Kentucky is not a big contributer to culture per se as you mentioned. We are real big on horses. (the queen of England sometimes buys horses in KY.). We have the KY derby and in 2010 we have a world Equestrian event: http://www.feigames2010.org/ . The east side of Ky is mountains and the central to west side is a bit flat. Horse country is central KY. I live in Northern Ky, about 10 miles south of Cincinnati, Oh. I'm looking to buy a house about 30 miles further south if I can talk the misses into it.
The mountian regions can be very backward. Deep into the hills, you hit places where the driveway is basically a creekbed. Can you imagine UPS, FedEx and DHL all making daily deliveries every day there?
Ky has 120 counties. Yeah, busy little map. At least it keeps government more local. Funny thing about those counties: of the 120 counties, pot grows in 119 of them (our biggest cash crop). Pike county supposedly doesn't grow pot. You need level ground and Pike county doesn't have any! For a real adventure, try towing your travel trailer around some of he narrow mountain roads (with near sheer dropoffs) and have a big coal truck come around the curve the towards you.
Still, it's a beautiful place with lakes and mountains and green fields and rivers. Big cities are Lexington (see James Bond's Goldfinger) and Louisville (Ky Derby). Bunch of medium cities (including Covington-my home). Tons of historic little towns. Oh, I found out last year that Daniel Boone was a great, grreat x10 uncle.
Many years ago, my wife (a teacher) was doing some work way down in the hills. There was a small private school. Parents would bring in their kids shortly after they were born to register them for school. A good education was hard to get and the folks did understand the value.
Any of you who are going to be coming thru the area should PM me. I'd be happy to meet up with any of ya'll. Of course if you have trouble with your MB while traveling thru here, I'd be happy to help.
Oh almost forgot. We have one of the biggest mercedes only salvage yards in the country!