Editing Fort Thomas, Kentucky

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Fort Thomas
| other_name         = 
| native_name        = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
| nickname           = 
| settlement_type    = [[List of cities in Kentucky|City]]
| motto              = ''City of Beautiful Homes''
| image_skyline      = File:Fort Thomas, Kentucky.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Fort Thomas Avenue
| image_flag         = Flag of Fort Thomas, Kentucky.png
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = Seal of Fort Thomas, Kentucky.png
| seal_size          = 
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| image_blank_emblem = 
| blank_emblem_size  = 
| image_map          = File:Campbell County Kentucky Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Fort Thomas Highlighted 2128594.svg
| mapsize            = 260px
| map_caption        = Location of Fort Thomas in Campbell County, Kentucky.
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Kentucky]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Kentucky|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Campbell County, Kentucky|Campbell]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Eric Haas
| leader_title1      = City Administrative Officer <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
| leader_name1       = <nowiki>Ron Dill</nowiki>
| leader_title2      = City Treasurer
| leader_name2       = Joseph Ewald
| leader_name4       = 
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = February 27, 1867
| established_title2 = Incorporated
| established_date2  = October 6, 1914
| established_title3 = 
| established_date3  = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_21.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 18, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 14.74
| area_land_km2      = 14.69
| area_water_km2     = 0.05
| area_total_sq_mi   = 5.69
| area_land_sq_mi    = 5.67
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.02
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 17438
| population_density_km2 = 1186.69
| population_density_sq_mi = 3073.32
| timezone           = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = −5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = −4
| coordinates        = {{coord|39|04|49|N|84|27|06|W|region:US-KY_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 781
| postal_code_type   = ZIP
| postal_code        = 41075
| area_code          = [[Area code 859|859]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 21-28594
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2403648<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2403648}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|ftthomas.org}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 2022
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| population_est     = 17133
}}

'''Fort Thomas''' is a [[list of Kentucky cities|home rule-class city]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.klc.org/UserFiles/files/ClassificationReformFACT(3).pdf |title=Summary and Reference Guide to House Bill 331 City Classification Reform |publisher=Kentucky League of Cities |access-date=December 30, 2014}}</ref> in [[Campbell County, Kentucky|Campbell County]], Kentucky, United States, on the southern bank of the [[Ohio River]] and the site of an 1890 US Army post. The population was 17,483 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], making it the largest city in Campbell County. It is part of the [[Cincinnati – Northern Kentucky metropolitan area]].

==History==
[[File:Fort Thomas KY water tower foto by andy hemmer cincinnati.jpg|thumb|upright|The Fort Thomas Water Tower was constructed in 1890]]

Evidence suggests that on or around 1749, prior to settlement by Europeans, a large battle occurred between a band of [[Cherokee]] Native Americans and victorious [[Miami tribe]] and [[Shawnee]] tribe Native Americans in what is now the city of Fort Thomas. As many as 600 graves of slain warriors have been unearthed by archeologists there.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

===Fort Thomas Army Post===
In 1887, a site was needed to house a [[United States Army]] post to replace [[Newport Barracks]] located in the adjoining city of [[Newport, Kentucky]]. Built in 1803, Newport Barracks replaced the smaller [[Fort Washington, Cincinnati, Ohio|Fort Washington]], located across the [[Ohio River]] in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio. That army post was located at the junction of the [[Licking River (Kentucky)|Licking]] and Ohio Rivers, but it was prone to flooding and flooded numerous times during the early 1880s. A new, less flood prone location was sought. General [[Philip Sheridan]] personally selected {{convert|11|acre|ha}} of the city and dubbed the area the Highlands, predicting it to become the "[[United States Military Academy|West Point]] of the West." The new post was named Fort Thomas in honor of General [[George Henry Thomas]].

The area has many remnants of this era with a {{convert|102|ft|m|adj=on}} high Stone Water Tower as a familiar landmark which stands at the entrance to Tower Park. It was the 16th structure built on the grounds of the Military Reservation. It encloses a standpipe which has a capacity of 100,000 gallons, pumped from the Water District reservoirs just across South Fort Thomas Avenue. In 1890 when the military base was established, such provisions for water supply was necessary as there was no other water tower in this area. Cannons that were captured in [[Cuba]]'s Havana Harbor during the Spanish–American War rest on stone platforms in front of the Tower. The dates marked on these [[cannon]]s, reflecting the date they were made in [[Barcelona]], Spain, are "1768" and "1769."

The U.S. [[6th Infantry Regiment]] moved to Fort Thomas, where it remained until called to action again in June 1898, in the [[Spanish–American War]].

Also stationed at Fort Thomas during the [[Spanish–American War]] were the 8th Volunteer Infantry, known as the "8th Immunes." At the time, many erroneously believed that [[African Americans]] were naturally [[immune]] to tropical diseases or at least were better suited for service in the tropical environment of the [[Caribbean]], and fearing the outbreak of [[tropical disease]], actively recruited [[African-American]] soldiers for the conflict. Also, active service in the armed forces was considered beneficial to the status of African Americans in the [[United States]], and was therefore lobbied for by civil rights leaders at the time. [[Booker T. Washington]] wrote the [[Secretary of the Navy]] that [[Cuba]]'s climate was "peculiar and danger[o]us to the unaclimated [sic] white man. The Negro race in the South is accustomed to this climate." Other black leaders lobbied in [[Federal government of the United States|Washington]] to reserve all ten regiments for their race. Although they lacked the political clout to accomplish that lofty goal, [[President McKinley]] was well aware that most states had refused to accept black volunteers, and he wanted to recognize the martial spirit of the minority that staunchly supported his Republican party. On 26 May, the adjutant general's office issued General Orders, No. 55, indicating that five of the Immune regiments would be composed of "persons of color," commanded by officers who were also people of color. The others were composed of white men who had already contracted [[tropical diseases]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://armyhistory.org/the-black-immune-regiments-in-the-spanish-american-war/|title=The Black "Immune" Regiments in the Spanish-American War – the Campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army}}</ref>

Fort Thomas served as a depot, induction center, and military hospital.  Most of the garrison was transferred to the Veterans Administration in 1946, but military activities continued until the fort was closed in 1964.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==Geography==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|6.4|sqmi|km2}}, of which, {{convert|5.7|sqmi|km2}} of it is land and {{convert|0.8|sqmi|km2}} of it (11.82%) is water.

