List of cities in Kentucky Facts for Kids

Kentucky is a state in the United States that has over 400 active cities. The two biggest cities, Louisville and Lexington, are known as "first class" cities. This means they have a special type of government. Most other cities in Kentucky are called "home rule class" cities, and they have different ways of being governed, like a mayor and council, a commission, or a city manager.

City Classes in Kentucky
Kentucky's Biggest Cities
Former Cities
Images for kids
See also

City Classes in Kentucky

Kentucky population density by census tract (2010), showing where most people live around Jefferson, Fayette and Kenton counties

Kentucky changed how it groups its cities on January 1, 2015. Before this, cities were put into six different groups based on their population size when they were first classified. This old system caused problems because there were over 400 laws that only applied to cities in certain groups.

To make things simpler, the Kentucky General Assembly (which is like the state's parliament) passed a new law called House Bill 331. Governor Steve Beshear signed it, and it created a new, simpler system.

Now, there are only two main classes for cities:

First Class: This group includes only Louisville and Lexington.
Home Rule Class: All other cities in Kentucky belong to this group.

Even though the system changed, some old laws still refer to the previous six classes. So, the new law was written carefully to make sure everything still works smoothly. In some cases, city rules now depend on their actual population, not their old class.

Here's a look at how cities were grouped before 2015:

Class	Population (when class was determined)	Number of cities in class	Hypothetical number if reclassified by 2010 population
1	100,000 or more	1	2
2	20,000 to 99,999	13	16
3	8,000 to 19,999	18	32
4	3,000 to 7,999	112	57
5	1000 to 2,999	114	98
6	999 or less	160	213

Kentucky's Biggest Cities

Kentucky is home to many cities, big and small. Here are the five most populated cities in the state:

Five most populous cities in Kentucky

1. Louisville, most populous city in Kentucky
2. Lexington
3. Bowling Green
4. Owensboro
5. Covington

Former Cities

Some cities in Kentucky have changed over time. Since the 2010 census, a few cities were officially "disincorporated," meaning they are no longer recognized as cities. This means they didn't appear in the next census.

Former cities in Kentucky
Name	County	Population (2010)	Area (2010)		Coordinates
Name	County	Population (2010)	sq mi	km²	Coordinates
Dycusburg	Crittenden	26	0.039	0.1	37°9′36″N 88°11′6″W / 37.16000°N 88.18500°W / 37.16000; -88.18500
Foster	Bracken	44	0.098	0.3	38°47′57″N 84°12′47″W / 38.79917°N 84.21306°W / 38.79917; -84.21306