Editing Covington, Kentucky (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Covington, Kentucky}}
{{anchor|Etymology}}
[[File:Covington station 2018.jpg|thumb|left|The former Union Station in 2018]]
In 1814, John Gano, Richard Gano, and Thomas Carneal purchased The Point, {{convert|150|acre|km2|1}} of land on the west side of the Licking River at its confluence with the Ohio, from Thomas Kennedy for $50,000, and laid out the settlement of Covington the next year.<ref name=history>[https://archive.today/20130409223809/http://www.covingtonky.gov/index.asp?page=history&cmonth=2&cyear=2103 Our History] City of Covington. Retrieved March 11, 2013.</ref> It was named in honor of [[Leonard Covington|Gen. Leonard Covington]],<ref name=Gannett>{{citation | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA94 | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Government Printing Office |location=[[Washington, DC|Washington]] | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 |page=94 }}.</ref> who was killed at the [[Battle of Crysler's Farm]] during the [[War of 1812]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} The town was formally incorporated by the [[Kentucky General Assembly]] a year later{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} and raised to city status in 1834.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}

The city prospered as an emporium for Kentucky's [[tobacco in the United States|tobacco]] and [[cigar]] production.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} In 1862, [[Stewart Iron Works]] was established; for a time, it was the largest iron fence maker in the world and still exists today as part of the Huseman Group of Cincinnati.  There were also [[bourbon whiskey|distilleries]], [[glassmaking|glassworks]], and [[stove]] factories.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} Like nearby Cincinnati, Covington's factories and businesses were particularly staffed by [[Catholicism in Kentucky|Catholic]] and [[German immigrants in the United States|German immigrants]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} Its Catholic church was eventually raised to the level of a [[Diocese of Covington|diocese]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}

In 1880, the city was named the [[Mean center of the United States population#Location information since 1790|center of the country's population]] by the [[U.S. Census Bureau]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A Population on the Move |url=https://mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov/arcgis/apps/storymaps/collections/2046d0d4036144a28c7d7215545c0db7?item=1 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 8, 2024}}</ref>

By 1900, Covington was the second-largest city and industrial region in Kentucky.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} At the time, its population of almost 43,000 was about 12% foreign-born and 5% [[African American|Black]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} By this time, it was connected to the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway|Chesapeake & Ohio]] and [[Louisville & Nashville]] [[rail transport in the United States|railways]], and companies offered [[steamboat]] service to other ports on the Ohio River.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} Its factories had expanded to include cotton goods, machinery, and [[Rope|cordage]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}

Covington even boasted a [[Federal League]] [[baseball]] team, the [[Covington Blue Sox]], during the 1913 season. The present-day circuit courthouse is located at the site of its former grounds, Federal Park, which is thought to have been the smallest stadium ever used by a professional baseball club.

It declined in importance during the [[Great Depression]] and the middle 20th century.<ref name=history/> The city has undergone some redevelopment during the late 20th and early 21st centuries as the most populous city in Kenton County.