Just north of Lexington-Fayette County, Scott County (Georgetown) was explored and settled in the late 18th century.  Baptist preacher Elijah Craig led his congregation to the region in 1782, founding a distillery in 1789 and, in 1787, what eventually became Georgetown College, a private liberal arts university. The county is diverse in its topography, with gently rolling hills & soil suitable for horse farms in the south, and more densely wooded, steeper topography in the north. The county seat, Georgetown, has exploded in population since the 1980’s when Toyota Motor Manufacturing announced the construction of a new United States plant. Scott County is home to Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, as well as portions of Crestfield, Hill ‘n Dale, Lane’s End, and Walnut Hall horse farms. The world-renowned Kentucky Horse Park also straddles the Fayette/Scott County line.