Grant County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,941. Its county seat is Williamstown. The county was formed in 1820 and named for Colonel John Grant, who led a party of settlers in 1779 to establish Grant's Station, in today's Bourbon County, Kentucky. Grant County is included in the Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Grant County residents voted to allow full alcohol sales in the county by a margin of 56% to 44% in a special election on December 22, 2015. In the 19th century, Grant County had multiple saloons.

The Grant County News, established in 1906 and published in Williamstown, is preserved on microfilm by the University of Kentucky Libraries. The microfilm holdings are listed in a master negative database on the UK Libraries Preservation and Digital Programs website.

History

Grant County was established in 1820 from land taken from Pendleton County. The historic courthouse, built in 1939, replaced two earlier structures. A new judicial center was completed in April 2010. In 1975, many residents reported seeing a UFO at Williamstown Lake.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties

  • Boone County (north)
  • Kenton County (northeast)
  • Pendleton County (east)
  • Harrison County (southeast)
  • Scott County (south)
  • Owen County (west)
  • Gallatin County (northwest)

Demographics

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Elected officials

{| class=wikitable

|-

| colspan="3" |Elected officials as of January 3, 2025

|-

! scope=row|U.S. House

| |Thomas Massie (R)

| |

|-

! scope=row|Ky. Senate

| |Matt Nunn (R)

| |17

|-

! scope=row|Ky. House

| |Savannah Maddox (R)

| |61

|}

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public transportation is provided by Senior Services of Northern Kentucky with demand-response service.

Notable attractions

Grant County, specifically in Williamstown, is the location of the Ark Encounter, operated by the Christian apologetics organization Answers in Genesis and opened in 2016.

Communities

Cities

  • Corinth
  • Crittenden
  • Dry Ridge
  • Williamstown (county seat)

Unincorporated community

  • Jonesville

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Grant County, Kentucky

References

  • Historical Texts and Images of Grant County