Editing Lexington, Kentucky (section)

==Geography==
The Lexington-Fayette metro area includes five additional counties: [[Clark County, Kentucky|Clark]], [[Jessamine County, Kentucky|Jessamine]], [[Bourbon County, Kentucky|Bourbon]], [[Woodford County, Kentucky|Woodford]], and [[Scott County, Kentucky|Scott]]. This is the second-largest metro area in Kentucky after Louisville. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{cvt|285.5|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{cvt|284.5|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{cvt|1.0|sqmi|km2}}, or 0.35%, is covered by water.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/21/21067.html |title=Fayette County |publisher=QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau |access-date=December 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606132431/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/21/21067.html |archive-date=June 6, 2011}}</ref>

===Cityscape===
{{Main|Cityscape of Lexington, Kentucky}}

Lexington features a diverse cityscape.
{{wide image|Lexington Downtown Area Panorama.jpg|800px|Panoramic view of downtown Lexington before the construction of [[City Center (Lexington)|City Center]]}}

===Planning===
[[File:Khp.jpg|thumb|left|Lexington's strict urban growth boundary protects area horse farms from development.]]

Lexington has had to manage a rapidly growing population while working to maintain the character of the surrounding horse farms that give the region its identity. In 1958, Lexington enacted the nation's first [[urban growth boundary]], restricting new development to an urban service area (USA). It set a minimum area requirement of {{cvt|40|acre|m2}} to maintain open space for landholdings in the rural service area.<ref name="GSAP">{{cite press release |title=\"Greenbrier Small Area Plan\" (PDF) |publisher=Lexington-Fayette Urban County, Kentucky |date=April 17, 2003 |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0aBvWAKyfxaak41VHFzNHYwU0k/view |access-date=May 20, 2007 |format=PDF |archive-date=June 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622022225/https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0aBvWAKyfxaak41VHFzNHYwU0k/view |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:DowntownLexUpperJBM.jpg|thumb|West Short Street in downtown]]
In 1980, the comprehensive plan was updated: the USA was modified to include urban activity centers (UACs) and rural activity centers (RACs).<ref name="PlanningHistory">{{cite press release |title=Planning History |publisher=Lexington-Fayette Urban County, Kentucky |url=http://www.lfucg.com/planning/History.asp |access-date=May 20, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523152243/https://www.lfucg.com/planning/History.asp |archive-date=May 23, 2007}}</ref> The UACs were commercial and light-industrial districts in urbanized areas, while RACs were retail trade and light-industrial centers clustered around the [[Interstate 64]]/[[Interstate 75]] interchanges. In 1996, the USA was expanded when {{cvt|5300|acre|km2|0}} of the RSA were acquired through the expansion area master plan (EAMP).<ref name="GSAP"/> This was controversial: this first major update to the comprehensive plan in over a decade was accompanied by arguments among residents about the future of Lexington and the Thoroughbred farms.<ref name="PlanningHistory"/>

The EAMP included new concepts of impact fees, assessment districts, neighborhood design concepts, design overlays, mandatory [[greenway (landscape)|greenways]], major roadway improvements, storm water management, and open-space mitigation for the first time. It also included a draft of the rural land management plan, which included large-lot zoning and traffic-impact controls. A pre-zoning of the entire expansion area was refuted in the plan. A {{cvt|50|acre|m2|adj=on}} minimum proposal was defeated. Discussion of this proposal appeared to stimulate the development of numerous {{cvt|10|acre|m2|adj=on}} subdivisions in the RSAs.<ref name="PlanningHistory"/>

Three years after the expansion was initiated, the RSA land management plan was adopted, which increased the minimum lot size in the agricultural rural zones to {{cvt|40|acre|m2}}.<ref name="GSAP"/> In 2000, a purchase of development rights plan was adopted, granting the city the power to purchase the development rights of existing farms; in 2001, $40&nbsp;million was allocated to the plan from a $25&nbsp;million local, $15&nbsp;million state grant.<ref name="PlanningHistory"/>

===Climate===
Lexington is in the northern periphery of the [[humid subtropical climate]] zone ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Cfa''),<ref>[http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-climate-map.htm How Stuff Works] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019040510/http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-climate-map.htm |date=October 19, 2014 }} map of American climate zones. Retrieved on January 31, 2010</ref> with hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters with occasional mild periods; it falls in USDA [[hardiness zone]] 6b.<ref>{{cite web |title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |author=United States Department of Agriculture |publisher=[[United States National Arboretum]] |url=http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |access-date=February 27, 2015 |author-link=United States Department of Agriculture |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303152208/http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |archive-date=March 3, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city and the surrounding Bluegrass region have four distinct seasons that include cool plateau breezes; moderate nights in the summer; and no prolonged periods of heat, cold, rain, wind, or snow. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from {{cvt|33.9|°F|1}} in January to {{cvt|76.7|°F|1}} in July, while the annual mean temperature is {{cvt|56.3|°F|1}}.<ref name= "NOWData NWS Louisville, KY (LMK)"/> On average, 25&nbsp;days at or above  {{cvt|90|°F|0}} occur annually and 23&nbsp;days per winter where the high is at or below freezing.<ref name= "NOAA KLEX"/> Annual precipitation is {{cvt|49.84|in|sigfig=3}}, with the late spring and summer being slightly wetter; snowfall averages {{cvt|14.5|in|cm|0}} per season.<ref name="NOAA KLEX"/> Extreme temperatures range from {{cvt|−21|°F|0}} on January 24, 1963, to {{cvt|108|°F|0}} on July 10 and 15, 1936.<ref name= "NOWData NWS Louisville, KY (LMK)"/>

