Independence, Kentucky
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1950 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Independence census division. It lies in ZIP code area 41051. The Survey maps it on the Independence quadrangle. 28,676 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 899 feet above sea level.
On record in Independence
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 3 records
Metcalfe-Stephens Houselisted 1998- Independence Historic Districtlisted 2024
- Yeager, William A., and Edward Mohr Farmsteadlisted 1994
Population over time
2 figuresIndependence grew from 24,757 to 28,676 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 24,757 | |
| 2020 | 28,676 | +3,919 (+16%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1950 USGS Independence quadrangle1:24000
- 1955 USGS Independence quadrangle1:24000
- 1956 USGS Louisville quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Independence quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Louisville quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Independence quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1986 USGS Falmouth quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
3 since 2002Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Independence between 2002 and 2018, burning about 102 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 19 March 2018 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 20 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | INDEPENDENCE RAILROAD |
| 2 November 2010 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | SHERBOURNE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
45 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Independence in 45 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 17 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail, 9 flash flood, 3 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1996 | Flash Flood | Independence | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Flash Flood | Independence | $1,000,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Independence | $50,000 | Persistent heavy rainfall caused Banklick Creek to overflow its banks. Pioneer Park was under 3-4 feet of water and 10 homes were evacuated. |
| October 2016 | Hail | Independence | $25,000 | Two cars were severely dented in the driveway in front of a house from the hail, also there was damage to the roof of the house. Other damage to the house included: seven wind screens completely damaged, a wood porch railing pitted, vinyl fascia, gutters and 2 garage doors severely dented. A medium size tree was also broken. Finally, rain water pushed up a 45 degree roof into the ridge vent causing ceiling water damage inside the house. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $15,000 | A few homes sustained minor damage. Several trees were also downed. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $10,000 | Numerous trees were reported downed throughout the county. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $10,000 | Unsupported trusses on a condo complex under construction were toppled by the wind. A few trees were also downed across the county. |
| October 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $10,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were reported knocked down across Kenton County. |
| January 2000 | Flash Flood | Independence | $10,000 | Several inches of rainfall occurred within 24 hours causing flooding across the county. Numerous roads were closed and Banklick Creek overflowed its banks, which flooded Pioneer Park. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $5,000 | Several tress were downed across Kenton County. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Independence | $5,000 | Multiple roads were closed around the county due to high water up to 3 feet deep across the roads due to heavy rainfall. Fowler Creek was reported out of its banks as well. |
| May 2001 | Flash Flood | Independence | $5,000 | One road was closed due to high water from heavy rain. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $4,000 | Several trees were knocked down near the intersection of State Route 17 and Madison Pike. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $3,000 | A few trees were uprooted. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $3,000 | Several four- to six-inch diameter trees were snapped across the western part of the county. An estimated wind gust of 60 mph was recorded at Erlanger. |
| November 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $3,000 | Trees were downed across southern parts of the county. |
| July 2009 | Flash Flood | Independence | $2,000 | Water was reported over roadways near Independence. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $2,000 | Large tree limbs were knocked down. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $1,000 | A tree was knocked down near the White Tower Elementary School. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $1,000 | One tree downed due to thunderstorm winds. |
| March 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $1,000 | Numerous tree limbs were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Independence | $1,000 | Two roads were flooded and closed near Independence. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Independence | $1,000 | no account filed |
| November 2007 | Hail | Independence | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $500 | Small branches were snapped off a tree. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $250 | Two large tree limbs were downed near Summit View. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $200 | Large branches were downed onto Kieffer Ridge. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Independence | $100 | A large tree limb was downed. |
| February 2021 | Flood | Independence | - | Numerous roads were closed due to high water throughout the county. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Independence | - | High water was reported on a road. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Independence | - | Numerous roads were closed throughout Kenton County due to high water. |
| July 2013 | Heavy Rain | Independence | - | Ponding of water was reported on area roadways due to heavy rainfall. |
| December 2013 | Heavy Rain | Independence | - | Two roads were closed due to high water over typical low lying locations due to heavy rainfall. |
| April 1998 | Flash Flood | Independence | - | Persistent heavy rainfall caused creeks to flood across county roads. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| October 2016 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| August 2012 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| August 2012 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| March 2010 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Independence | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ricedale | 2.0 miles | 11 | |
| White Tower | 2.1 miles | 11 | |
| Nicholson | 2.6 miles | 11 | |
| Oak Ridge | 2.8 miles | 11 | |
| Bank Lick | 3.0 miles | 11 | |
| Latonia Lakes | 3.0 miles | 13 | |
| Staffordsburg | 3.1 miles | 11 | |
| Ridgeview Heights | 3.2 miles | 11 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Independence | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1985848 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 494900. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






