University students outnumber full-time residents in this Kentucky city, report says
There are more than 50 public and private colleges and universities in the Bluegrass State, but a new report from data journalism website Stacker has revealed one Kentucky college town has more students than permanent residents.
In its list, Stacker cited Best Universities, which sourced data from the National Center for Education Statistics and used 2021 five-year pulation estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to Stacker, its list should not be taken as exhaustive, but more as a sample of several towns where college students outnumber residents. It’s worth noting distance-learning students were excluded, and in the case where there are multiple schools in the same town, the largest school is referenced.
Which Kentucky town has more students than residents?
According to Stacker, that honor goes to Highland Heights, the hometown of Northern Kentucky University.
Located across the Ohio River, Highland Heights could be considered a suburb of Cincinnati, and it’s only about 7 miles, or a 13 minute drive, from the Queen City.
The city’s residential population sits at 6,896 people, compared to a student population of 7,577, Stacker reports, meaning university students outnumber full-time residents by about 681 people.
Highland Heights was originally established sometime in the 1920s, when it began as a farming town, according to the community’s official website. Since that time, the suburb has been nicknamed The Highlands.
For much of the 20th century, Highland Heights remained a sleepy farming community. That is, until NKU became a four-year institution and moved to the area from Kenton County in 1971.
According to Stacker, today, “residents of the area enjoy the perks of a modern metropolis along with the charm of a small and cozy Bluegrass State town.”
Other places on Stacker’s list include Union, N.J., Kingston, R.I., and two cities in South Carolina, along with one in North Carolina.
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