Lexington is recognized as a high allergy area by the [[Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aafa.org/ |title=Information About Asthma, Allergies, Food Allergies and More! |publisher=Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America |access-date=December 29, 2010 |archive-date=December 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231081946/http://aafa.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{clear}}

{{Weather box
|location = Lexington, Kentucky ([[Blue Grass Airport]]), 1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1872–present{{efn|Official records for Lexington were kept at the State College on South Limestone Street from October 1872 to July 1876 before closing, the Tower State College Building on the [[University of Kentucky]] campus from September 1888 to July 1915 after reopening downtown in 1887, various locations near downtown from July 1915 to July 1944, and [[Blue Grass Airport]] since July 1944. For more information, see [https://www.weather.gov/media/lmk/climate/clilex/Station_History.pdf].}}
|single line = yes
|Jan record high F = 80
|Feb record high F = 80
|Mar record high F = 86
|Apr record high F = 91
|May record high F = 96
|Jun record high F = 104
|Jul record high F = 108
|Aug record high F = 105
|Sep record high F = 103
|Oct record high F = 97
|Nov record high F = 83
|Dec record high F = 75
|year record high F = 108
|Jan avg record high F = 64.2
|Feb avg record high F = 68.4
|Mar avg record high F = 75.0
|Apr avg record high F = 81.6
|May avg record high F = 87.2
|Jun avg record high F = 92.0
|Jul avg record high F = 93.9
|Aug avg record high F = 93.4
|Sep avg record high F = 90.9
|Oct avg record high F = 83.6
|Nov avg record high F = 73.5
|Dec avg record high F = 65.6
|year avg record high F = 95.9
|Jan high F = 42.3
|Feb high F = 46.8
|Mar high F = 56.1
|Apr high F = 67.2
|May high F = 75.8
|Jun high F = 83.8
|Jul high F = 86.9
|Aug high F = 86.2
|Sep high F = 80.2
|Oct high F = 68.6
|Nov high F = 55.8
|Dec high F = 45.9
|year high F = 66.3
|Jan mean F = 33.9
|Feb mean F = 37.5
|Mar mean F = 45.9
|Apr mean F = 56.2
|May mean F = 65.4
|Jun mean F = 73.3
|Jul mean F = 76.7
|Aug mean F = 75.7
|Sep mean F = 69.1
|Oct mean F = 57.8
|Nov mean F = 46.1
|Dec mean F = 37.8
|year mean F = 56.3
|Jan low F = 25.4
|Feb low F = 28.3
|Mar low F = 35.8
|Apr low F = 45.2
|May low F = 55.0
|Jun low F = 62.8
|Jul low F = 66.5
|Aug low F = 65.2
|Sep low F = 58.1
|Oct low F = 47.0
|Nov low F = 36.4
|Dec low F = 29.6
|year low F = 46.3
|Jan avg record low F = 3.5
|Feb avg record low F = 7.8
|Mar avg record low F = 16.9
|Apr avg record low F = 28.1
|May avg record low F = 38.9
|Jun avg record low F = 49.8
|Jul avg record low F = 56.9
|Aug avg record low F = 54.9
|Sep avg record low F = 43.5
|Oct avg record low F = 30.8
|Nov avg record low F = 20.2
|Dec avg record low F = 11.5
|year avg record low F = 0.3
|Jan record low F = −21
|Feb record low F = −20
|Mar record low F = −2
|Apr record low F = 15
|May record low F = 26
|Jun record low F = 39
|Jul record low F = 47
|Aug record low F = 42
|Sep record low F = 32
|Oct record low F = 20
|Nov record low F = −3
|Dec record low F = −19
|year record low F = -21
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.42
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.64
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.48
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.42
|May precipitation inch = 5.44
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.96
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.12
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.71
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.42
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.66
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.37
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.20
|year precipitation inch = 49.84
|Jan snow inch = 4.7
|Feb snow inch = 4.5
|Mar snow inch = 2.8
|Apr snow inch = 0.2
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.4
|Dec snow inch = 1.9
|year snow inch = 14.5
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 12.6
|Feb precipitation days = 11.6
|Mar precipitation days = 12.8
|Apr precipitation days = 12.8
|May precipitation days = 12.6
|Jun precipitation days = 11.7
|Jul precipitation days = 10.7
|Aug precipitation days = 9.6
|Sep precipitation days = 7.7
|Oct precipitation days = 9.2
|Nov precipitation days = 10.3
|Dec precipitation days = 12.6
|year precipitation days = 134.2
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 4.5
|Feb snow days = 3.8
|Mar snow days = 1.7
|Apr snow days = 0.2
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.7
|Dec snow days = 2.5
|year snow days = 13.4
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name= "NOWData NWS Louisville, KY (LMK)">{{cite web |url=https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lmk |title=NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=May 31, 2021 |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513231311/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=lmk |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NOAA KLEX">{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00093820&format=pdf |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Station Name: KY LEXINGTON BLUEGRASS AP |work=U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020) |access-date=June 4, 2021 |archive-date=July 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711153330/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00093820&format=pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}