Frankfort is the capital of Kentucky, located on the Kentucky River and designated as the state capital in 1792.
The settlement was named for Stephen Frank, a pioneer who was killed at a nearby river crossing in 1780. Kentucky’s first constitution established Frankfort as the capital after statehood, despite larger cities such as Lexington and Louisville having greater commercial importance.
Frankfort lies between Louisville and Lexington in the inner Bluegrass region. The Kentucky State Capitol is a later neoclassical building completed in 1910, while the Old State Capitol served the legislature from 1830 to 1910. A common mix-up is choosing Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city; Frankfort is the state’s political capital.