Newport is a home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. It is at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers across from Cincinnati. The population was 14,150 at the 2020 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is an urban center of Northern Kentucky and is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
History
Newport was settled by James Taylor Jr. on land purchased by his father James Sr. from George Muse, who received it as a grant. Taylor's brother, Hubbard Taylor, had been mapping the land twenty years prior. It was not named for its position on the river but for Christopher Newport, the commander of the first ship to reach Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Newport was established as a town on December 14, 1795, and incorporated as a city on February 24, 1834. In 1803, the Ft. Washington military post was moved from Cincinnati to become the Newport Barracks. A bridge first connected Newport to Covington in 1853, and the first bridge spanning the Ohio River to Cincinnati, the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, opened in 1866. Newport experienced large German immigration in the 1880-90s.
By 1900, Newport was the third largest city in Kentucky, after Covington and Louisville, although Newport and Covington were rightly considered satellites of Cincinnati.
Prohibition under the Volstead Act of 1919 resulted in a widespread illegal sale of alcohol. Many gangsters began to smuggle alcohol into the city to supply citizens and businesses. Speakeasies, bribery, and corruption became a norm in Newport. A well known Newport crime boss was gambler and National Crime Syndicate member Ed Levinson.
In 1921, Newport was rocked by a steel mill strike of +2,000 workers, following the end of WW1 and steel industry downturn. The strike involved one in five of the town's workers and was over recognition for the three unskilled union locals that made up the four locals within the union. During it, following unrest and the company arming the mill with machine guns, state militia companies and later tanks were stationed in the town, withdrawn in late 1922. The strike was partially broken by the end of 1922 with some steelworkers leaving the town and others finding separate jobs in Newport. However, the strike did not formally end until seven years later in 1928, without union recognition for the three locals.
Newport's worst natural disaster occurred in 1937, when a flood covered a great part of the city. A flood wall was completed in 1948, and remains a significant part of Newport's landscape.
Newport once had the reputation of "Sin City" due to its upscale gambling casinos on Monmouth street. Monmouth also had many men's stores, restaurants, and ice cream parlors. Investigations for racketeering pushed out the casinos, which were replaced by peep shows and adult strip clubs. Many of the old businesses disappeared when parking became difficult on Monmouth Street and the commercial district opened on the hill of south Newport.
A garage at 938 John Street manufacturing illegal fireworks exploded without warning in 1981, leaving severe damage up to a six-block radius.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Newport made plans to develop its riverfront and core to focus primarily on "family friendly" tourism, instead of the "Sin City" tourism of the past. In May 1999 the $40-million Newport Aquarium opened, and the historic Posey Flats apartments were leveled in favor of the Newport on the Levee entertainment complex, which opened the following year.
In 1997 plans for a structure called the "Millennium Tower" were revealed. The tower's main selling point was that building it would be financed by private money, as opposed to taxpayer money. The tower was expected to be completed by 2003, but investors later pulled out and no construction was done. Today the site for the tower is a parking lot next to the World Peace Bell.
In the 21st century, Newport has experienced development with the entertainment industry.
Timeline
1791 - Settlement laid out. 1795 - Town of Newport incorporated. 1796 - Campbell County Courthouse built. 1798 - Newport Academy founded. 1800 - Population: 106. 1804 - Newport Barracks established. 1812 - James Taylor mansion built. 1821 - Southgate house built (approximate date). 1831 - Taylor Methodist Episcopal Church built. 1834 - City of Newport chartered. 1836 - Newport Lyceum founded. 1844 - Silk factory begins operating. 1847 - Public school begins operating. 1850 - Washington Fire Engine and Hose Company (volunteer firefighters) established. 1859 - October 28: "Mob destroys the plant of the True South, abolition paper." 1860 Public high school begins operating. Population: 10,046. 1866 - John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge opens near Newport. 1869 - John Butcher Brewery (later Wiedemann) in business. 1870 - Population: 15,087. 1871 - St. Paul's Episcopal Church built. 1872 - Newport and Cincinnati Bridge opens. 1873 - Southgate St. School established. 1880 - Population: 20,433. 1883 - Ohio River flood. 1884 Ohio River flood. Campbell County Courthouse rebuilt. 1888 - U.S. military Fort Thomas established near Newport. 1890 - Cincinnati–Newport Bridge opens. 1891 Andrews Steel Mill in business. George Ahlering elected mayor. 1898 - Ohio River flood. 1900 - Population: 28,301. 1902 - Carnegie Free Library opens. 1910 - Population: 30,309. 1913 - Ohio River flood. 1921 - Newport Steel worker labor strike begins. 1924 - Cote Brilliante becomes part of Newport. 1927 - Newport Finance Building constructed. 