Kentucky Map with Cities, Counties, and Roads Network

Kentucky Uncovered: Navigating Cities and Counties on the Map

What this detailed map shows

Map of Kentucky, Kentucky map with cities, counties, and roads network. This Map of Kentucky is a detailed map that highlights every county, each administrative capital (county seat), the nearby cities and towns that help with recognition, and the bordering states. Thin corridor lines for interstates and U.S. routes appear only as light references so you can place counties without turning the graphic into a turn-by-turn road sheet. That is why people searching for a Kentucky map with cities, counties, and a road network pick this layout as the best map companion for study, planning, and classroom work.

Frame the borders first.

The Ohio River forms most of the north and northwest edge, touching Illinois and Indiana; the northeast arc meets Ohio and West Virginia; the rugged southeast leans on Virginia; the long south edge touches Tennessee; the far west tip reaches Missouri across the Mississippi. Seeing those labels on the rim helps you place the four big metro anchors that the cartography marks clearly: Louisville in Jefferson County, Lexington in Fayette County, Bowling Green in Warren County, and the Northern Kentucky trio opposite Cincinnati in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell counties.

Far west: the Jackson Purchase and Twin Lakes

Begin at the Mississippi bend. Fulton County lists Hickman as the county seat, with Fulton close to the Tennessee line. North of it, Hickman County posts Clinton; Carlisle County shows Bardwell; Ballard County marks Wickliffe at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi. Turning east along the Ohio River, you reach McCracken County with Paducah at a prominent river junction. Immediately southeast the lake country rises: Graves County centers on Mayfield; Marshall County shows Benton near the Kentucky Lake shoreline; Calloway County shows Murray just east of Kentucky Lake and west of Tennessee; Trigg County lists Cadiz with Lake Barkley on its eastern flank; Lyon County lists Eddyville on the canal between the twin lakes and notes the historic penitentiary site; Livingston County shows Smithland at another Ohio River bend. These counties explain the Land Between the Lakes region at a glance.

Western Coal Field arc

Northeast of the twin lakes, the color blocks step into the Western Coal Field. Along the Ohio River, Crittenden County shows Marion, Union County shows Morganfield, Henderson County shows Henderson, Daviess County shows Owensboro, Hancock County shows Hawesville, and Breckinridge County shows Hardinsburg. Just inland, you read Webster County with Dixon, Hopkins County with Madisonville, McLean County with Calhoun, Ohio County with Hartford, and Muhlenberg County with Greenville and Central City both labeled. The light line of I-69 appears mainly to orient Madisonville and Henderson on a north-south axis without crowding the county names.

Pennyroyal Plateau and the Green River country

East and south of the coal field, the counties open into rolling farmland dotted with karst and springs. The map shows Butler County with Morgantown, Edmonson County with Brownsville near Mammoth Cave, Hart County with Munfordville, Grayson County with Leitchfield, and Barren County with Glasgow. South of those sit Logan County with Russellville, Simpson County with Franklin on the Tennessee approach, Allen County with Scottsville, Warren County with Bowling Green, Monroe County with Tompkinsville, Metcalfe County with Edmonton, Adair County with Columbia, and Green County with Greensburg. The Cumberland River and Green River labels snake quietly through the page, allowing you to place lake districts and watersheds without excess detail.

Fort Knox to Nolin and Rough rivers

The central west band stacks Meade County with Brandenburg, Hardin County with county seat Elizabethtown, and the Fort Knox area shown as a familiar label, LaRue County with Hodgenville, Nelson County with Bardstown, and Washington County with Springfield. The river-lake pair Rough River and Nolin River appear to help you orient Grayson, Breckinridge, Edmonson, and Hart without hiding the county seats.

