Why Are There So Many Cities in NKY?

If you are moving to Northern Kentucky from outside this area, it appears that we are a geographically large area with many different cities. It's confusing, especially if you are relocating for work purposes, and it's difficult to choose a place to live without knowing the layout. One of my most recent clients told me that he had to explain over and over to friends and family in Las Vegas that NKY is boroughed like a bigger city, with each city taking the shape of a neighborhood more than anything else.

Northern Kentucky wasn't heavily "colonized" until the 1950's and 60's, when Cincinnati began to outgrow its boundaries and people started to realize that just beyond the bridge in Kentucky, they could build communities and have a much, much shorter commute to downtown. In the mid 90's, many farms were sold and the Florence area exploded - along with several other NKY cities, so that they all ran together like a large extension of Cincinnati. If you lived in Boston or New York or Chicago or Los Angeles, this would make perfect sense as a neighborhood map, even if everyone still had a Cincinnati, Ohio address. In fact, when you travel from city to city, oftentimes you won't find a city limits sign and have no way of knowing, unless you are from the area.

When choosing a place to call home, keep in mind several factors instead of city limits:

• How close am I to the amenities that I want nearby?
• How long will it take me to commute to work?
• What are the property taxes in each city?
• How much land do I want (and how much am I willing to pay for land)?

If you work in downtown Cincinnati, your commute will most likely be much quicker from NKY than from the rest of the greater Cincinnati area. For example, from our office in Independence, I can be downtown in a matter of 10-20 minutes, depending on traffic, and in the morning rush hour no more than 30 minutes. From the other newly "colonised" areas such as Mason, Sharonville, Hamilton, Fairfield, and Loveland, I can expect at least a 45 minute commute daily, with an increase in time with accidents and rush hour traffic.

When it comes to choosing between Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati, it's an easy answer. We've got it all, from urban to suburban to rural, from townhomes to subdivisions to farms, and usually, it's cheaper, too. Come see why Northern Kentucky is your best bet for buying in Cincinnati.