1928 - Newport steel strike officially ends, after 7 years. 1930 - City-manager form of government adopted. 1935 - Clifton becomes part of Newport. 1936 - Ingalls Park becomes part of Newport. 1937 - Flood. 1948 - Floodwall built. 1955 - The all-boys Newport Catholic High School opens a new campus on Carothers Road. The facility remains in use today by its coeducational successor, Newport Central Catholic High School. 1956 - Newport Shopping Center in business. 1961 Anti-corruption "Committee of 500" formed. George Ratterman becomes county sheriff. 1973 - Regional Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (public transit) established. 1975 - Newport News begins publication. 1976 - Daniel Carter Beard Bridge opens. 1978 - Campbell County Public Library established. 1980 Irene Deaton becomes first female mayor of Newport. Mansion Hill designated an historic district. 1983 Steve Goetz elected mayor. Newport Central Catholic High School is created by the merger of the all-boys Newport Catholic High School and all-girls Our Lady of Providence Academy. 1990 - Campbell County Historical Society founded. 1992 - Tom Guidugli becomes mayor. 1995 - Taylor–Southgate Bridge opens. 1999 - Newport Aquarium opens. 2000 - Population: 17,048. 2001 - Newport on the Levee "entertainment complex" in business. 2004 - L&N Bridge pedestrianized. 2005 - Geoff Davis becomes U.S. representative for Kentucky's 4th congressional district. 2008 - Jerry Peluso elected mayor. 2010 - Population: 15,273. 2012 - Thomas Massie becomes U.S. representative for Kentucky's 4th congressional district. 2021 - Thomas Guidugli, Jr elected mayor
County seat Newport is a county seat of Campbell County, and was previously a county seat from 1797 until 1823, and again from 1824 until 1840. In the 19th century, the overwhelming majority of the population lived in Newport and the surrounding cities. Many citizens did not like traveling south to Alexandria to conduct county business, as southern Campbell County was primarily undeveloped.
In 1883, Newport successfully lobbied the state legislature for an exception to state law, which both required that a county seat be located in the center of the county, and that certain county business only be conducted at the county seat. Frankfort passed a special law, creating the Newport Court House District, and within that district, the Newport Courthouse Commission which functioned as a special taxing district, so that an additional courthouse could be built, and business could take place in Newport, in addition to Alexandria. In 2008, the Kentucky General Assembly removed the taxing authority from the Courthouse Commission, but left the District and Commission intact.
In 2009, a court ruled that Alexandria is the only county seat, and Newport is not a county seat.Judge: Alexandria the only county seat , The Kentucky Enquirer, 2009-05-12. Accessed 2009-05-28. On November 24, 2010, the Kentucky Court of Appeals disagreed, and granted Newport equal status as a county seat.Nolan v. Campbell County Fiscal Court Kentucky Court of Appeals. 24 November 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2015. On August 25, 2011, the Supreme Court of Kentucky denied review of the appellate decision.SUPREME COURT OF KENTUCKY AUGUST 25, 2011 MINUTES Supreme Court of Kentucky. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (8.42%) is water.
Newport is located within the Bluegrass region found in the Upland South of the United States of America. Newport is also commonly referred to as being located in the Midwest. Either description of Upland South or Midwest is acceptable, as Newport is located at the boundary between those regions.
Climate Newport is located within a transition zone and is proximal to the extreme northern limit of the humid subtropical climate of the Southeastern United States.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Newport had a population of 14,150. The median age was 36.6 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 105.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.5 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,445 households in Newport, of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 26.8% were married-couple households, 29.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 43.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98, and the average family size was 2.82.
There were 7,361 housing units, of which 12.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%. The population density was 5,136.12 people per square mile (1,982.99/km2).
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 11,273 79.7% Black or African American 1,286 9.1% American Indian and Alaska Native 51 0.4% Asian 136 1.0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 10 0.1% Some other race 379 2.7% Two or more races 1,015 7.2% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 810 5.7%
2016-2020 American Community Survey According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $44,095, and the median income for a family was $89,115. About 23.2% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 33.8% of those under age 18 and 34.4% of those age 65 or over. About 54.0% of the population were employed, and 35.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher.
2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 15,273 people, 6,194 households, and 3,273 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,828 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.3% White, 7.6% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, less than 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of the population.