Louisville Metro and the Oldham–Shelby–Spencer ring

The map makes Louisville bold as the anchor of Jefferson County. Surrounding it, Oldham County lists La Grange along the river corridor, Bullitt County lists Shepherdsville to the south, Shelby County lists Shelbyville to the east, and Spencer County lists Taylorsville at the lake. The light I-64 and I-65 references serve as simple guides to the metro ring and the Shelby Oldham run toward Frankfort and Cincinnati.

The Bluegrass: Frankfort to Lexington and the inner arc

East of Louisville, the Bluegrass counties appear in a tight cluster of courthouse towns and horse-farm names. Franklin County marks Frankfort, the state capital, on the Kentucky River. Around it, the page shows Henry County with New Castle, Trimble County with Bedford, Carroll County with Carrollton at the Ohio River confluence, Owen County with Owenton, Gallatin County with Warsaw, Grant County with Williamstown, Scott County with Georgetown, Woodford County with Versailles, Anderson County with Lawrenceburg, and Shelby County already mentioned. The Lexington label fills Fayette County while neighboring Bourbon County has Paris, Harrison County has Cynthiana, Nicholas County has Carlisle, Clark County has Winchester, Jessamine County has Nicholasville, Madison County has Richmond with Berea also shown, Garrard County has Lancaster, Mercer County has Harrodsburg, Boyle County has Danville, Marion County has Lebanon, and Nelson sits to the west with Bardstown. Light references to I-64 and I-75 anchor the Lexington–Frankfort–Louisville triangle.

Northern Kentucky along the Ohio River

From the river bend near Cincinnati, the counties stack clearly. Boone County lists Burlington with the city of Florence labeled, Kenton County lists Independence. At the same time, Covington is marked as a major city, and Campbell County lists Alexandria with Newport and Fort Thomas on the river. Continuing east, the page shows Pendleton County with Falmouth, Bracken County with Brooksville, Mason County with Maysville, Lewis County with Vanceburg, and the green ridge line toward Greenup County with seat Greenup and the city of Ashland across the mouth of the Big Sandy in Boyd County, seat Catlettsburg. The US-52 across the river and bridge hints are present only as subtle cues to cross-state context.

Gateway to the mountains: the Licking, the Red River, and Morehead

Between Lexington and Ashland, the map threads the Licking and Red River basins. You will see Montgomery County with Mount Sterling, Bath County with Owingsville, Rowan County with Morehead, Fleming County with Flemingsburg, Robertson County with Mount Olivet, and Menifee County with Frenchburg. South of those lie Powell County with Stanton and Clay City near the Red River Gorge, Estill County with Irvine, Lee County with Beattyville, and Owsley County with Booneville. The cartography keeps the gorge and river labels gentle so the small county seats remain readable.

Eastern Coalfield: the high counties of the Kentucky Appalachians

Now drop into the big mountain fan that fills the east. The counties and seats appear close together but remain legible: Carter County with Grayson and Olive Hill; Elliott County with Sandy Hook; Morgan County with West Liberty; Wolfe County with Campton; Jackson County with McKee; Laurel County with London; Clay County with Manchester; Leslie County with Hyden; Perry County with Hazard; Knott County with Hindman; Letcher County with Whitesburg; Harlan County with Harlan; Bell County with Pineville and the city Middlesboro; Knox County with Barbourville; Whitley County with Williamsburg and city Corbin; McCreary County with Whitley City; Wayne County with Monticello; Pulaski County with Somerset; Rockcastle County with Mount Vernon; Lincoln County with Stanford; Casey County with Liberty; Russell County with Jamestown; Cumberland County with Burkesville; Clinton County with Albany; Monroe already noted; Magoffin County with Salyersville; Johnson County with Paintsville; Floyd County with Prestonsburg; Pike County with Pikeville; and Martin County with Inez along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy. Thin corridors hint of US-23, US-119, and I-64 exist only to set bearings along the ridge valleys.

