Park Hills, Kentucky

Park Hills, Kentucky
City

Location of Park Hills, Kentucky
Coordinates: 39°4′13″N 84°31′51″W / 39.07028°N 84.53083°WCoordinates: 39°4′13″N 84°31′51″W / 39.07028°N 84.53083°W
Country United States
State Kentucky
County Kenton
Incorporated 1927[1]
Named for nearby Devou Park[2]
Government
 • Type Mayor-council government
 • Mayor Matthew A. Mattone
Area
 • Total 0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2)
 • Land 0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 751 ft (229 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 2,977
 • Density 3,840.2/sq mi (1,482.7/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 41011
Area code(s) 859
FIPS code 21-59255
GNIS feature ID 0500180
Website www.parkhillsky.net
Not to be confused with the similarly-named Park City, Kentucky.

Park Hills is a home rule-class city[3] in Kenton County, Kentucky, in the United States. The city is a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio; was listed on the National Park Service's Register of Historic Places as the Park Hills Historic District in 2008; and has been recommended as the "Best Place to Live" in the area by Cincinnati Magazine. The population was 2,970 during the 2010 U.S. Census.

History

The area of present-day Park Hills was subdivided and settled c. 1845 on land owned by Messrs. Coran, Corry, and Spencer. This community remained quite small until D. Collins Lee and Robert Simmons developed the area in 1926 and incorporated the present city the next year.[1][2]

Government

Park Hills is a 4th-class city. The city has a mayor who is elected every four years: the current mayor is Matt Mattone. The city has a six-member City Council that is elected every two years. Current City Council Members are:

Park Hills is represented in the Kentucky General Assembly by Senator Chris McDaniel (R) of the 23rd District in the Senate and by Representative Arnold Simpson (D) of the 65th District and Representative Diane St. Onge (R) of the 63rd District in the House of Representatives.

Park Hills is located in Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, currently represented in the 113th United States Congress by Thomas Massie (R).

Former Mayor Donald Catchen has been at the center of several lawsuits filed against the city. In August, 2014, a sexual harassment suit by the former police chief was settled for $350,000. The city's insurance company will pay $200,000 and the city will pay $150,000, which accounts for about 10% of the annual budget. [4]

In June 2014, another lawsuit named Catchen as a defendant in his mayoral role. That suit is currently in proceedings. [5]

In January 2013, Don Catchen, who owns Don Catchen & Son Funeral Home, settled a lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed that Don Catchen's son, Don Catchen, jr., sexually harassed an employee. When the mayor, Don Catchen, Sr., was asked by the employee to do something about it, Mayor Catchen told her that he was sorry, but refused to take action, according to the suit. Instead, the employee resigned, and Mayor Catchen demanded that she move out of her company-provided residence immediately, the court filing reads. [6]

In 2010, when Don Catchen was a council member, he sued the city he was elected to serve. The suit was thrown out in court, but he continued to appeal it multiple times. Although each time judges deemed there was no merit to the suit, it cost tax payers tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. [7] [8]

In 2011, residents asked for his resignation one by one at a council meeting. Catchen refused to resign. [9]

Former Mayor Don Catchen was named one of the five most undateable mayors by the Los Angeles Times for his record of sexual harassment and for being thought of by residents as "rude" and "embarrassing." [10]

The mayor is currently up for re-election, but is running unopposed. A write-in candidate, Matt Mattone, emerged at the final hour, asking for respect for all citizens, and transparency. Catchen rebutted: "I ain't got nothing to hide from nobody." [11]

Geography

Park Hills is located at 39°4′13″N 84°31′51″W / 39.07028°N 84.53083°W (39.070261, -84.530854),[12] 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, and approximately 10 miles (16 km) from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land. The city is part of the Bluegrass Region of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, part of the Upland South region of the United States.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
20002,977—
20102,970−0.2%
U.S. Census Bureau

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 2,977 people, 1,382 households, and 725 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,840.2 people per square mile (1,473.6/km²). There were 1,523 housing units at an average density of 1,964.6 per square mile (753.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.64% White, 1.65% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.

There were 1,382 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.5% were non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,227, and the median income for a family was $65,833. Males had a median income of $39,450 versus $31,719 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,486. About 2.8% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Public schools

The City of Park Hills is served by the Kenton County School District. Students from Park Hills attend Dixie Heights High School in grades 9 through 12, Turkey Foot Middle School in grades 6 through 8, and Fort Wright Elementary in grades Pre-K through 5.

Catholic education

There are two private schools within the community, Covington Catholic High School and Notre Dame Academy. Covington Catholic is all male and Notre Dame is all female, both schools are run by the Diocese of Covington and their Department of Catholic Schools. The Diocese runs 17 schools in Kenton County.

Both Covington Catholic and Notre Dame are known for their strong academic programs as well as athletic success. Covington Catholic, known as the Colonels, won state AAA football titles in 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1997 and 2006. The Colonels have also won the regional track and field title every year since 1994, the state baseball title in 2002 with a national record of 40 wins and 3 losses and the swimming program has won nine consecutive regional titles. At Notre Dame, the Pandas won the state volleyball title in 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1994, a state soccer title in 2004 as well as numerous regional titles in other sports.

References

External links