The talent concentration in Lexington alone is phenomenal: George Clooney, Chris Stapleton, Tinashe, two Backstreet Boys (Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell), and beloved comedian Jim Varney — the legendary Ernest P. Worrell — are all Lexington natives. That’s a marketing flex no other mid-size American city can match.

Kentucky is also the literal birthplace of an entire musical genre: bluegrass, thanks to the “Father of Bluegrass,” Bill Monroe. And it’s home to country royalty like Loretta Lynn and The Judds, alongside modern powerhouses Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, and Sturgill Simpson.