Formed December 20, 1798 (36th county)
Boone County (135,995), Burlington* (17,318), Florence (31,960)
A red brick Renaissance Revival courthouse, on Washington Street at Idelwild Street, was built in 1889. Washington Street is Kentucky State Highway 18. H. P. McDonald Brothers are the architects. An Administrative Building was built in 1981 and a Judicial Center was added next door in 2002. The courthouse features a tower. Boone County was created on December 20, 1798 from Campbell County as the 36th county. Craig’s Camp, Wilmington, and Burlington have all served as the only county seat. The county is named for frontiersman Daniel Boone. He is also the namesake of the county seat of Owsley County. The county seat presumably is named for Burlington, Vermont.
Boone County government consists of a sheriff, County Judge Executive, and 3 Commissioners. Two Circuit Court Judges, Three District Court Judges, and One Family Court Judge serve Boone and Gallatin counties. The county is on the northern border with both Indiana and Ohio. Cincinnati, Ohio is directly northeast of the county. The Ohio River forms its north and west borders. The county center is 3 miles South of Burlington. The county is surrounded clockwise by Ohio and Kenton, Grant, and Gallatin counties and Indiana.
The area of the county is 246 square miles. It is 87 out of 120 in the state. It ranks 4 out of 120 in population in the state. It has a density of 552.8 persons per square mile making it 5 out of 120 in the state. Boone County has 32.7% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 71 enters the county from the east, Kenton County, and exits to the southwest, Gallatin County. Interstate Highway 75 is joined with Interstate Highway 71 from Kenton County, splits and continues south into Grant County. United States Highway 25 parallels Interstate Highway 75 from Kenton to Grant counties. United States Highways 42/127 parallel Interstate Highway 71 from Kenton to Gallatin counties. The county’s shape resembles cotton candy. Burlington is in the northern quarter of the county. Florence is in the northeast corner across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio. Burlington is the county seat and Florence is the largest city and also has a county courthouse. Burlington is unincorporated and has 12.7% of the county population. Florence is 23.5% of the county population. This county is in the Cincinnati-Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Florence
Union
Walton
Burlington (unincorporated)
