Bluegrass Region

• Kentucky is often referred to as Bluegrass Country. Being native to North America (not to mention parts of Europe, Asia and northern Africa), bluegrass is more common in Kentucky than in any other state in the United States.
  
  

Relation to Name

• In a sense, bluegrass---or, rather, the areas it covers---inspired the state's name. Kentucky has its roots in the Wyandot Indian name for "plains" to describe one of the state's dominant terrains.
  
  

Bluegrass: Really "Blue"?

• Bluegrass is actually not really blue. However, it gets its name from the bluish tint their blue-purple buds give when viewed from a distance. Otherwise, bluegrass is green.
  
  

Other Nicknames

• The "Bluegrass State" is not the only nickname for Kentucky. There is also the "Hemp State" and the "Tobacco State," thanks to the abundance of the respective crops in the state; and the "Dark and Bloody Ground State," in reference to the battles that took place with the Native Americans of the area.
  
  

"Corn-cracker State"?

• Yet another nickname, the "Corn-cracker State," is of debatable origin. Some claim it is in reference to the poorer people living in Kentucky's mountainous regions, while others claim it refers to the distinctive sound of a common crane in the state.