Smallest Incorporated KY Town Has a Population of Zero

Real quick, we're going to pretend like we're taking a city and regional planning course and focus on Kentucky. Okay, here we go...according to the United States Census Bureau, there are 422 incorporated towns or cities in the Commonwealth. That means it can receive a charter from the state thereby allowing it to have elected and officials and maybe make its own rules. Class dismissed.

Now, here's the follow-up reading...

The Smallest Incorporated Kentucky Town...Population: ZERO

Of those 422 incorporated locations, 83 of them are within the Louisville metropolitan area. And four of the 422 are governmentally inactive. As you might have guessed, one of that quartet is the town without a population. That's right. South Park View KY, incorporated as it is, has a population of ZERO.

And if you think THAT looks bleak, check out the U.S. Census Bureau's profile on this Bluegrass "ghost town." That map looks even more desolate than the one from Google. So how long does South Park View remain "on the books" as an incorporated Kentucky town? Well, the answer would be, "not very long," according to a 2023 report in the Lexington Herald-Leader. The answer could also be, "MAYBE not very long."

In January 2023--South Park View and eight other towns had not notified the Department for Local Government of their status. In other words, if you do not or cannot maintain some form of elected government, you can earmarked for dissolution. And with literally NO ONE living in South Park View, you have to think it would be on the chopping block. Of course, here it is 20 months later and, so far, we've heard nothing.

What Happened to South Park View KY?

As you can see in this time lapse presentation from Louisville Public Media, South Park View once thrived, even as a very small town. Note the houses and the neighborhoods.

It was about 20 years ago when the Louisville airport expanded and the town was essentially leveled. A few locals were hangers-on, and the mayor, at one point, was steadfast about staying put. But he yielded in 2013.

Today, it would SEEM South Park View's days are numbered as an official incorporated town--nothing but empty lots and industrial buildings--but that ball got rolling well over a year ago. We now wait and see.