Western Kentucky

This article is about the geographic term "Western Kentucky". For the university, see Western Kentucky University. For this school's athletic program, see Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers.

Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state.

Always included

• The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recognized region, west of the Tennessee River
• The Western Coal Field, including the Clifty Region

Included in part

• The Pennyroyal Plateau, known in Western Kentucky as the "Pennyrile," which lies south and east of the Western Coal Field and is across the Tennessee River from the Purchase. Most of this region is generally included in "Western Kentucky".

May also be included

• The western half of the region more commonly known as South Central Kentucky, which significantly overlaps with the Pennyrile

See also

• 2021 Western Kentucky tornado

Further reading

• WPA, Kentucky: A Guide to the Bluegrass State (1939); classic guide from the Federal Writers Project; covers main themes and describes every town and feature, with capsule histories online