[6] The two primary aquatic features of Muhlenberg County are the Green River and Lake Malone.

In former years, it was common to see machines such as the "Big Brother" Power Shovel (pictured on the right) throughout the county.

Two mines for extracting iron ore have been attempted, at Airdrie on the banks of the Green River, and at Buckner Furnace south of Greenville, Kentucky.

It provides a commercial outlet for goods (primarily coal) to be shipped from the county to the major trade centers along the Mississippi River.

It, and a portion of the surrounding hardwood forest, form Lake Malone State Park, maintained by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.

[14] Although coal mining in the county waned in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the 21st century began, the coal-mining industry in Muhlenberg and surrounding counties began to expand and has once again provided a significant number of jobs in the region.

One reason for this is the willingness of utility operators to install flue gas cleaning systems so that bituminous coal can be burned with fewer airborne contaminants.

Muhlenberg County held Kentucky's first commercial coal mine, opened in 1820 as the "McLean Drift Bank" along the Green River in the former village of Paradise.

The mine and its impact on the community are referenced in the John Prine song "Paradise".

Other major employers in Muhlenberg County include: In January 2006, the Chambers of Commerce from Central City and Greenville merged to form the Greater Muhlenberg Chamber of Commerce, representing over 155 local businesses.

Central City Convention Center, Fitness Facility and Outdoor Pool & Spray Park in Central City Muhlenberg County was a Democratic-leaning county until after 2000, when it, along with the rest of Kentucky, swung hard into the right.