Independence, Kentucky | |
|---|---|
 Kenton County Courthouse | |
 Flag | |
 Location in Kenton County, Kentucky | |
| Coordinates:38°57′04″N84°32′59″W / 38.95111°N 84.54972°W /38.95111; -84.54972 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Kenton |
| Named after | Establishment ofKenton County |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Chris Reinersman |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.80 sq mi (46.11 km2) |
| • Land | 17.56 sq mi (45.49 km2) |
| • Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2) |
| Elevation | 774 ft (236 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 28,676 |
• Estimate (2022)[3] | 29,326 |
| • Density | 1,632.6/sq mi (630.36/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 41051[2] |
| Area code | 859 |
| FIPS code | 21-39142 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404755 |
| Website | www |
Independence is ahome rule-class city inKenton County, Kentucky, United States.[4] It is one of its county's twoseats of government. The population was 28,676 at the time of the2020 census. It is the third largest city inNorthern Kentucky afterCovington andFlorence, and is part of theCincinnati metropolitan area.
The area post office was established by Isaac Everett in 1837 as "Everett's Creek"; in 1838, this was changed to "Crews Creek" (presumably after the presentCruises Creek that is south of the city); in 1839, Thomas Hordern renamed it "Bagby".[5]
In 1840,Kenton was formed fromCampbell andBoonecounties. Local farmer John McCollum donated a site at the center of the new county to be its seat of governance, and the name "Independence" was chosen to honor the liberation of locals from Campbell County.[5] The post office was renamed the same year. Quickly settled, Independence was formally incorporated by thestate assembly in 1842.[6][7]
Because the majority of the county's population resided along theOhio River, Independence was eventually obliged to share its status as county seat with the larger city ofCovington, a situation later repeated in Campbell County between the centrally locatedAlexandria and the larger, riversideNewport.
Independence is located in centralKenton County. It is bordered to the northwest byElsmere, to the north byErlanger andCovington, and to the northeast byRyland Heights. The western border of Independence follows theBoone County line, and the city ofFlorence in Boone County borders the far northwestern end of Independence.
The original center of Independence is in the southeast part of the city, along Madison Pike.Kentucky Route 17, a four-lane divided highway, passes just east of the city center, leading north 11 miles (18 km) to downtown Covington and south 27 miles (43 km) toFalmouth.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Independence has a total area of 17.70 square miles (45.83 km2), of which 17.44 square miles (45.16 km2) are land and 0.26 square miles (0.67 km2), or 1.45%, are water.[8] Banklick Creek, a northeast-flowing tributary of theLicking River, is the largest stream in the city, draining most of the area within the city limits.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 182 | — | |
| 1860 | 189 | 3.8% | |
| 1870 | 134 | −29.1% | |
| 1880 | 165 | 23.1% | |
| 1900 | 193 | — | |
| 1910 | 153 | −20.7% | |
| 1920 | 153 | 0.0% | |
| 1930 | 260 | 69.9% | |
| 1940 | 253 | −2.7% | |
| 1950 | 285 | 12.6% | |
| 1960 | 309 | 8.4% | |
| 1970 | 1,715 | 455.0% | |
| 1980 | 7,998 | 366.4% | |
| 1990 | 10,444 | 30.6% | |
| 2000 | 14,982 | 43.5% | |
| 2010 | 24,757 | 65.2% | |
| 2020 | 28,676 | 15.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 30,196 | [9] | 5.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
As of thecensus[11] of 2000, there were 14,982 people, 5,181 households, and 4,149 families residing in the city. The population density was 893.2 inhabitants per square mile (344.9/km2). There were 5,391 housing units at an average density of 321.4 per square mile (124.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.20%White, 0.96%African American, 0.18%Native American, 0.40%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.36% fromother races, and 0.87% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.15% of the population.
There were 5,181 households, out of which 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% weremarried couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.9% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,002, and the median income for a family was $55,030. Males had a median income of $39,213 versus $26,807 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $20,191. About 5.4% of families and 6.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Major employers in Independence include Balluff,[12]Cengage Learning,Krauss Maffei,Mazak,[13] andRotek.[14][15]
Independence is served by a branch of theKenton County Public Library.[16]
* Some members of the community are districted for Woodland Middle School and Scott High School as well.
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)Municipalities and communities ofKenton County, Kentucky,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
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