Hopkinsville, KY Summary

Hopkinsville is off US-68 in western Kentucky, and 134 miles southwest of Louisville. With a population of just over 30,000, it is Kentucky’s sixth-largest city.

The Trail of Tears Commemorative Park is situated on a portion of the campground used by the Cherokees during their forced march from their homelands in the South to Oklahoma, during which thousands died. Indeed, Chiefs White Path and Fly Smith are buried on the park grounds and there is a heritage center there.

The Pennyroyal Area Museum examines the history of southwestern Kentucky. It has displays on the Trail of Tears and the Black Patch War of 1904-09, during which a group of western Kentucky farmers resorted to violence to break the monopoly of a small number of tobacco firms.

Bowling Green, about 70 miles east of Hopkinsville on Hwy 80, has an airport, and buses service the area. An international airport, and bus and train service are found at Louisville.