===Climate===
Fort Thomas is located within a climatic transition zone at the extreme northern limit of the [[humid subtropical climate]]. The local climate is a basically a blend of the subtropics to the south and the [[humid continental climate]] to the north. There are several "micro-climates" found in Fort Thomas which produce warmer than usual or cooler than usual "pockets". In the warmer niches it is not at all uncommon to find such "subtropical" novelties as the [[common wall lizard]], the Southern magnolia ''([[Magnolia grandiflora]])'', and even the rare [[Dwarf palmetto]]; [[Blue spruce]] and [[Salamander]] tend to occur in the cooler and shaded niches. Moderating variables for the overall climate of Fort Thomas include: the Ohio River, the region's relatively large hills and valleys, and an urban heat influence due to the proximity of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (Covington, Newport, etc.) metropolitan area. Fort Thomas is located within the [[Bluegrass region]] of Kentucky and Southern Ohio and is also situated within the northern periphery of the [[Upland South]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1920 = 5028
| 1930 = 10008
| 1940 = 11034
| 1950 = 10870
| 1960 = 14896
| 1970 = 16338
| 1980 = 16012
| 1990 = 16032
| 2000 = 16495
| 2010 = 16325
| 2020 = 17438
| estyear = 2022
| estimate = 17133
| estref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2022/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2022-POP-21.xlsx|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Kentucky: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date= May 26, 2023}}</ref>
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url= https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title= Census of Population and Housing|publisher= Census.gov|access-date= June 4, 2015 }}</ref>
}}

As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=31 January 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2010, there were 16,325 people, 6,787 households, and 4,219 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2,909.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 7,028 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,239.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.9% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], less than 0.01% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.4% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 6,787 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,575, and the median income for a family was $63,006. Males had a median income of $43,733 versus $30,209 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,657. About 2.8% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Fort Thomas has an independent public school district with 3 elementary schools (Robert D. Johnson Elementary, Ruth Moyer Elementary, and Samuel Woodfill Elementary), Highlands Middle School, and Highlands High School, which are consistently ranked among the top in the country. [[Highlands High School (Kentucky)|Highlands High School]] is the only public high school in the state with a [[Cum Laude Society]] chapter.<ref>[http://cumlaudesociety.org/members.html Cum Laude Membership<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007082546/http://cumlaudesociety.org/members.html |date=October 7, 2006 }}</ref>

Fort Thomas has a [[public library]], a branch of the Campbell County Public Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111202017/https://kdla.ky.gov/librarians/pages/librarydirectory.aspx | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 January 2019 | title=Kentucky Public Library Directory | publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives | access-date=5 June 2019}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Murder of Pearl Bryan|Pearl Bryan]], woman murdered in 1896
* [[Jim Bunning]], [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[United States Senate|Senator]] 
* [[Cris Collinsworth]], sportscaster, former [[Cincinnati Bengals]] [[wide receiver]]
* [[Jac Collinsworth]], sportscaster
* [[Harlan Hubbard]], artist
* [[Lucien Hubbard]], Oscar-winning film producer
* [[Jerome P. Keuper]], founder and president of [[Florida Institute of Technology]]
* [[Jared Lorenzen]], former [[New York Giants]] quarterback
* [[Mike Mitchell (safety)|Mike Mitchell]], [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] safety
* [[John Schlarman]], former [[Kentucky Wildcats football|Kentucky]] football player and coach
* [[Jeff Walz]], head coach of the [[University of Louisville]] women's [[basketball]] team
* [[Samuel Woodfill]], one of the most decorated soldiers of [[World War I]]
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==See also==
* [[List of cities and towns along the Ohio River]]
* [[Engels Maps]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* Crowley, Patrick(1997). [http://enquirer.com/editions/1997/05/05/loc_close.html "Having cake and eating it, too"], ''The Cincinnati Enquirer''.
* [http://bluegrasspreps.com/ky-boys-basketball/who-original-cake-84782-page2.html BluegrassPreps.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013200002/http://bluegrasspreps.com/ky-boys-basketball/who-original-cake-84782-page2.html |date=October 13, 2014 }} (2005).
* History section is based primarily from the city's [https://web.archive.org/web/20100923030510/http://ftthomas.org/History.html official website].
* Collier, Mark (2013). [http://www.fortthomasmatters.com/2017/08/living-magazines-acquired-by-fort.html Yes, Fort Thomas Matters.] ''WCPO.'' 
* Collier, Mark. (2015). [http://fortthomasmatters.podbean.com FTM Radio.] ''Podbean, iTunes, Google Play.''

==External links==
* [http://www.ftthomas.org City of Fort Thomas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804085602/http://www.ftthomas.org/ |date=August 4, 2020 }}
* [http://www.nkyviews.com/campbell/campbell_main.htm Historical Images and Texts of Fort Thomas]

{{Campbell County, Kentucky}}
{{Kentucky}}
{{KYLargestCities}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Campbell County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1867]]
[[Category:Kentucky populated places on the Ohio River]]
[[Category:Cities in Kentucky]]