Westwood is an urban-suburban
neighborhood of
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
. It is located north of
Price Hill, west of
Fairmount, and southwest of
Mount Airy.
Demographics
Westwood is Cincinnati's largest neighborhood. The population was 36,064 as of the 2020 Census.
History
Westwood was incorporated as a
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
on 14 September 1868. It was annexed by the City of Cincinnati on 8 May 1896.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Westwood's rural environment attracted many wealthy individuals, such as
Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...
co-founder
James Gamble. The neighborhood declined economically following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as poorer individuals moved into Westwood and many wealthy whites
moved to Cincinnati's outer suburbs.
On December 15, 2021, the
Cincinnati City Council
The Cincinnati City Council is the lawmaking body of Cincinnati, Ohio. The nine-member city council is elected at-large in a single election in which each voter chooses nine candidates from the field. The nine top vote-getters win seats on the cou ...
approved a proposal to create a "designated outdoor refreshment area" (DORA), an area in which
outdoor possession of open alcohol containers is legal, in Westwood. If implemented, the Westwood DORA will be the city's second such area out of a legal maximum of four.
Geography and architecture
Westwood's main thoroughfares (specifically
Harrison
Harrison may refer to:
People
* Harrison (name)
* Harrison family of Virginia, United States
Places
In Australia:
* Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin
In Canada:
* Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...
Avenue and
Boudinot Avenue) feature many uniquely large and decorative houses, while surrounding streets include a mixture of apartment homes and housing, as constructed by the large number of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
immigrants who settled in the Cincinnati vicinity. The area's growth continued steadily for many decades, becoming a residential haven for many of Cincinnati's
blue-collar workers
A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and powe ...
, and leading to additional development in the surrounding neighborhoods. Adjacent to Westwood is the city of
Cheviot, Ohio
Cheviot is a city in west-central Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cincinnati. The population was 8,375 at the 2010 census.
History
In 1818, a Scottish immigrant named John Craig purchased a half section of of Green ...
another one of the oldest suburban communities in Hamilton County. Even longtime residents have a difficult time determining where Cheviot ends and Westwood begins, or vice versa.
Mount Airy Forest
The Mount Airy Forest, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was established in 1911. It was one of the earliest, if not the first, urban reforestation project in the United States. With nearly , it's the largest park in Cincinnati's park system.
History
The or ...
, adjacent immediately to the north, is Cincinnati's largest park (and forest), and is one of the largest
municipal parks
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
in the United States, encompassing approximately of semi-thickly wooden hillside and parklike hilltop land.
Bracken Woods is an
urban park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...
in Westwood containing a nature preserve.
Westwood contains the
Westwood Town Center Historic District.
Schools
Westwood is served by
Cincinnati Public Schools
Cincinnati Public Schools (often abbreviated CPS) is the U.S. state of Ohio's third-largest public school district, by enrollment, after Columbus City Schools and Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Cincinnati Public Schools is the largest ...
, as well as some parochial institutions. Schools located in the neighborhood include:
* Dater Montessori (preschool-6)
* Gamble Montessori Elementary School (preschool-6)
* Gamble Montessori High School (7-12)
* Midway Elementary School (preschool-6)
* Westwood Elementary School (preschool-6)
* Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School
* St. Catharine of Siena Elementary School
A variety of schools in nearby Price Hill also serve students in Westwood, such as;
*
Gilbert A. Dater High School (7-12)
*
Elder High School
, motto_translation = Strive for the higher things
, streetaddress = 3900 Vincent Avenue
, region = Price Hill
, city = Cincinnati
, county =
, state ...
(7-12)
*
Seton High School (7-12)
*
Western Hills High School (7-12)
People
*
Steve Chabot
Steven Joseph Chabot ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American politician and lawyer who has been the United States representative for since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the district from 1995 to 2009. In 20 ...
, U.S. Congressman (1995-2009, 2011-2022)
*
James Gamble, Industrialist
*
James Michael Lafferty
James Michael Lafferty (born 1963) is an American businessman, speaker, consultant, psychologist, and social media influencer. He is known for his story of starting as a fitness trainer in the Procter & Gamble Company in 1984 and progressing throu ...
, US Business Leader and Olympic Track and Field coach.
References
Further reading
* ''A History of Westwood: community, continuity and change'' by Lyle Koehler (1944-), professional historian on staff at
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...
. Commissioned, published and sponsored by Westwood Civic Association, 1981. Noncirculating copy (one of 2) at Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Westwood Branch, attn. Kathy Bach, branch manager and neighborhood historian. To be digitized by PLC&HC (2009).
External links
Westwood Civic Association
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Neighborhoods in Cincinnati
Former municipalities in Ohio