Winchester, Kentucky, United States

🇺🇸 Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located roughly halfway between Lexington and Mt. Sterling.

History Winchester was named after Winchester, Virginia.

Geography Winchester is located north-west of the centre of Clark County, 18 miles (29 km) east of Lexington and 15 miles (24 km) west of Mt. Sterling. Kentucky Route 1958 (Bypass Road) is an outer loop around the town. Kentucky Route 627 (Boonesborough Road) leads towards Richmond, 21 miles (34 km) to the south and Paris to the north. U.S. Route 60 (Winchester-Lexington Road/Lexington Avenue) runs through downtown Winchester. Interstate 64 passes through the northern part of the city, with access from exits 94 and 96. The Mountain Parkway turns off I-64 just north-east of Winchester and leads 75 miles (121 km) east to Salyersville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Winchester has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.4 km²), of which 7.8 square miles (20.3 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 0.67%, is water.

Economy Winchester's top 10 employers in manufacturing, service, and technology include: Amazon.com; Catalent Pharma; East Kentucky Power Cooperative; General Dynamics Information Technology; Infiltrator Water Technologies; Leggett & Platt; Save-A-Lot Distribution Center; The Freeman Corporation; Walle Corporation; Winchester Farms Dairy.

Small business Ale-8-One, a Kentucky-specific brand of soft drink, has been bottled in Winchester since 1926.

Beer Cheese Festival Winchester is home to the Beer Cheese Festival held annually in June. Beer Cheese was developed in Clark County near Winchester in the 1940s.

Historic sites • Bluegrass Heritage Museum • Clark County Court House • Clark Mansion (Gov. Clark House) • Indian old fields • Kerr Building • Leeds Theater • Oakwood Estate • Old Providence Church • Winchester Opera House.

Education: University Winchester has been home to several higher education establishments. Kentucky Wesleyan College was located in the city from 1890 to 1954. When Kentucky Wesleyan left, the local Churches of Christ organized Southeastern Christian College on the former Kentucky Wesleyan campus. After Southeastern Christian College folded in 1979, the campus was preserved as a public park. Today, Clark County is home to the Winchester Campus of Bluegrass Community and Technical College.

Public library Winchester has a lending library, the Clark County Public Library.

Transport Interstate 64 runs east-west through the northern part of Winchester. U.S. Route 60 runs east-west through Winchester. Kentucky Route 627 runs north-south through Winchester.

Blue Grass Airport, 29 miles to the west, in the western part of Lexington, is one of the busiest commercial airports in the state.

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad had run trains east-west and north-south through Winchester. The last L&N passenger train was an unnamed Cincinnati - Atlanta remnant of the former Cincinnati - Jacksonville Flamingo; it was discontinued on March 7, 1968.