Bowling Green Map
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009 population of 120,595. Bowling Green was founded in 1798 after Robert and George Moore donated an additional 30 acres (120,000 m2) to 40 acres (160,000 m2) to the Warren County trustees. The land surrounded the 2-acre (8,100 m2) plot they had donated for the construction of public buildings. Bowling Green was the provisional capital of the Confederate government of Kentucky. In 2003, Bowling Green with its surrounding communities was designated as a "metropolitan area".
General Motors has an assembly plant in Bowling Green in which all Chevrolet Corvettes have been constructed since 1981 and Cadillac XLRs were being built there until production ended in the spring of 2009. Other significant businesses in Bowling Green include Fruit of the Loom, Houchens Industries, Holley Performance Products, and Camping World. The second largest Kentucky public university, Western Kentucky University, is situated upon a hill in central Bowling Green. Its athletic teams are called Hilltoppers.
The first Europeans credited with having settled the area now known as Bowling Green were Robert Moore, his brother George and General Elijah Covington. The Moore brothers arrived from Virginia around 1794. In 1798, only two years after Warren County had been formed, Robert Moore donated 2 acres (8,100 m2) of land to county trustees for the purpose of constructing public buildings. Soon after, he donated an additional 30 acres (120,000 m2) to 40 acres (160,000 m2) surrounding the original plot. The city of Bowling Green was officially incorporated by the state of Kentucky on March 6, 1798.
Nearby cities include Woodburn, Smiths Grove, Brownsville, Auburn.