Northern Kentucky is the third-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Commonwealth of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

after

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

and

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

, and its cities and towns serve as the de facto "south side" communities of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

. The three main counties of this metro area are Boone, Kenton, and Campbell Counties along the Ohio River (shown in red on the map), with other counties also included. The label "Northern Kentucky" (abbreviated NKY) is used to demonstrate the common identity shared across county and city lines by the residents of these northern counties. Arguably, the label seeks to reverse the divisions that occurred to Campbell County, which, in 1794, included the land of Boone, Kenton, Pendleton Counties, and most of Bracken and Grant Counties. The urban and suburban areas of the northern counties are densely populated. Indeed, of

Greater Cincinnati The Cincinnati metropolitan area and also known as the Cincinnati Tri-State area, or Greater Cincinnati) is a metropolitan area centered on Cincinnati and including surrounding counties in the U.S. states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The area ...

's over two million residents, 450,994 of them live in Northern Kentucky (as of 2019), with the three most northern counties contributing 394,163 residents themselves. The largest cities In each of the three most northern counties are Covington,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

, and Fort Thomas. Covington Skyline 2019

On July 17, 2019, Mr. Brent Cooper, a member of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, called for the Northern Kentucky community to consider reuniting the counties (Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties) into one county to better reflect the region's common identity and strengthen its political voice and economic marketability. Other, more rural counties often included in the wider or regional definition of Northern Kentucky are Gallatin County, Grant County, Pendleton County, and Bracken County (shown in pink on the map). Historically, Trimble County, Mason County, and Lewis County have also been included in the broader, regional definition of "Northern Kentucky".

Brief History

The area was served by

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

service across the Ohio River until the completion of the

John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge (formerly the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge) is a suspension bridge that spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. When opened on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspensio ...

(prototype of the famous

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East Rive ...

) in 1866, whereupon land values in the areas near the river quadrupled overnight. Beginning in the 1970s, many factors combined to create major growth. The proximity to Cincinnati, the completion of

I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

, the nexus of rail service and river traffic, creation of several industrial parks, and the growth of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (located near

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

in northeastern Boone County near the Kenton County line) drew many industries into the area. Its geographically central location (within of 80% of the US population) makes it ideal for distribution centers, and those shipping all over the country. In addition to location, the Northern Kentucky area hosts several organizations which strive to enhance the quality of life and the local economy. The primary airport ( CVG) serving

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

is located in Northern Kentucky. N578RP (6089839663)

Attractions

Northern Kentucky contributes many attractions to the Greater Cincinnati community. Beyond the shops, restaurants, and riverside views of Cincinnati's famous skyline, some of the more well-known attractions are The Florence Speedway, MainStrasse Village, Newport on the Levee (including the Newport Aquarium), and the World Peace Bell. There are also several community playhouses and music venues, along with community parks, arboretums, and museums. Campbell County even boasts some wineries. Religious attractions of Northern Kentucky range from the historic churches of the older river cities, including the impressive St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and Mother of God Church, both in Covington, to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, south in Grant County. Florence is home to the Islamic Center of Northern Kentucky.

Education

Northern Kentucky has several schools of higher education, including Gateway Community and Technical College,

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 ...

, and Thomas More University.

Climate

Northern Kentucky is located within a climatic transition zone and is at the extreme northern limit of the

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

. Evidence of both

and

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

can be found here, particularly noticeable by the presence of plants indicative of each climatic region; for example, the southern magnolia, and

crape-myrtle ''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Aust ...

, from the subtropics and the blue spruce,

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since h ...

, and

eastern hemlock ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree of ...

from cooler regions are successful landscape plants in and around Northern Kentucky. Some significant moderating variables for the overall climate of Northern Kentucky include: the Ohio River, the region's relatively large hills and valleys, and an urban heat influence due to the proximity of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metropolitan area. The

common wall lizard ''Podarcis muralis'' (common wall lizard) is a species of lizard with a large distribution in Europe and well-established introduced populations in North America, where it is also called the European wall lizard. It can grow to about in total ...

, introduced from Italy in the 1950s, is an example of fauna in the area that lends a subtropical ambiance to areas near the urban core of Cincinnati. Northern Kentucky is considered to be within the periphery of both the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

and the

Upland South The Upland South and Upper South are two overlapping cultural and geographic subregions in the inland part of the Southern and lower Midwestern United States. They differ from the Deep South and Atlantic coastal plain by terrain, history, econom ...

Demographics

References

External links

Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau
{{Authority control Geography of the Cincinnati metropolitan area Regions of Kentucky