Sears Houses of Northern Kentucky

The state of Kentucky probably isn't on most people's radar as a hotbed of Sears houses. In the ranking of states with the most Sears houses, Kentucky sits at #11 with over 250 houses. It's a respectable number but pales in comparison to neighboring states like Indiana, with over 700, and the number one state in the country, Ohio, with over 3,000 documented Sears houses (as of February 2022). 

But in one part of Kentucky, you can find Sears houses in just about every town. In fact, over 80% of the Sears houses documented in Kentucky can be found in just 3 counties - Boone, Campbell and Kenton. In cities like Covington, Dayton, and Florence, you'll find examples of Sears houses of all sizes over the range of years that Sears sold homes. What makes that part of Kentucky the home to that many Sears houses? It's all in the geography. Let's take a look! 

What is it about northern Kentucky that makes it the home to so many Sears homes? In one word - Cincinnati. Cincinnati? But Cincinnati is in Ohio! Indeed it is. But directly south across the Ohio River from Cincinnati are the three Kentucky counties that border the city going from east to west - Campbell, Kenton, and Boone. 

Image from Life's Adventures blog

While the Ohio River divides the two states, this part of Kentucky has always been associated with Cincinnati. That's reflected in the development of the communities that grew up on the south side of the Ohio River. As Cincinnati grew, so did these communities. And just as Cincinnati and the surrounding area of southwestern Ohio came to be home to so many Sears houses, so did these counties in northern Kentucky. 

Of the communities in northern Kentucky, Covington has the largest number of documented Sears houses with over 60. 

Sears Marinas in Covington, Kentucky

But a number of the northern Kentucky communities have Sears houses in the double-digits. I've included a list of the communities below broken out by county. I fully expect that there are many more Sears houses yet to be found in this part of northern Kentucky. I will update these totals from time to times as more houses are documented. 

Boone County: 

• Florence: 5

Sears Bridgeport in Florence, Kentucky

Campbell County:

• Alexandria: 7
• Bellevue: 3
• Cold Spring: 4
• Dayton: 22
• Fort Thomas: 33
• Highland Heights: 2
• Melbourne: 4
• Newport: 17
• Silver Grove: 2
• Southgate: 13
• Wilder: 2
• Woodlawn: 1

Sears Rodessa and Sears Dundee in Newport, Kentucky

Kenton County

• Covington: 66 [An overview of the Sears houses in Covington]
• Crescent Springs: 2
• Edgewood: 6
• Elsmere: 2
• Erlanger: 6
• Fairview: 3
• Fort Mitchell: 21 [View examples from "Sears Houses in Ohio" - Part 1 and Part 2]
• Fort Wright: 5
• Lakeside Park: 1
• Ludlow: 3
• Morning View: 1
• Park Hills: 4
• Ryland Heights: 2 
• Taylor Mill: 2

Sears Vallonia in Fort Wright, Kentucky

Know of any Sears houses in this part of Kentucky? Let me know in the comments! 

August 2022 update: Revised numbers to reflect additional houses located.
October 2023 update: Revised numbers to reflect additional houses located.