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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.

Independence within Kenton County

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

Population over time

2 figures

Independence 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.

YearPeople Change
201024,757
202028,676+3,919 (+16%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 11 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

3 since 2002

Regional 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/undetermined1
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Debris and open burning1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 September 2002Missing data/not specified/undetermined57 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
19 March 2018Railroad operations and maintenance20 acresKentucky Division of ForestryINDEPENDENCE RAILROAD
2 November 2010Debris and open burning25 acresKentucky Division of ForestrySHERBOURNE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Kenton County

Storms near this place

45 since 1996

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1996Flash FloodIndependence$1,000,000no account filed
July 1996Flash FloodIndependence$1,000,000no account filed
June 1997Flash FloodIndependence$50,000Persistent heavy rainfall caused Banklick Creek to overflow its banks. Pioneer Park was under 3-4 feet of water and 10 homes were evacuated.
October 2016HailIndependence$25,000Two 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 2004Thunderstorm WindIndependence$15,000A few homes sustained minor damage. Several trees were also downed.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindIndependence$10,000Numerous trees were reported downed throughout the county.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindIndependence$10,000Unsupported trusses on a condo complex under construction were toppled by the wind. A few trees were also downed across the county.
October 2016Thunderstorm WindIndependence$10,000Numerous trees and power lines were reported knocked down across Kenton County.
January 2000Flash FloodIndependence$10,000Several 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 2022Thunderstorm WindIndependence$5,000Several tress were downed across Kenton County.
July 2013Flash FloodIndependence$5,000Multiple 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 2001Flash FloodIndependence$5,000One road was closed due to high water from heavy rain.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindIndependence$4,000Several trees were knocked down near the intersection of State Route 17 and Madison Pike.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindIndependence$3,000A few trees were uprooted.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindIndependence$3,000Several 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 2002Thunderstorm WindIndependence$3,000Trees were downed across southern parts of the county.
July 2009Flash FloodIndependence$2,000Water was reported over roadways near Independence.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindIndependence$2,000Large tree limbs were knocked down.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindIndependence$1,000A tree was knocked down near the White Tower Elementary School.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindIndependence$1,000One tree downed due to thunderstorm winds.
March 2011Thunderstorm WindIndependence$1,000Numerous tree limbs were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
June 2008Flash FloodIndependence$1,000Two roads were flooded and closed near Independence.
July 2007HailIndependence$1,000no account filed
November 2007HailIndependence$1,000no account filed
August 2019Thunderstorm WindIndependence$500Small branches were snapped off a tree.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindIndependence$250Two large tree limbs were downed near Summit View.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindIndependence$200Large branches were downed onto Kieffer Ridge.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindIndependence$100A large tree limb was downed.
February 2021FloodIndependence-Numerous roads were closed due to high water throughout the county.
September 2018FloodIndependence-High water was reported on a road.
September 2018FloodIndependence-Numerous roads were closed throughout Kenton County due to high water.
July 2013Heavy RainIndependence-Ponding of water was reported on area roadways due to heavy rainfall.
December 2013Heavy RainIndependence-Two roads were closed due to high water over typical low lying locations due to heavy rainfall.
April 1998Flash FloodIndependence-Persistent heavy rainfall caused creeks to flood across county roads.
April 2025HailIndependence-no account filed
April 2025HailIndependence-no account filed
October 2016HailIndependence-no account filed
July 2012HailIndependence-no account filed
August 2012HailIndependence-no account filed
August 2012HailIndependence-no account filed
April 2011HailIndependence-no account filed
March 2010HailIndependence-no account filed
May 2010HailIndependence-no account filed
May 2010HailIndependence-no account filed
May 1998HailIndependence-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Kenton County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Ricedale2.0 miles11
White Tower2.1 miles11
Nicholson2.6 miles11
Oak Ridge2.8 miles11
Bank Lick3.0 miles11
Latonia Lakes3.0 miles13
Staffordsburg3.1 miles11
Ridgeview Heights3.2 miles11

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 IndependenceAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1985848The 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.