Our Community

The Campbell County Public Library is proud to serve the citizens of our county with branches in Alexandria, Cold Spring, Fort Thomas and Newport.

Campbell County

Campbell County, Kentucky is located just south of the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio. Campbell County is part of the region known locally as “Northern Kentucky.” According to the 2020 census, the population of the county is 93,076.

Campbell County has two county seats. One is in Newport in the northern part of the county, and the other is in Alexandria in the southern part of the county. Alexandria became a county seat in 1840, taking the title from Newport. Newport was established as a county seat in an exception to state law in 1883 by the state legislature. The more populated northern part of the county disliked traveling south to Alexandria to conduct county business. Prior to 1883, Newport had been the county seat twice. The exception to have two county seats was upheld by Kentucky courts in 2009. Campbell County is one of two counties in Kentucky with two county seats. The other is the adjacent Kenton County.

Campbell County has a diverse geography including urban, suburban and rural areas. The county spans approximately 26 miles from north to south and is approximately 12 miles at its widest point. It is bordered by the Ohio River all along its northern and eastern sides and by the Licking River all along its western edge. The total land area is 151 square miles with a population density of 597 people per square mile.

The largest employer in Campbell County is Northern Kentucky University, established in 1968 and located in Highland Heights, with a staff of 2,000 and an enrollment of about 15,000.

There are six public school districts serving the county including five independent districts in Bellevue, Dayton, Fort Thomas, Newport and Southgate. The Campbell County School district serves the remainder of the county.

The county is governed by a county judge/executive and three county commissioners. Learn more on the county’s website.