
Blue Ash is a city in
Hamilton County, Ohio
Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the List of counties in Ohio, third-most populous county in Ohio. The coun ...
. An
inner suburb
An inner suburb is a suburban community central to a large city, or at the inner city and central business district. The urban density is usually lower than the inner city or central business district, but higher than that of the city's rural� ...
of
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
, the population was 13,394 at the time of the
2020 census.
History
The area that is now Blue Ash was settled around 1791. In 1797, the first settlers built Carpenter's Run Baptist Church out of
blue ash logs, giving the area its eventual name.
In the late 19th century, the
Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway provided
narrow-gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curv ...
commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
service to Blue Ash.
Blue Ash was the site of
Cincinnati–Blue Ash Airport from 1921 to 2012. Originally a private airfield called Grisard Field, it was sold to the City of Cincinnati in 1946, becoming Ohio's first municipal airport. Cincinnati desired to expand the airport for major commercial service through the 1950s,
but Blue Ash fought the city by incorporating first as a village in 1955 and then as a city in 1961.
Eventually, through Reed Hartman's Community Improvement Corporation, Cincinnati developed the surrounding area as an industrial park and golf course. The airport closed on August 29, 2012, and the property was sold to the City of Blue Ash, which opened Summit Park on the property.
In 1998, the
Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority proposed a
MetroMoves light rail
Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
system with a Green Line that would initially run from Blue Ash to
Covington, Kentucky
Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...
. A future phase would have extended the line further north to
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was built by Taft Broadcasting and opened in 1972. It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Islan ...
and south to the
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is a public international airport located in Boone County, Kentucky, United States, around the community of Hebron. The airport serves the Cincinnati tri-state area. The airport's code, CVG, i ...
. However, MetroMoves was rejected by Hamilton County voters.
On
April 9, 1999, Blue Ash experienced an F4 tornado that caused four deaths.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of , of which (or 99.87%) is land and (or 0.13%) is water.
Blue Ash can be reached by
Interstate 71
Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the midwestern and Southeastern United States, southeastern regions of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64, I-64 and Interstate 65, ...
to the east,
Interstate 275 to the north, and
Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway to the south.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 13,394 people living in the city, for a population density of 1,766.09 per square mile (681.89/km
2). There were 5,851 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 74.0%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 6.6%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 13.2%
Asian, 1.4% from
other races, and 6.0% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.
There were 5,530 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 13.8% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse present. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37, and the average family size was 2.90.
23.8% of the city's population were under the age of 18, 56.7% were 18 to 64, and 19.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.9. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males.
According to the U.S. Census
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $103,658, and the median income for a family was $117,010. About 4.8% of the population were living below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over. About 65.0% of the population were employed, and 34.8% had a bachelor's degree or higher.
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 12,114 people, 5,015 households, and 3,404 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 5,360 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.9%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 6.5%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 10.6%
Asian, 0.6% from
other races, and 2.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.
There were 5,015 households, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.1% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.91.
The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 30.6% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 12,513 people, 4,990 households, and 3,468 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,251 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.09%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 5.01%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.25%
Native American, 6.39%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.29% from
other races, and 0.96% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.
There were 4,990 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $81,591, and the median income for a family was $88,494. Males had a median income of $72,743 versus $65,060 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $63,801. About 3.8% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Blue Ash's "daytime population" reaches approximately 55,000 due to the 2,000 businesses within the city limits.
The city's industrial and commercial parks are home to many corporate headquarters, including:
*
Belcan Corporation, an engineering consulting firm
*
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...
(North American Information Technology Division)
*
Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a medical device manufacturer
*
F+W
*
The J. Peterman Company, moved its headquarters to Blue Ash in 2011
*
Milacron
*
Sunny Delight Beverages, manufacturer of
Sunny Delight
*
Apollo Integrated Systems, High definition electronic frequency locking equipment designer
*
Kroger Technology, headquartered here and with two facilities here, is the technology and computer system management division of the
Kroger
The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States.
Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinc ...
supermarket corporation, headquartered in nearby Cincinnati.
Culture
Blue Ash offers two summer events each year: "Red, White, and Blue Ash";
and "Taste of Blue Ash".
"Red, White and Blue Ash" is held annually in celebration of the 4th of July and features the biggest
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
firework display in the region. These events draw internationally popular headlining rock acts. On July 4, 2010, the bands
Yes
Yes or YES may refer to:
* An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no
Education
* YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US
* Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US
* Young Ep ...
and
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bands the Herd and Humble Pie. Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a s ...
drew a record estimated 150,000 people to that year's Red, White, and Blue Ash event. Due to budget constraints the city decided to suspend their "Summerbration" event for 2010–2013, with hopes to resume the event in the near future.
Blue Ash and the neighboring city of
Montgomery partner to support the
Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, which performs at local events. In addition, the City provides an annual Concert Series each year during the summer months.
Education
Blue Ash is mostly served by the
Sycamore Community School District, which has had the most
National Merit Scholars of any public school in Ohio for the past four years and has been given the highest rating of "Excellent" by the
Ohio Department of Education
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for primary and secondary public education in the state. The Ohio State Board of Education is the governing body o ...
for eight consecutive years. The
Princeton City School District
Princeton City School District (commonly known as Princeton City Schools) is a city school district in northern Hamilton County, Ohio in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The school district serves Glendale, Ohio, Glendale, Lincoln Heights, Ohi ...
covers a western portion of the city.
Moeller High School, located just outside the city limits, is a Catholic private high school for boys, while
Ursuline Academy is a Catholic independent high school for girls. Blue Ash is also home to UC Blue Ash, formally called Raymond Walters College, a satellite campus of
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
.
Blue Ash is served by a branch of the
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
Notable people
*
William F. Brown, welding engineer
*
Jeff Fultz, racing driver
*
Joseph Crane Hartzell, Missionary Bishop of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
*
Mark P. Painter, state appellate judge,
United Nations appellate judge
*
Amy Yasbeck
Amy Yasbeck (born ) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chappel Davenport on the sitcom '' Wings'' from 1994 to 1997 and for having played the mermaid Madison in the television film '' Splash, Too'' in 1988 (the role ...
, film and television actress, ''
Wings''
Sister city
Blue Ash is a
sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inte ...
of
Ilmenau
Ilmenau () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany. It is the largest town within the Ilm district with a population of 38,600, while the district capital is Arnstadt. Ilmenau is located approximately south of Erfurt and north of Nuremberg w ...
in Germany.
References
External links
City websiteBlue Ash Events
{{Authority control
Cities in Ohio
Cities in Hamilton County, Ohio
1791 establishments in the United States