When I was 16, my family moved from Denver to Cincinnati.
It should have been Northern Kentucky, but as a family completely new to the area with little time to figure out logistics, NKY was simply too hard to figure out. So, alas, my dad had to commute from Cincinnati to Alexandria every day for work.
Someone told my mom the schools “were bad in NKY,” but we had no idea what to do with that information. In Denver, there was one school district and I just went to the school closest to me.
In NKY, we couldn’t even figure out how many school districts there were, let alone how to find out if I was eligible to go to a specific school or where we needed to live to make sure I could go there.
Somehow, we ended up with a realtor from Northern Kentucky, who didn’t know much about Cincinnati, which made things even more complicated.
All of that is to say: If you’ve ever had to figure out Northern Kentucky (or even a new area within Northern Kentucky) as an outsider, good luck.
The people in Northern Kentucky are so wonderful and welcoming, but I’ve found that most people who have been here a while don’t even realize the difficulties that face those moving to NKY – or even within it.
April Draine, a parenting advocate and podcast host whose kids went to Ryle High School, said she experienced this firsthand when she and her kids moved here a few years ago.
Her son, who played sports, didn’t know he needed to procure transportation to after-school activities, because his previous school district bused kids there. But Ryle doesn’t provide transportation.
Which is why Draine thinks of herself as a bridge of sorts.
“I’ve tried to find ways to stand in the middle of the bridge” between her kids and their school, Draine said. It can be a challenge even for someone as involved as Draine. “I’m trying to be bilingual even though we’re both speaking English.”
And that is what we want to do with the NKY Guide. We want to be a bridge between you and all the amazing things happening in Northern Kentucky (or in your new neighborhood) that you may not know about.
There’s a lot to know about NKY:
- How are decisions made at the local level and how can I get involved?
- How do the schools work and how do I enroll my student?
- How do I pay my taxes?
- How do I get my water and utilities turned on?
- How do I get around, whether by public transportation or other methods?
Our NKY guide is intended to help you integrate into your new community and to help locals who may not be in the know about everything the region has to offer, or who may be stuck in a slump of doing the same things.
It’s also here for you to reference when you need a place to take the kids for dinner, or if you want to take a class and aren’t sure what’s available, or if you’re looking for a list of distilleries that are part of the B-Line.
A print edition of this guide (updated every January) will be mailed to those who have bought homes in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties each month. But our online guide is available for everyone and will be constantly updated.
How to use the guide
The NKY Guide is intended to be a resource for everyone in NKY.
For the newbies to the region, start here. I’ll tell you generally how the schools work, how many cities there are and how to navigate between them, how to get your utilities and water turned on, and how to begin to get involved in the community.
For the not-newbies, use this guide to welcome your friends, neighbors, or anyone who you think could use a hand or a friend. It can also help those moving between counties figure out where to register their car – just because they’ve lived in Kenton County the last 10 years, that doesn’t mean they’ll know everything about how to do things in Campbell County.
Welcome to Northern Kentucky! We’re glad you’re here.
How do schools work in NKY?
Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties have about 55,000 students enrolled in their 13 public school districts.
Kentucky’s 1838 education law established the state’s first system of free education, according to the Kentucky Historical Society. The legislation established a system that included a state superintendent, state board of education, and county board of education.
But the law didn’t require local taxation for schools.
That meant wealthy communities could choose to support schools through taxation if they chose to.
The result was a collection of small, locally funded districts that operated mostly independent of each other and the state board.
Fast forward about 100 years to 1934, when Kentucky decided to create two types of school districts: county school districts and independent school districts. Independent districts had to have at least 200 students enrolled – a requirement that is still in place today.
Today, an independent district is defined as “those school districts whose geographic boundaries are defined not by the county lines that define most districts, but by historic boundaries within counties,” according to the Legislative Research Commission report. In short, independent districts are the ones that didn’t merge with the county in 1934.
Northern Kentucky, according to the Kentucky School Board Association, has 10 independent school districts, which is the largest cluster of independent districts in the state. The state has 51 total independent schools.
So what does all that mean for someone moving into the region?
