Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States

🇺🇸 Bowling Green is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. It is the third-most-populous city in the state; its metropolitan area, is the fourth largest in the state; and its combined statistical area is shared with Glasgow.

In the 21st century, it is the location of numerous manufacturers, including General Motors and Fruit of the Loom. The Bowling Green Assembly Plant has been the source of all Chevrolet Corvettes built since 1981. Bowling Green is also home to the state's second-largest public university, Western Kentucky University. In 2014, Forbes magazine listed Bowling Green as one of the Top 25 Best Places to Retire in the United States. Bowling Green is shifting to a more knowledge-based, technology-driven economy. With one major public university and a technical college, Bowling Green serves as an education hub for the south-central Kentucky region. In addition, the city is the region's leading medical and commercial centre.

History The first Europeans known to have reached the area carved their names on beech trees near the river around 1775. By 1778, settlers established McFadden's Station on the north bank of the Barren River.

Present-day Bowling Green developed from homesteads erected by Robert and George Moore and General Elijah Covington, the namesake of the town near Cincinnati.

Some controversy exists over the source of the town's name. The city refers to the first county commissioners' meeting (1798), which named the town "Bolin Green" after the Bowling Green in New York City, where patriots had pulled down a statue of King George III and used the lead to make bullets during the American Revolution. According to the Encyclopedia of Kentucky, the name was derived from Bowling Green, Virginia, from where early migrants had come, or the personal "ball alley game" of founder Robert Moore.

History: 19th century By 1810, Bowling Green had 154 residents. Growth in steamboat commerce and the proximity of the Barren River increased Bowling Green's prominence. In 1821, the Kentucky Legislature built a toll road between the town and Cloverport on the Ohio River. Canal locks and dams on the Barren River made it much more navigable. In 1832, the first portage railway connected the river to the location of the current county courthouse. Mules pulled freight and passengers to and from the city on the tracks.

Despite rapid urbanization of the Bowling Green area in the 1830s, agriculture remained an important part of local life. A visitor to Bowling Green noted the boasting of a tavern proprietor named Benjamin Vance: [Vance] says that he has seen a turnip this fall that measures thirty-two inches around, and has a beet that weighs sixteen pounds and a half;… that corn in this country grows so fast that if you look at it the next, it has grown a foot higher; that the "little hickory twigs" growing in the barrens have roots as large as his legs…

In 1859, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (currently CSX Transportation) laid railroad through Bowling Green that connected the city with northern and southern markets.

Bowling Green declared itself neutral in an attempt to escape the Civil War. Because of its prime location and resources, however, both the Union and Confederacy sought control of the city. The majority of its residents rejected both the Confederacy and the Lincoln administration. On September 18, 1861, around 1300 Confederate soldiers arrived from Tennessee to occupy the city, placed under command of Kentucky native General Simon Bolivar Buckner. The city's pro-Union feelings surprised the Confederate occupiers. The Confederates fortified surrounding hills to secure possible military approaches to the valuable river and railroad assets. In November 1861, the provisional Confederate government of Kentucky chose Bowling Green as its capital.

On February 14, 1862, after receiving reports that Fort Henry on the Tennessee River and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River had both been captured by Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant, the Confederates began to withdraw from Bowling Green. They destroyed bridges across the Barren River, the railroad depot, and other important buildings that could be used by the enemy. The city was subject to disruptions and raids throughout the remainder of the war. During the summer of 1864, Union General Stephen G. Burbridge arrested 22 civilians in and around Bowling Green on a charge of treason. This incident and other harsh treatment by federal authorities led to bitterness toward the Union among Bowling Green residents and increased sympathies with the Confederacy.

After the Civil War, Bowling Green's business district grew considerably. Previously, agriculture had dominated the city's economy. During the 1870s, many of the historic business structures seen today were erected. One of the most important businesses in Bowling Green of this era was Carie Burnam Taylor's dress-making company. By 1906, Taylor employed more than 200 women.

