Kenton County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

part of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,064, making it the third most populous county in Kentucky (behind Jefferson County and Fayette County). Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

s are Covington and

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

. It was, until November 24, 2010, the only county in Kentucky to have two legally recognized county seats. The county was formed in 1840 and is named for

Simon Kenton Simon Kenton (aka "Simon Butler") (April 3, 1755 – April 29, 1836) was an American frontiersman and soldier in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. He was a friend of Daniel Boone, Simon Girty, Spencer Records, Thomas S. Hinde, Thomas Hinde, ...

, a frontiersman notable in the early history of the state. Kenton County, with Boone and Campbell Counties, is part of the

Northern Kentucky Northern Kentucky is the third-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, and its cities and towns serve as the de facto "south side" communities of Cincinnati, Ohio. The three main counties ...

metro area, and is included in the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Kenton County was established on January 29, 1840, from land given by Campbell County. It was named in honor of

, a pioneer of Kentucky.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water. The county is located at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of the Licking River and

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

, in the outer Bluegrass area of the

Bluegrass region The Bluegrass region is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It makes up the central and northern part of the state, roughly bounded by the cities of Frankfort, Paris, Richmond and Stanford. The Bluegrass region is characteriz ...

of the state. The elevation in the county ranges from to above sea level.

Adjacent counties

Hamilton County, Ohio Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the third-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat and largest city is Cincinnati. The county ...

(north) * Campbell County (east) * Pendleton County (southeast) * Grant County (southwest) * Boone County (west)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 151,464 people, 59,444 households, and 39,470 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 63,571 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.99%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 3.84% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.41% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.00% from

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. 1.10% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. There were 59,444 households, out of which 33.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 12.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.60% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.11. The age distribution was 26.30% under 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,906, and the median income for a family was $52,953. Males had a median income of $37,845 versus $27,253 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $22,085. About 7.10% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 12.00% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

Kenton County has five school districts providing education, from the extremely rural southern areas to the highly urbanized north. The districts are: *

Kenton County School District The Kenton County School District (the definite article is part of the district's official name) is a local education agency headquartered in Ft. Wright, Kentucky and is the public school system for Kenton County outside of those cities who ha ...

Covington Independent Public Schools Covington Independent Public Schools is an independent school district serving Covington, Kentucky, United States. It is one of four independent school districts in Kenton County. With about 4,073 students , it is the largest independent school d ...

* Beechwood Independent School District (serves Fort Mitchell) * Ludlow Independent Schools * Erlanger-Elsmere Schools

Private schools

The Catholic educational system is as extensive as the public system. These schools are operated by the

Diocese of Covington The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington ( la, Dioecesis Covingtonensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Northern Kentucky, covering 3,359 square miles (8,700 km2) that includes the city of Covington and the Kentucky counties of Boone, Kent ...

's Department of Schools. The Diocese runs 17 schools in Kenton County.

Higher education

Thomas More University is the only institute of higher learning wholly in the county itself.

Northern Kentucky University Northern Kentucky University is a public university in Highland Heights, Kentucky. It is primarily an undergraduate institution with over 14,000 students; over 12,000 are undergraduate students and nearly 2,000 are graduate students. Northern ...

had a Covington campus located at 1401

Dixie Highway Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network of ...

until it closed at the end of 2008. NKU's main campus is not far from Kenton County – only about 4 miles from the Licking River. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System also operates the Gateway Community and Technical College. Classes are provided at GCTC locations in Boone County, Covington, Park Hills and Edgewood.

Libraries

Kenton County is served by a county library with branches in Covington, Erlanger, and Independence. The Erlanger Branch has grown to be the busiest branch library in the state of Kentucky. In 2008, Kenton County Public Library received the highest score of any Kentucky library ranked by Hennen's American Public Library Ratings.

Communities

Cities

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...

* Covington (county seat) * Crescent Springs * Crestview Hills * Edgewood * Elsmere * Erlanger * Fairview * Fort Mitchell * Fort Wright *

(county seat) * Kenton Vale * Lakeside Park * Latonia Lakes *

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

* Park Hills * Ryland Heights * Taylor Mill * Villa Hills * Walton

Unincorporated communities

* Atwood * Latonia *

Nicholson Nicholson may refer to: People *Nicholson (name), a surname, and a list of people with the name Places Australia * Nicholson, Victoria * Nicholson, Queensland * Nicholson County, New South Wales * Nicholson River (disambiguation) * Nicholson ...

* Visalia Visalia and Latonia Lakes have been dissolved as cities within Kenton County.

Politics

References

External links

Kenton County government
{{authority control Kentucky counties Kentucky counties on the Ohio River 1840 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1840