How to read the page for practical questions

Because every county block is colored and every county seat is printed in a consistent symbol, the eye can answer everyday questions quickly: Which county is Lexington in? Fayette. Where does Louisville sit? Jefferson on the Ohio. Which seat serves Mammoth Cave country? Brownsville in Edmonson. What is the seat in the far southwest tip? Hickman in Fulton. Where is Morehead relative to Mount Sterling? East across Rowan from Montgomery along the light I-64 cue. Where is Somerset relative to London? Southwest across Pulaski from Laurel. That is the power of this detailed map for both residents and visitors: counties first, with just enough network to anchor direction.

A county-by-county directory that matches the labels on the map

Use this as a quick index. Every line lists the county with its county seat (and a familiar city when the map labels one). Short cues mention river, border, or gentle corridor context only.

Jackson Purchase and Twin Lake counties

• Ballard – Wickliffe; Mississippi and Ohio confluence.

• Carlisle – Bardwell, between Wickliffe and Clinton.

• Hickman – Clinton; inland from the Mississippi bend.

• Fulton – Hickman (city of Fulton also shown); far southwest tip to Tennessee.

• McCracken – Paducah; Ohio River junction.

• Graves – Mayfield, south of Paducah.

• Marshall – Benton, on Kentucky Lake.

• Calloway – Murray, near the Tennessee line and Kentucky Lake.

• Trigg – Cadiz, between Lake Barkley and the state forest.

• Lyon – Eddyville; canal between the lakes.

• Livingston – Smithland; Ohio River bend.

Western Coal Field and the lower Ohio

• Crittenden – Marion; river interior.

• Union – Morganfield; Ohio River bottomland.

• Webster – Dixon, between Union and Hopkins.

• Henderson – Henderson, on the river opposite Indiana.

• Daviess – Owensboro; a large river city.

• Hancock – Hawesville; upriver from Owensboro.

• McLean – Calhoun; Green River valley.

• Ohio – Hartford; junction of Green and Rough river areas.

• Muhlenberg – Greenville (Central City labeled); coal field interior.

• Breckinridge – Hardinsburg; near Rough River Lake.

• Grayson – Leitchfield; between Nolin and Rough River lakes.

• Butler – Morgantown; Green River crossing.

Pennyroyal and Barren-Cumberland arc

• Logan – Russellville, north of Tennessee.

• Simpson – Franklin; on the Kentucky–Tennessee approach.

• Allen – Scottsville, east of Franklin.

• Warren – Bowling Green; regional hub.

• Edmonson – Brownsville; Mammoth Cave area.

• Hart – Munfordville; Green River corridor.

• Barren – Glasgow; near Barren River Lake.

• Metcalfe – Edmonton; between Barren and Adair.

• Monroe – Tompkinsville, near the Tennessee border.

• Adair – Columbia, on the Cumberland highlands.

• Green – Greensburg; along Green River.

• Taylor – Campbellsville, university town.

• Larue – Hodgenville; Lincoln birthplace area.

• Marion – Lebanon; central Bluegrass edge.

• Nelson – Bardstown: Historic Bourbon Center.

• Washington – Springfield, between Bardstown and Danville.

Fort Knox–Louisville metro and Oldham ring

• Meade – Brandenburg; Ohio River bluffs.

• Hardin – Elizabethtown; Fort Knox area.

• Bullitt – Shepherdsville, south of Louisville.

• Jefferson – Louisville; metro anchor on the Ohio.

• Oldham – La Grange, northeast of Louisville.

• Spencer – Taylorsville; lake and farm country.

• Shelby – Shelbyville; on the I-64 orientation line.

• Trimble – Bedford; the river bends to the north.

• Henry – New Castle, a farm county on the Louisville–Frankfort axis.

Frankfort and the inner Bluegrass

• Franklin – Frankfort, Kentucky’s capital on the river.

• Anderson – Lawrenceburg, between Frankfort and Bardstown.

• Scott – Georgetown, northwest of Lexington.

• Woodford – Versailles; thoroughbred country.