In 1868, the city constructed its first waterworks system. The fourth county courthouse was completed in 1868. The first three were completed in 1798, 1805, and 1813. In 1889, the first mule-drawn street cars appeared in the city. The first electric street cars began to replace them by 1895.

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth founded St. Columbia's Academy in 1862, succeeded by St. Joseph's School in 1911. In 1884, the Southern Normal School, which had been founded in 1875, moved to Bowling Green from the town of Glasgow, Kentucky. Pleasant J. Potter founded a women's college in Bowling Green in 1889. It closed in 1909 and its property was sold to the Western Kentucky State Normal School (see below, now known as Western Kentucky University). Other important schools in this era were Methodist Warren College, Ogden College (which also became a part of Western Kentucky University), and Green River Female College, a boarding school.

History: 20th century In 1906, Henry Hardin Cherry, the president and owner of Southern Normal School, donated the school to the state as the basis of the Western State Normal School. The school trained teachers for the expanding educational needs of the state. This institution is now known as Western Kentucky University and is the second-largest public university in the state, having recently surpassed the University of Louisville.

In 1906, Doctors Lillian H. South, J. N. McCormack, and A.T. McCormack opened St. Joseph Hospital to provide medical and nursing care to the residents and students in the area.

In 1925, the third and last Louisville and Nashville Railroad Station was opened. About 27 trains arrived daily at the depot. Intercity bus lines were also a popular form of travel. By the 1960s, railroad travel had dramatically declined in the face of competition from airlines and automobiles. The station has been adapted for use as a museum.

In 1940, a Union Underwear factory built in Bowling Green bolstered the city's economy significantly. During the 1960s, the city's population began to surpass that of Ashland, Paducah, and Newport.

Downtown streets became a bottleneck for traffic. In 1949, the U.S. Route 31W Bypass was opened to alleviate traffic problems, but it also drew off business from downtown. The bypass grew to become a business hotspot in Bowling Green. A 1954 advertisement exclaimed, "Your business can grow in the direction Bowling Green is growing – to the 31-W By-Pass".

By the 1960s, the face of shopping was changing completely from the downtown retail square to suburban shopping centers. Between May and November 1967, stores in Bowling Green Mall opened for business. Another advertisement said, "One-stop shopping. Just park [free], step out and shop. You'll find everything close at hand". Between September 1979 and September 1980, stores in the larger Greenwood Mall came on line. The city's limits began to stretch toward Interstate 65.

By the late 1960s, Interstate 65, which runs just to the east of Bowling Green, was completed. The Green River Parkway (now called the William H. Natcher Parkway), was completed in the 1970s to connect Bowling Green and Owensboro. These vital transportation arteries attracted many industries to Bowling Green.

In 1981, General Motors moved its Chevrolet Corvette assembly plant from St. Louis, Missouri, to Bowling Green. In the same year, the National Corvette Homecoming event was created: it is a large, annual gathering of Corvette owners, car parades, and related activities in Bowling Green. In 1994, the National Corvette Museum was constructed near the assembly plant.

In 1997, Bowling Green was designated a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

History: 21st century In 2012, the city undertook a feasibility study on ways to revitalize the downtown Bowling Green area. The Downtown Redevelopment Authority was formed to plan redevelopment. Plans for the project incorporated Bowling Green's waterfront assets, as well as its historic centre and streetscape around Fountain Square. It also proposed a new building for the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, construction of a Riverwalk Park where downtown borders the Barren River, creation of a new public park called Circus Square, and installation of a new retail area, the Fountain Square Market.

As of spring 2009, the new Chamber of Commerce, Riverwalk Park, and Circus Square have been completed. The Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, a facility for arts and education, broke ground in October 2009 and celebrated its opening night on March 10, 2012, with a concert by Vince Gill. Ground was broken for the Fountain Square Market in 2012.

In 2005, an effort was made to incorporate a Whitewater Park into the downtown Bowling Green riverfront at Weldon Peete Park. Due to the recession, the project was not funded.

