Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, a

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, has 418 active cities. Kentucky cities are divided into two classes, which define their form of

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

: first class and home rule. First class cities are permitted to operate only under the mayor-council, while home rule cities may operate under the mayor-council, city commission, and

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

forms. Currently,

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

is Kentucky's only designated "first class" city. However, by virtue of also having

merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

city-county governments, both Louisville and Lexington are treated as special cases under state law, and were permitted to retain their existing local forms of government and powers.

Classes

The two-class system went into effect on January 1, 2015, following the 2014 passage of

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

Bill 331 by the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in th ...

and the bill's signing into law by Governor Steve Beshear. The new system replaced one in which cities were divided into six classes based on their population at the time of their classification. Before the enactment of House Bill 331, more than 400 classification-related laws affected public safety, alcohol beverage control, revenue options and others. Lexington and Fayette County are completely merged in a unitary urban county government (UCG);

and other cities within Jefferson County have also merged into a single metro government. However, under state law, both major cities retained their pre-merger classification before the new scheme took effect. The General Assembly had historically reclassified cities only when requested by the city government. If all cities had been reclassified in the pre-2015 scheme according to actual population, about one-third of classifications would have changed. In particular, Lexington would have been classified as a first-class (Class 1) city. Although basic city classification changed in 2015, the old classifications will remain relevant for some time. Because many provisions of state law applied only to cities of certain pre-2015 classes, House Bill 331 was explicitly written to address such issues. In certain areas of law, class-based distinctions between cities have been replaced by population-based distinctions. In certain other areas that were more controversial, the pre-2015 status quo is being maintained through a registry of cities that were covered by prior laws. Under the reformed system, Louisville is classified as first class. All other cities in the state are in the home rule class. ; Pre-2015 classifications

List of cities

Click on the double triangles at the top of a column to sort the table by that column. Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office.
122 County Seats
". Accessed 15 July 2013. * A All but two of Kentucky's county seats are cities. The exceptions are Whitley City ( McCreary Co.) and Burlington ( Boone Co.). Two Kentucky counties have dual seats of government: the seats of Campbell Co. are

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

and Newport and the seats of Kenton Co. are

Independence Independence is a condition of a 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 status of ...

and Covington. * B Unless otherwise noted, population and area are given according to the 2010 U.S. census. * C Dates are those of the most recent formal incorporation, according to the records of the

Commonwealth of Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

's Land Office.Commonwealth of Kentucky. Office of the Secretary of State. Land Office.
419 Active Kentucky Cities
" & individual pages. Accessed June 29, 2017. * D For municipalities located in more than one county, the primary county (according to the U.S. Census) is listed first.

Former cities

Since the 2010 census, some cities in Kentucky were disincorporated and did not appear in the next census.

Gallery

File:Louisville Skyline.jpg,

, the largest city in Kentucky File:LexingtonDowntown.JPG, Lexington, home of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

File:Shops along Fountain Square in Bowling Green, Kentucky 2008.JPG, Fountain Square in

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

, a base of GM's

Corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

production File:AscentAtRoebling's.jpg, Covington, a suburb of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

File:Paducah.jpg, Paducah File:Historic Newport Kentucky2.jpg, Newport File:Danville, Kentucky Downtown view.jpg, Danville, home of

Centre College Centre College, formally Centre College of Kentucky, is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, United States. Chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819, the col ...

. File:DowntownCampbellsville Overhead IMG 0623.JPG, Campbellsville File:Middlesboro.JPG, Middlesboro File:BooneTavernBerea.jpg, Berea File:Parisstreet.JPG,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

File:Maysville.jpg, Maysville File:Corbin Skyline2.JPG, Corbin File:Frankfort kentucky.jpg, Frankfort, the state capital File:Main Street in Nicholasville.jpg, Nicholasville File:JTNPicture 026.jpg, Jeffersontown File:Downtown Harrodsburg Kentucky 2.jpg, Harrodsburg File:MTWNPicture 035.jpg, Middletown File:Downtown Mount Sterling, Kentucky.JPG, Mount Sterling File:La Grange KY - downtown.jpg, La Grange File:Pikeville downtown.png, Pikeville File:Williamsburg, Kentucky.jpg,

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

File:Hazard main2006.jpg,

Hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...

File:Downtown Bardstown.jpg, Bardstown, home of "My Old Kentucky Home" File:U. S. Route 460 in Georgetown, Kentucky.jpg, Georgetown File:Downtown Ashland Kentucky.jpg, Ashland File:Winchester, kentucky.jpg,

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

File:Paintsville's Main Street.jpg,

Paintsville Paintsville () is a home rule-class city along Paint Creek in Johnson County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 3,459 during the 2010 U.S. Census. History A Paint Lick Station was referred to in ...

File:Downtown carrolton.jpg, Carrollton File:Williamstown, Kentucky.jpg, Williamstown File:Downtown West Liberty, Kentucky.jpg, West Liberty File:Hodgenville KY Town Square.jpg, Hodgenville File:Downtown irvine.jpg, Irvine File:Davedowntwn8vl.jpg, Horse Cave File:Downtown Albany, Kentucky.jpg, Albany File:Downtown carlisle, ky.jpg,

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

File:Pineville, KY spring.jpg, Pineville File:Falmouth kentucky.jpg, Falmouth File:Harlan Kentucky Aerial view.jpg, Harlan File:Catlettsburg Kentucky Louisa Street.jpg, Catlettsburg File:Downtown Owingsville, Kentucky.jpg, Owingsville File:Midway Historic District 1.jpg, Midway File:Downtown Owenton Kentucky.jpg, Owenton File:Downtown Taylorsville Kentucky.jpg, Taylorsville File:Brooksville, kentucky.jpg, Brooksville File:Downtown Willisburg, Kentucky.jpg, Willisburg File:Downtown Hyden.jpg, Hyden File:Downtown mt olivet.jpg, Mount Olivet File:Downtown Booneville.jpg, Booneville Fred Wiche Park 2018.jpg, Simpsonville, Kentucky

References

{{Lists of cities by U.S. state Cities and towns

Classes

List of cities

Former cities

Gallery

See also

References