Current Time in Lexington-Fayette, United States

Lexington-Fayette lies in the heart of the Bluegrass region of central Kentucky, in the eastern United States. Since 1974 the city of Lexington and Fayette County have shared a single merged government, which is why the official name joins the two. The setting is famous in its own right: gently rolling pasture on limestone soil, divided by dry stone walls and black plank fences, dotted with barns, oak trees and grazing thoroughbred horses.

With a population of around three hundred and twenty thousand, it is the second largest city in Kentucky. Its global reputation rests on horses. Lexington calls itself the Horse Capital of the World, and the claim is defensible, since the farms of Fayette County and its neighbours breed and train a large share of the world's champion thoroughbreds, and the bloodstock auctions held here set prices for the international racing industry.

Settlers founded the town in 1775 and named it after the Battle of Lexington in Massachusetts, news of which had just reached the frontier. It grew quickly into the most cultured settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains, earning the nickname the Athens of the West, with a university, a theatre and fine brick townhouses while much of the region was still wilderness. Hemp, tobacco and horse breeding built local fortunes. The statesman Henry Clay lived here for decades, and Mary Todd, who married Abraham Lincoln, grew up in the town. Both of their houses are open to visitors.

Keeneland racecourse, with its stone grandstand and spring and autumn meetings, is one of the most beautiful racetracks anywhere and also the leading thoroughbred auction house in the world. The Kentucky Horse Park, a working farm and museum on the edge of the city, welcomes visitors year round and hosts international equestrian competition. Many private farms offer tours, and a drive along the country roads north of the city is an attraction in itself. Downtown has the restored Victorian houses of Gratz Park, a lively food and distillery scene and the Lexington Opera House.

The city is a gateway to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, with historic distilleries in the surrounding counties, and bourbon, horses and college basketball form the local trinity. The University of Kentucky Wildcats command extraordinary loyalty, and Rupp Arena is among the largest basketball venues in the country. Bluegrass music, county fairs and horse shows fill the calendar.

Lexington was one of the first American cities to draw an urban service boundary, deliberately restricting sprawl in order to protect the surrounding farmland, and the result is a compact city ringed by open country. Interstate highways, a regional airport and a bus network handle transport, while a growing trail system serves cyclists.

Education is central to the local economy. The University of Kentucky is a major research institution with a large medical centre, and Transylvania University, founded in 1780, is among the oldest in the country.

Lexington-Fayette blends southern hospitality, elegant landscape and world-class horse culture in a way no other American city matches.