In 2011, the Bowling Green Riverfront Foundation expanded its efforts to develop land on the opposite side of Barren River from Mitch McConnell Park (which is located alongside the U.S. 31-W Bypass and the riverbank, between Louisville Road and Old Louisville Road), upriver to Peete Park. The new plans include use of the adjacent river for white-water sports—the stretch of river includes rapids rated on the International Scale of River Difficulty between Class II and Class IV—as well as a mountain biking trail, a bicycle pump track, and a rock climbing area. Some of this facility will be located on a reclaimed landfill, which had served as Bowling Green's garbage dump for many years.

Geography The Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport is 547 feet (167 m) above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.6 square miles (92 km²), of which 35.4 square miles (92 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.45%) is covered by water.

Economy General Motors Manufacturing Plant, Holley Performance Products, Houchens Industries, SCA, Camping World, Minit Mart, Fruit of the Loom, Russell Brands, and other major industries call Bowling Green home. It has also attracted new industries, such as Bowling Green Metalforming, a division of Magna International, Inc., and Halton Company, which chose to expand their world-wide companies into Bowling Green.

Commonwealth Health Corporation, Western Kentucky University, and Warren County Board of Education are the biggest employers for Bowling Green and the surrounding region. Other companies based in Bowling Green include Eagle Industries and Trace Die Cast. The third-largest home shopping network, EVINE Live, has its warehouse fulfilment centre located off Nashville Road. EVINE Live also recently moved a large amount of its customer service call centre operations to its Bowling Green location. EVINE Live's corporate headquarters are located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, although the largest part of its day-to-day operations are in Bowling Green.

Bowling Green's high income and job growth combined with a low cost of doing business led the city to be named to Forbes magazine's 2009 list of the "Best Small Places for Business". In an evaluation of 179 cities across the nation, Forbes ranked Bowling Green 19th best city in which to do business. The list ranked Bowling Green 34th nation-wide for the lowest cost-of-living and 22nd for highest job growth.

In March 2009, the Bowling Green metropolitan area was recognised by Site Selection magazine as a top economic development community in the United States for communities with populations between 50,000 and 200,000 people. The Bowling Green metro also received the same recognition by Site Selection in 2008.

The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce received the 2009 Chamber of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives and a 5-Star Chamber by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

top employers Among the top employers in the city include: Western Kentucky University, Commonwealth Health Corporation, BG Metalforming LLC, Union Underwear Co. LLC, Warren County Public Schools, Graves-Gilbert Clinic PSC, NS Food Group Inc, Henkel Consumer Goods Inc, General Motors Corporation, Kentucky State Treasurer.

Culture: Museums • Kentucky Museum and Library – Home of rich collections and education exhibits on Kentucky history and heritage. Genealogical materials, published works, manuscripts and folk life information. • National Corvette Museum – Showcase of America's sports car with more than 75 Corvettes on display, including mint classics, one-of-a-kind prototypes, racetrack champions and more. • Historic Railpark and Train Museum – L & N Depot – Train museum in the original train depot of Bowling Green. Opened after the library moved at the end of 2007. Includes 5 restored historic rail cars. • Riverview at Hobson Grove – This historic house museum is a classic example of Italianate architecture—arched windows, deep eaves with ornamental brackets, and cupola. Painted ceilings. Began late 1850s, Confederate munitions magazine in winter 1861–62, and completed 1872.

Other attractions • Bowling Green Ballpark • Beech Bend Park • General Motors Assembly Plant • National Corvette Homecoming • Capitol Arts Center • Cave Spring Caverns • Eloise B. Houchens Center • Historic Railpark at the L&N Depot • Lost River Cave and Valley • Riverview at Hobson Grove • Great American Donut Shop (GADS) • William H. Natcher Federal Building and United States Courthouse • Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center (SkyPac) • Low Hollow Bike Trail at Weldon Peete Park • Corsair Artisan Distillery • Civil War Discovery Trail • Duncan Hines Scenic Byway • Shake Rag Historic District • Warren County Quilt Trail • St. Joseph Historic District.

Public library Bowling Green is served by the Warren County Public Library. The main library is the Lisa Rice Library. Its website is warrenpl.org.

