Kenton

Formed January 29, 1840 (90^th county)

Kenton County (169,028), Independence (28,687), Covington (40,950)

The Independence Greek Revival 1911 courthouse is at Madison Pike at McCullum Road.  Kentucky State Highway 17 Business is Madison Pike in the town.  The modern red brick skyscraper in Covington sits on Madison and 3^rd streets.  United States Highway 42 is six blocks to the west of the courthouse.  Robertson and Fahnestock designed the Independence white brick building.  There was an 1840 courthouse in Independence and a Justice Center in Covington was added in 1978.  KZF Designs, Inc., provided the Justice Center designs.  The Independence courthouse features columns and a tower.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  The county was created on January 29, 1840 from Campbell County as the 90^th county.  Independence and Covington has both been county seats since the beginning.  The county is named for American frontiersman Simon Kenton.  Independence was named for the separation of Kenton County from Campbell County.  Covington is named for War of 1812 General Leonard Covington. 

Kenton County government consists of a County Judge Executive, a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive).  It has 3 Magistrates (legislative.)  Three Circuit Court Judges, Five District Court Judges, Three Family Court Judges and a court clerk serves Kenton County (judicial.) The county is on the northern border with Ohio.  Cincinnati, Ohio is directly across the Ohio River from the county.  The county center is 5.3 miles North-Northwest of Independence.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Ohio and Campbell, Pendleton, Grant, and Boone counties. 

The area of the county is 163 square miles.  It is 114 out of 120 in the state.  It ranks 3 out of 120 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1037.0 persons per square mile making it 3 out of 120 in the state.  Kenton County has 92.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highways 71/75 come in from Ohio, north, and exit to Boone County, west.  United States Highways 25/42/127 come from Ohio and go into Boone County.  The county is shaped like a capital letter I.  Independence is located near the center of the county.  Covington is on the northern border across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio.  Independence is the county seat and Covington is also a county seat and the largest city.  Independence is 17.0% of the county population while Covington is 24.2% of the county population.  This county is in the Cincinnati-Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Walton