Ryland Heights, KY

Ryland Heights is a small home-rule city in eastern Kenton County, along Decoursey Pike and the Licking River. The 2020 census counted 922 residents. The river forms the Campbell County line to the east, while roads climb through the wooded hills toward Taylor Mill, Independence, and the rest of Northern Kentucky. The city’s offices, commission meetings, road work, utilities, and emergency services all run from a compact municipal setup on Decoursey Pike.

Ryland Heights incorporated in 1972, but its most striking landmark is older: the Grant’s Bend railroad tunnels, built in 1853 and 1912. Both tunnels remain in active use today, tying the present road-and-hills landscape to the railroad corridor that helped open this side of the county. Ryland Heights Elementary serves the city’s younger students, with middle and high school routes continuing through Kenton County. This is a small Northern Kentucky city with a river boundary, an active rail line, and a municipal map that still fits the hills.