Sport E.A. Diddle Arena, located on the campus of Western Kentucky University, is a multi-purpose arena with a seating capacity of 7,500 persons. Built in 1963 and renovated in 2004, the arena has hosted college sports such as basketball and volleyball. It also hosted the KHSAA Girls' Sweet Sixteen state championship event in high school basketball from 2001 to 2015, after which it moved to BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University. The arena has also played host to various traveling rodeos and circuses. In 2006, Diddle Arena hosted the first WWE event to be held in Bowling Green in over ten years.

The city and surrounding area is home to the Warren County Inline Hockey League. It also is home to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers team, which competes in the NCAA, and are part of conference USA

Bowling Green Ballpark is a new stadium currently in use in Bowling Green. It is primarily used for baseball, for the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods organization of the High-A East. The Hot Rods began play in the spring of 2009 in the South Atlantic League, transferring to the Midwest League for 2010. In 2021 as part of Minor League Baseball's realignment they began play in the newly formed High-A East. They are a farm team for Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays.

The Bowling Green Hornets of the Central Basketball League are based in Bowling Green, although they play their home games in Russellville. The Hornets are coached by Russellville native Nathan Thompson.

Parks and recreation The Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department administers 895 acres (3.62 km²) of public land for recreational use.

Community centers • F. O. Moxley – Facility includes a game room (billiards, video games), board game room, concession stand, racquetball/wallyball courts and basketball courts. • Parker-Bennett – Facility has hourly rental rates for meetings, parties and receptions. • Kummer/Little Recreation Center – Facility includes basketball/volleyball courts, concession stand, and walking trails. • Delafield Community Center – Facility includes an auditorium, basketball courts, a playground, and picnic shelters.

Swimming centers Swim centres include Russell Sims Aquatic Center, and Warren County Aquatics Facility.

Education Public education is provided by the Bowling Green Independent School District in inner sections of Bowling Green and by Warren County Public Schools in outerlying sections. Several private schools also serve Bowling Green students.

Warren County Public Schools • Alvaton Elementary • Briarwood Elementary • Bristow Elementary • Cumberland Trace Elementary • Jennings Creek Elementary • Jody Richards Elementary • Lost River Elementary • North Warren Elementary • Oakland Elementary • Plano Elementary • Rich Pond Elementary • Richardsville Elementary • Rockfield Elementary • Warren Elementary • William H. Natcher Elementary

Bowling Green Independent School District • Dishman-McGinnis • Parker Bennett Curry • Potter Gray • T.C. Cherry • W.R. McNeill

Middle and junior high schools All of these schools are operated by the Warren County district except Bowling Green Junior High. • Bowling Green Junior High • Drakes Creek Middle School • Henry F. Moss Middle School • Warren East Middle School • South Warren Middle School

Education: High All schools are operated by the Warren County district except Bowling Green High and Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science. • Bowling Green High • Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky • Greenwood High • Warren Central High • Warren East High • South Warren High School • Lighthouse Academy High School

Religious Schools • Legacy Christian Academy - Preschool through 12th grade • Foundation Christian Academy – Preschool through 12th grade Church of Christ Christian school • Holy Trinity Lutheran – Preschool through 6th grade Lutheran Christian school • Old Union School – Preschool through 12th grade Christian school • Saint Joseph Interparochial School– Preschool through 8th grade Catholic school

Postsecondary education • Bowling Green Adult Learning Center • Daymar College • Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College • Western Kentucky University.

Media: Print • The Amplifier – Arts & Entertainment monthly • Bowling Green Daily News • College Heights Herald – WKU student newspaper • Soky Happenings

Media: Television • WDNZ Antenna TV Channel 11 • WBKO ABC Channel 13 • WKYU PBS Channel 24 • WCZU Court TV Channel 39 • WNKY NBC Channel 40 • WKGB PBS/KET Channel 53