In short, where you live matters – a lot. Let’s say you live in Bellevue. Your child could go to the Bellevue Independent School District, or you could go to Campbell County Schools.
Don’t like either of those options? You can also have your child apply to, for example, go to Fort Thomas or Beechwood Independent schools, though tuition is required if you live outside of those cities.
There’s also transportation to think about: If you live in Bellevue but you decided to send your child to Beechwood, you’ll have to provide transportation because buses won’t go outside the district.
But this can also be a positive, because county districts are required to bus all students who live in the county, so if you’re in Bellevue, your kids could get a bus to Campbell County Schools.
There are also many private schools within the Diocese of Covington to choose from, with 34 schools spread among Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties. Those schools do require tuition and do not provide transportation.
To see a full list of public and private schools, along with contact information, go here.
Navigating NKY
Northern Kentucky has 36 cities and municipalities. That means 36 separate governmental bodies, 36 mayors, 36 councils or commissions, 36 tax codes.
What does that mean for you?
Shane Noem, a lobbyist and chair of the Kenton County Republican Party, said one plus to lots of cities in our region is that it makes local government more accessible for people.
“We can influence our schools and cities easily because they are accessible and we can run for those offices because they are easily accessible,” Noem said.
As someone who reported mostly in Cincinnati before I joined LINK nky, councils and commissions always felt very intimidating.
But with so many smaller cities, it becomes easier for a regular person to walk into a meeting and talk to the mayor or give an opinion about a proposed development.
The decisions that are made at the city level are the things that affect your everyday life: From whether your taxes go up to how much you will pay for road repairs or when a stop light will finally be put in at that problematic intersection, showing up to these city meetings is a sure way to make your voice heard and stay up to date on what is happening in your community.
For a full list of city councils and commissions, meeting time and contact information, go here.
How do I find my community?
Whether they’re new to the area or new to the county, one of the first things many people look for is a way to connect to their community.
Scott Banford and Melissa Kelley moved to Covington in 2022 from New York City, where they lived for 25 years, to be closer to Kelley’s sister, who also lives in Covington. The couple rehabbed and moved into a home in Covington’s Eastside neighborhood.
Then, Kelley said, “we wanted to get involved, because that’s just who we are.”
And that’s how the Eastside+ Neighborhood Association, which unites neighbors all over Covington to address issues they may face together. They bring in local leaders to talk about different topics, and they coordinate days to beautify the neighborhood or help make home repairs.
Community looks different for just about everyone, but here at LINK, we see it as our responsibility to help bring people together and find their communities.
To that end, if you want to get involved and are looking for your community, go here.
OK but what about all this piddly stuff
Moving is a pain. Even though it feels like the process is finally completed after you’ve signed the papers or moved in, there are a lot of other little things to take care of that can feel impossible to navigate.
How do I register my vehicle? Where do I renew my driver’s license? How do I register to vote? How do I get my tags renewed?
If you’re new to Kentucky, you might not know that cars are taxed differently here … so be prepared for the sticker shock. But beyond that, how does one even pay those taxes?
What if you don’t have public transportation, or are looking for a driving service for a client who is flying into CVG?
We’ve got you covered.
Find answers to all of these things on here.
Looking to have some fun?
Coming to a new area can also be loads of fun as you learn about the local restaurants, shops and people that make the community come alive.
My favorite way to explore a new area is to walk around until I find something interesting, but since NKY as a whole isn’t the most walkable, we took the work out of it for you.
If you’ve got kids and want to find something to do with the family, there are restaurants, breweries and dog parks galore.
Our Guide has a list of coffee shops and places to find an amazing cocktail, along with museums, libraries and bookstores.
Maybe you’re looking to take a new class or get your kids (or yourself!) involved in sports – or maybe you just want to know where to watch sports.
Moral of the story? Keep this tab saved.
We’re here for you when you’re trying to figure out where to move, once you’ve moved and when you’re settling in. This guide is intended to be your go-to when you can’t figure out where to go or what to do – and please share it.
Our goal is to be a bridge between you and the wonderful community that is Northern Kentucky.
Welcome, and let’s explore Northern Kentucky together!