Cities and Counties of the Bluegrass & Nashville Basin
The population of both the Bluegrass and Nashville Basin grew rapidly after settlement in the late 1700s. Today, both regions have large urban populations, and development has destroyed many woodland pastures. In the last 60 years, Fayette County has lost more than 60% of its bur oaks.
The Bluegrass
The Bluegrass consists of counties and cities in central Kentucky, southwestern Indiana and southern Ohio. Today, the Bluegrass includes the two largest cities in Kentucky, Louisville (population 760,000) and Lexington (311,000), and the southern suburbs of Cincinnati, with a Kentucky population of about 834,000. The Bluegrass extends into southern Ohio, including the southern half of Cincinnati. Both Lexington and Louisville have integrated city-county governments. Lexington includes all of Fayette County and Louisville includes all of Jefferson County. This has allowed both cities to implement strict land use regulations to preserve remaining farmland and woodland pastures.
The Inner Bluegrass includes most of the large remaining woodland pastures in the region. Woodford County is the only county entirely within the Inner Bluegrass and probably contains the most extensive woodland pastures. Fayette County is the most developed county in the Inner Bluegrass and most of its woodland pastures have disappeared. There are still extensive woodland pastures and many venerable trees in the other Inner Bluegrass counties, Scott, Bourbon, Mercer, Boyle, and Clark.
The Nashville Basin
The Nashville Basin includes counties and cities in central Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and one county in Alabama. Nashville is the largest city in the region and the second largest in Tennessee.
| City | County | Ecoregion |
| Alexandria | Campbell | Outer bluegrass |
| Augusta | Bracken | Hills of the Bluegrass |
| Bardstown | Nelson | Outer bluegrass |
| Bellevue | Campbell | Outer bluegrass |
| Berea | Madison | Outer bluegrass |
| Carlisle | Nicholas | Hills of the Bluegrass |
| Carrollton | Carroll | Outer bluegrass |
| Covington | Kenton | Outer Bluegrass |
| Crescent Springs | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Cynthiana | Harrison | Outer bluegrass |
| Danville | Boyle | Inner Bluegrass |
| Dayton | Campbell | Outer bluegrass |
| Edgewood | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Elsmere | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Eminence | Henry | Outer bluegrass |
| Erlanger | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Falmouth | Pendleton | Hills of the Bluegrass |
| Flemingsburg | Fleming | Outer bluegrass |
| Florence | Boone | Outer bluegrass |
| Florence | Boone | Outer bluegrass |
| Fort Mitchell | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Fort Thomas | Campbell | Outer bluegrass |
| Fort Wright | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Frankfort | Franklin | Inner Bluegrass |
| Georgetown | Scott | Inner Bluegrass |
| Harrodsburg | Mercer | Inner Bluegrass |
| Highland Heights | Campbell | Outer bluegrass |
| Hillview | Bullitt | Outer bluegrass |
| Lagrange | Oldham | Outer bluegrass |
| Lawrenceburg | Anderson | Inner Bluegrass |
| Lebanon | Marion | Outer bluegrass |
| Lexington | Fayette | Inner Bluegrass |
| Louisville | Jefferson | Outer Bluegrass |
| Ludlow | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Maysville | Mason | Outer bluegrass |
| Mount Sterling | Montgomery | Outer bluegrass |
| Mount Washington | Bullitt | Outer bluegrass |
| Newport | Campbell | Outer Bluegrass |
| Nicholasville | Jessamine | Inner Bluegrass |
| Owingsville | Bath | Outer bluegrass |
| Paris | Bourbon | Inner Bluegrass |
| Park Hills | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Pioneer Village | Bullitt | Outer bluegrass |
| Prospect | Oldham | Outer bluegrass |
| Richmond | Madison | Outer bluegrass |
| Shelbyville | Shelby | Outer bluegrass |
| Shepherdsville | Bullitt | Inner Bluegrass |
| Southgate | Campbell | Outer bluegrass |
| Springfield | Washington | Outer bluegrass |
| Stanford | Lincoln | Outer bluegrass |
| Stanton | Powell | Outer bluegrass |
| Taylor Mill | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Versailles | Woodford | Inner Bluegrass |
| Villa Hills | Kenton | Outer bluegrass |
| Wilmore | Jessamine | Inner Bluegrass |
| Winchester | Clark | Inner Bluegrass |