome to the Bluegrass State? Kentucky has plenty of state symbols to ponder. However, the ones that really get my attention are the chief nickname, motto, horse, and mineral. (Continued below)
| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Bluegrass State, Hemp State, Tobacco State, Dark and Bloody Ground | ||
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | United we stand, divided we fall | 1942 | > |
| Latin Motto | Deo gratiam habeamus | 2002 | > |
| Song | My Old Kentucky Home | 1986 | > |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | goldenrod (Solidago) | 1926 | > |
| Tree | tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) | 1994 | > |
| (former) | Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus) | 1976 | |
| (former) | tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) | 1956 | |
| Fruit | blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) | 2004 | > |
| Bird | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1926 | > |
| Wild Animal Game Species | gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) | 1968 | > |
| Horse | Thoroughbred (Equus caballus) | 1996 | > |
| Fish | Kentucky spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) | 1956 | > |
| Agricultural Insect | honeybee (Apis mellifera)  |
2010 | > |
| Butterfly | viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) | 1990 | > |
| Gemstone | freshwater pearl (Unionoida) | 1986 | > |
| Mineral | coal | 1998 | > |
| Rock | Kentucky agate | 2000 | > |
| Fossil † | brachiopod (Brachiopoda) | 1986 | > |
| Soil | Crider Soil Series | 1990 | > |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Original Kentucky Soft Drink | Ale-8-One | 2013 | > |
| Drink | milk |
2005 | > |
Bourbon Festival  |
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Incorporated, of Bardstown, Kentucky | 2000 | > |
| Silverware Pattern | Old Kentucky Blue Grass, the Georgetown Pattern | 1996 | > |
| State Tug-o-War Championship |
The Fordsville (Ohio County) Tug-of-War Championship | 1990 | > |
| Official Steam Locomotive of Kentucky | Old 152 | 2000 | > |
| Sports Car | Corvette | 2010 | > |
| Official Covered Bridge of Kentucky | Switzer Covered Bridge (Franklin County) | 1998 | > |
Covered Bridge Capital of Kentucky  |
Fleming County | 1998 | > |
| Arboretum | Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest | 1994 | > |
| State Botanical Garden | University of Kentucky Arboretum | 2000 | > |
| Center for Celebration of African American Heritage | Kentucky Center for African American Heritage in Louisville | 2002 | > |
| State Science Center | Louisville Science Center | 2002 | > |
| Dance | clogging | 2006 | > |
| Bluegrass Song | Blue Moon of Kentucky | 1988 | > |
| Birthplace of Newgrass Music | Bowling Green | 2010 | > |
| Father of Newgrass Music | Sam Bush | 2010 | > |
| Musical Instrument | Appalachian dulcimer | 2001 | > |
| Theater Pipe Organ | Wurlitzer Pipe Organ | 2005 | > |
| Kentucky Commonwealth Theatre | Devou Park Summer Classics Theatre of Covington | 1992 | > |
| Amphitheater | Iroquois Amphitheater | 2001 | > |
| Outdoor Musical | The Stephen Foster Story | 2002 | > |
| Pipe Band | Louisville Pipe Band | 2000 | > |
| Kentucky Shakespeare Festival | “Shakespeare in Central Park” of Louisville | 1984 | > |
| Language | English |
1984 | > |
| Pledge of Allegiance to State Flag | Pledge of Allegiance to the Commonwealth of Kentucky | 2000 | > |
| Military School | Millersburg Military Institute | 2004 | > |
The most familiar nickname is Bluegrass State, though the state’s official symbols also celebrate Newgrass. “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” is one of my favorite state mottoes.
Black is the color of the state horse and mineral, the Thoroughbred and coal. Unfortunately, an unbridled passion for mining coal has taken a steep toll on the environment.
However, Kentucky’s worst symbol is probably its official military school. Where are we, Sparta? I’ll take bluegrass over the U.S. military any day.
If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.
You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)
After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.
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