As Kentucky’s second‐largest city, located in Fayette County, Lexington is the financial, educational, retail, health care, service, and cultural center of the state’s Bluegrass region. Lexington’s workforce is diverse and characterized by low unemployment rates and high levels of educational attainment.

Both Kentucky and Lexington have received national recognition for initiatives and programs that enhance communities in terms of education, technology, and workforce development. For example, Kentucky’s statewide technology alliance, ConnectKentucky, received the U.S. Department of Commerce Excellence in Economic Development Award in 2006, and Lexington was recognized in 2007 as the 11th Most Educated Workforce in the U.S. by Business Facilities magazine.

Kentucky is also considered a leader among all states with regard to broadband expansion. While broadband availability is nearly 100%, broadband adoption still needs to grow in order to have an impact on local economies such as Lexington. The Lexington‐Fayette County Government (LFUCG) has established as one of its goals to encourage the development and installation of technology infrastructure to eventually provide wireless connectivity for the entire county. The LFUCG and Lexington‐based University of Kentucky are working on a downtown Wi‐Fi Internet project that will provide a larger and faster wireless network for public safety agencies.

According to Commerce Lexington, “the business boom in the Bluegrass region never seems to end and always seems to improve with each passing year. The region serves as a health care, retail, and cultural center for both Central and Eastern Kentucky ...Its cost of living is below the national average, and the city was recently rated fifth among the Best Places for Business and Careers by FORBES magazine (2008).”