• Bourbon – Paris; east of Lexington.

• Harrison – Cynthiana; Licking River setting.

• Nicholas – Carlisle; small seat north of the Bluegrass center.

• Fayette – Lexington; consolidated urban county.

• Clark – Winchester; east gateway to the mountains.

• Jessamine – Nicholasville, south of Lexington.

• Madison – Richmond (Berea labeled); south-central Bluegrass.

• Garrard – Lancaster, between Richmond and Danville.

• Boyle – Danville; Constitution town.

• Mercer – Harrodsburg; pioneer settlement.

• Casey – Liberty, south of Danville on the hill front.

• Lincoln – Stanford; ridge between the Bluegrass and the plateau.

• Pulaski – Somerset, north of Lake Cumberland.

• Russell – Jamestown; Lake Cumberland headwaters.

• Cumberland – Burkesville; on the river bend.

• Clinton – Albany, south of Lake Cumberland.

Northern Kentucky and the mid-Ohio shore

• Boone – Burlington (Florence noted).

• Kenton – Independence (Covington, a prominent city).

• Campbell – Alexandria (Newport and Fort Thomas on the river).

• Grant – Williamstown, between Cincinnati and Lexington.

• Pendleton – Falmouth; Licking River valley.

• Bracken – Brooksville; rolling tobacco ridge.

• Mason – Maysville; major river city.

• Lewis – Vanceburg; rugged river hills.

• Greenup – Greenup; near Ashland on the Ohio.

• Boyd – Catlettsburg; Ashland is labeled as the large river city.

• Carter – Grayson; east of Morehead on the I-64 cue.

Licking–Red River basin and the eastern gateway

• Owen – Owenton, north of Frankfort.

• Gallatin – Warsaw, a river port on the Ohio.

• Carroll – Carrollton; at the confluence.

• Robertson – Mount Olivet; the smallest county by area.

• Fleming – Flemingsburg, north of Morehead.

• Bath – Owingsville; gateway to the east.

• Montgomery – Mount Sterling, east of Lexington.

• Rowan – Morehead, university town on the ridge.

• Menifee – Frenchburg, between Morehead and Stanton.

• Powell – Stanton; Red River Gorge area.

• Estill – Irvine; confluence of the Kentucky and Red rivers.

• Lee – Beattyville; Triple River Forks.

• Owsley – Booneville; a small seat in the hills.

Appalachian East and Big Sandy–Cumberland Highlands

• Jackson – McKee; Hill Crossroads.

• Laurel – London, a corridor town on the I-75 cue.

• Rockcastle – Mount Vernon; between London and Richmond.

• Whitley – Williamsburg (Corbin labeled); Tennessee line.

• Knox – Barbourville; north of Williamsburg.

• Bell – Pineville (Middlesboro city); Cumberland Gap.

• Harlan – Harlan; deep coalfield.

• Letcher – Whitesburg; Mountain Ridge.

• Perry – Hazard; North Fork Kentucky River.

• Leslie – Hyden; high hollows.

• Clay – Manchester; headwaters of the Kentucky River.

• Breathitt – Jackson; Middle Fork basin.

• Knott – Hindman, beside Perry and Floyd.

• Floyd – Prestonsburg; Levisa Fork.

• Johnson – Paintsville; Big Sandy Valley.

• Magoffin – Salyersville; mountain crossroads.

• Martin – Inez; Tug Fork border.

• Pike – Pikeville; far east hub.

• Lawrence – Louisa; junction of Tug and Levisa forks.

• Elliott – Sandy Hook; small interior seat.

• Morgan – West Liberty, along the mountain parkway.

• Wolfe – Campton; Red River headwaters.

• Wayne – Monticello, south of Lake Cumberland.

• McCreary – Whitley City; Big South Fork.

This directory aligns with what you see on the page: every county, its seat, and a one-line locator that keeps the focus on counties rather than driving steps.