Digital broadcast • WDNZ Antenna TV Channel 11.1 720i • WDNZ Stadium Channel 11.2 1080i • WDNZ The Country Network Channel 11.3 480i • WBKO ABC Channel 13.1 720p • WBKO Fox Channel 13.2 480i • WBKO CW Channel 13.3 480i • WKYU PBS Channel 24.1 1080i • WKYU Create Channel 24.2 480i • WCZU Court TV Channel 39.1 480i • WCZU Buzzr Channel 39.2 480i • WCZU Bounce TV Channel 39.3 480i • WCZU SBN Channel 39.4 480i • WCZU GRIT Channel 39.5 480i • WCZU Court TV Mystery Channel 39.6 480i • WCZU Cozi TV Channel 39.7 480i • WNKY NBC Channel 40.1 1080i • WNKY CBS Channel 40.2 480i • WNKY MeTV Channel 40.3 408i • WKGB PBS Channel 53.1 KET1 720p • WKGB PBS Channel 53.2 KET2 480i • WKGB PBS Channel 53.3 KETKY The Kentucky Channel 480i • WKGB PBS Kids Channel 53.4 480i

Media: Radio • AM 930 WKCT – News/Talk • AM 1340 WBGN – The Ticket(Fox Sports Radio) • AM 1450 WWKU – ESPN Radio • FM 88.1 WAYFM – WAYFM • FM 88.9 WKYU – Western Kentucky University Public Radio • FM 90.7 WCVK – Christian Family Radio • FM 91.7 WWHR – "Revolution" WKU's student radio station • FM 93.3 WDNS – Bowling Green's Classic Rock Station • FM 95.1 WGGC – Goober 95.1 – Country • FM 96.7 WBVR – The Beaver – Country (licensed to Auburn, Kentucky) • FM 100.7 WKLX – Sam 100.7 – Classic hits (licensed to Brownsville, Kentucky) • FM 103.7 WHHT – Howdy 103.7 – Country (licensed to Cave City, Kentucky) • FM 105.3 WPTQ – The Point – Classic / Active Rock (licensed to Glasgow, Kentucky) • FM 106.3 WOVO – Wovo106.3 – Adult contemporary (licensed to Horse Cave, Kentucky) • FM 107.1 WUHU – Woohoo – Top 40 (licensed to Smiths Grove, Kentucky).

Transport: Road • Interstate 65 north to Louisville, Kentucky south to Nashville, Tennessee • Interstate 165 north to Owensboro, Kentucky • U.S. Route 231 north to Morgantown, Kentucky south to Scottsville, Kentucky • U.S. Route 31W north to Park City, south to Franklin, Kentucky • U.S. Route 68 / Kentucky State Route 80 west to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, east to Lexington, Kentucky / Somerset, Kentucky

Other highways • Kentucky State Route 185 • Kentucky State Route 234 • Kentucky State Route 242 • Kentucky State Route 880

Former highways • Kentucky State Route 67 (1929–1969) • William H. Natcher Green River Parkway-KY-9007(Replaced by I-165, North to Owensboro, Morgantown, Beaver Dam, South to Bowling Green)

Transport: Air The city is served by Bowling Green–Warren County Regional Airport.

Transport: Bus Community Action of Southern Kentucky operates GO bg Transit, which provides public transportation within Bowling Green. Western Kentucky University operates transit around campus, branded as Topper Transit.

Bowling Green was served for many years by intercity bus carriers, primarily Greyhound. But with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Greyhound downgraded their existing station to an unmanned stop, and then eliminated the stop entirely in May 2020. The end of Greyhound service marked the first time the city has been without some form of public intercity transportation since 1858, when the Louisville and Nashville Railroad first reached the city.

Greyhound now serves a stop in Franklin, Kentucky, about 20 miles south of Bowling Green.

Tornado Bus Company, based in Mexico to primarily serve the Hispanic market, lists Bowling Green as a destination, but the stop is actually located in Smiths Grove, Kentucky, about 12 miles north-east of downtown Bowling Green.

Transport: Rail Bowling Green receives rail freight service from CSX through the former Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) namesake line. The R.J. Corman Railroad Group operates freight service on the former L&N line to Memphis from Bowling Green to Clarksville, Tennessee; the line joins with CSX at Memphis Junction on Bowling Green's southern side.