Urbanization is minor except near Louisville, Lexington, and Cincinnati.
About 30 percent of the area is cropland, but the acreage varies widely from county to county, depending largely on the topography. Corn, hay, and tobacco are the major crops. About 45 percent of the area is pasture grazed mostly by beef cattle, but dairying and horse farms are important in some places. About 20 percent is mixed hardwood forest vegetation, but wood products are not important. The topography ranges from highly dissected hills that have local relief of about 50 to 100 m to undulating broad upland plains that have local relief of about 25 m.