Just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Fort Thomas is a 17,000-person suburb in northern Kentucky that's sought after for its highly rated school system and lower-than-Cincinnati property taxes. “Where Fort Thomas is, it’s about 5 minutes to cross the bridge to get into Cincinnati,” says lifelong resident and Realtor Doug Schuerman. “That’s a $10 Uber ride to all the culture, the symphony, plays, restaurants, sporting events, parks and everything. Then, you can come right back over to northern Kentucky, where it’s sleepy and quiet.” Fort Thomas residents often work in downtown Cincinnati at one of several local hospitals or at major universities like Xavier or the University of Cincinnati.
Fort Thomas residents benefit from lower-than-Cincinnati property taxes.
Residents in Fort Thomas enjoy a quick 5-minute trip over the bridge to Cincinnati.
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New traditional homes with views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati
Fort Thomas has mostly brick new traditional homes, many of which are newly constructed, with a median price of $336,000, which is about $70,000 below the national median. “It’s very difficult to get in,” Schuerman says. “Prices have gone up quite a bit. A lot of the homes sit on a hill, so many of the homes have river views and views of Cincinnati, which also raises property values. Usually, if it’s priced pretty decent, a home in Fort Thomas probably goes within a week.”
The median single family home in Fort Thomas is $355,000.
Homes in Fort Thomas typically sell after 37 days.
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Tower Park and the Highland Country Club
Fort Thomas has four city parks, the largest being Tower Park, a nearly 90-acre green space located on the city’s former military base. “There’s a huge water tower that’s kind of the symbol of Fort Thomas,” Schuerman says. Tower Park has tennis and pickleball courts, a playground, softball and baseball fields, an amphitheater and an indoor event space. The Fort Thomas Museum is also located here and is open to the public three days a week. The museum showcases the history of the fort through its period-specific exhibits. Many community members belong to Fort Thomas’ Highland Country Club, which includes an Arthur Hills-designed golf course and an Olympic-sized pool.
Tower Park has nearly 90 acres and is located on the city’s former military base.
Highland Country Club near Fort Thomas features an Arthur Hills-designed golf course and an Olympic-sized pool.
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Fort Thomas Independent Schools is one of Kentucky’s top districts
Fort Thomas Independent Schools gets an A rating from Niche and the site also ranks it as Kentucky’s third best school. Fort Thomas is also known for its higher education institutions. “The University of Cincinnati, Xavier University and Northern Kentucky University are all within 10 minutes or so of Fort Thomas,” Schuerman says.
Highlands High School has 1,015 enrolled students and serves grades 9 through 12.
63% of residents in Fort Thomas are college graduates.
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Central Business District
“Everything in Fort Thomas seems to revolve around the downtown area, which we call the Central Business District, which is where the fort used to be,” Schuerman says. The Central Business District stretches a mile and half along Fort Thomas Avenue, starting around Highlands High School and running south toward Tower Park. “That’s where there’ll be a lot of shops, ice cream shops, restaurants,” Schuerman says. “There’s a new development [too] that has a dentist, financial advisors, several pubs, little eateries and things like that.”
Fort Thomas Coffee is a casual coffeehouse serving breakfast, plus beer, wine, and cocktails, with live entertainment.
The town of Fort Thomas has over 160 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Weather and the Fort Thomas Police Department
Fort Thomas experiences average high temperatures in the 80s during the summer and lows in the 20s in the winter. Due to this city's proximity to the Ohio River, it is susceptible to flooding risks during severe weather. FBI data shows that the Fort Thomas Police Department has seen a slight decline in its property crime rate since 2017, while its violent crime rate has remained about the same.
Walk, bike or drive golf carts around Fort Thomas
“Fort Thomas is a very walkable city,” says Schuerman. “Most of the streets have sidewalks on both sides of the streets. A lot of people ride bikes or golf carts. You have to register your golf carts, but if they’re street-legal, you’re allowed to drive them through the streets. A lot of people will have their golf carts in the garage and drive them to the country club or drive them into town for dinner.” He adds that Fort Thomas is a self-contained city without much access, which adds a sense of privacy and safety. “Fort Thomas is not a pass-through city,” he says. “It sits high on a hill, and there is not one exit off that highway into Fort Thomas. I think that was intentionally designed years ago when they designed the highway to try to keep people from coming up into Fort Thomas. Not a lot of people will travel up into Fort Thomas, which is very nice in the safety aspect when you’ve got children.”
Fourth of July, Fort Thomas Farmers Market and Merchants & Music at Tower Park
Each summer, Fort Thomas has a Fourth of July parade that runs from the north end to the south end of the Central Business District. “A lot of the businesses, the Corvette Club and civic organizations like the firemen and police will have floats,” Schuerman says. The evening ends with fireworks at Tower Park. “You can see them all throughout Fort Thomas,” Schuerman says. From April through December, the city also has a farmers' market at Tower Park on Wednesday evenings with booths set up by local vendors. In September, Merchants & Music is northern Kentucky’s largest music festival. It’s held annually at Tower Park and is completely free to attend.
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Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
