The narrow ridges and steep hillsides have focused the oldest developments in the county along the Ohio River, often within the 100 year floodplain. New residential development is growing out of the seeds of the riverfront towns up along the highways winding up the narrow ridges. Much linear development has occurred along the highways near the Aurora area. More intense residential development has occurred north of Greendale. Hidden Valley Lake and Bright are now connected through constant residential development.
Continued growth is anticipated in the Bright area.
Road stripping visible on the Existing Land Use map indicates that the residential development pattern is beginning to head west along North Dearborn Road. Some smaller industrial developments exist in West Harrison along the Whitewater River. Commercial development has remained focused in the Lawerenceburg, Greendale, Aurora area. Newer commercial development has oriented itself around the traffic volumes offered by US 50 between Aurora and Lawrenceburg. The fragmentation caused by the diverse topography of the county also makes north-south travel within the county very difficult.