Northern Kentucky

This article is about the geographical region. For the university, see Northern Kentucky University. For that school's athletic program, see Northern Kentucky Norse.
Map of Northern Kentucky, showing the three core counties of the region in red and other parts of the region in pink

Northern Kentucky is an urban area in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky consisting of the southern part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The three main counties of the area are Boone, Kenton, and Campbell, all along the Ohio River across from Cincinnati, Ohio. Other counties frequently included in Northern Kentucky include Bracken, Grant, Gallatin and Pendleton. Of Greater Cincinnati's over two million residents, over 450,000 of them live in Northern Kentucky as of 2020, primarily in the northernmost counties. The largest cities in the region are Covington, Florence, and Independence.[1]

Covington skyline from Cincinnati, 2019

Historically, Trimble, Mason, and Lewis Counties have also been included in the broader definition of Northern Kentucky. On July 17, 2019, Brent Cooper, a member of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, called for the Northern Kentucky community to consider reuniting three counties (Boone, Kenton, and Campbell) into one county to better reflect the region's common identity and strengthen its political voice and economic marketability.[2]

  1. ^ See WPA, Kentucky: A Guide to the Bluegrass State (1939); classic guide from the Federal Writers Project; covers main themes and describes every town and feature, with capsule histories online
  2. ^ "Op-Ed: How Should NKY Better Market Itself?". The River City News. July 17, 2019. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021.