BOWLING GREEN

city, seat (1796) of Warren county, west-central Kentucky, U.S. It lies along the Barren River, 65 miles (105 km) northeast of Nashville, Tenn. It was settled in 1780 by Robert and George Moore, and tradition suggests that their sport of bowling wooden balls across the green gave the city its name. Designated the Confederate capital of Kentucky (1861), it was occupied by Confederate general Simon B. Buckner's troops until Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell forced a retreat in 1862. The construction of railroads in the state in the mid-19th century led to the city's development as a river and rail transportation centre. An important tobacco and agricultural market (corn , livestock), it also has diversified manufactures and is the site of Western Kentucky University (1906) and Bowling Green Regional Technical Center (1939). Inc. 1810. Pop. (1990) 40,641. city, seat (1868) of Wood county, northwestern Ohio, U.S., 22 miles (35 km) south of Toledo. The site, originally a swamp wilderness, was first settled by Elisha Martindale in 1832. The town was laid out in 1835 and named for Bowling Green, Kentucky. The swampland, drained by German immigrants and transformed into productive farmland, now supports livestock, grain, and tomatoes. Oil was discovered in the area (1886), and a short-lived industrial boom (mainly glass manufacture) followed until the wells ran dry. The founding of a state normal school (which became Bowling Green State University in 1935) in 1910 and the construction of a large tomato-canning plant four years later boosted the city's development. Light manufactures now include mobile homes, adjustable seating, plastics, stamping dies, fuse holders, floor-maintenance equipment, and chemicals. Inc. town, 1855; city, 1904. Pop. (1990) 28,303; (1998 est.) 28,200.