About 17 miles northeast of Lexington, Paris is the county seat of Bourbon County. With a population of 9,260, Paris is a little less than half of the 19,756 residents that call Bourbon County home. The main connecting road between Paris and Lexington is Paris Pike (KY 68/27), which was recently expanded to four-lanes. Bourbon County was one of nine counties that made up Kentucky when it became a state in 1792. Paris continues to be known for three things - horses, history and hospitality. The city is named for
Paris, France and the county is named for the French Bourbon family, who assisted the fledgling Americans in their split from England. Downtown Paris is filled with shops and restaurants utilizing the historic buildings that line both sides of Main St. The downtown area, which includes one of the most intact Victorian-era Main Streets in the state, recently underwent a million dollar facelift and now includes antique lighting and brick sidewalks. Long-known for agricultural products and livestock grown and raised
on the county's 292 square miles, Bourbon County is one of the leading producers of Thoroughbred horses in the world. More than 50 horse farms are located in the county, including world-famous Claiborne Farm, where Secretariat stood at stud for many years and is now buried in the farm’s cemetery. He won horse racing's Triple Crown in 1973.
For more information, visit www.parisky.com.