Cityscape of Cincinnati - Larger Divisions

Larger Divisions

Interstates 71 and 75 define the four major areas of the city.

1. The area in between I-75 and I-71 tends to be denser and more urban and can be further divided into four smaller areas that decrease in density as one moves further away from the river. (1) The central business district is the area south of Central Parkway and surrounded on three sides by Interstate Highways 75 and 71. (2) A densely populated urban area surrounds the central business district to the west and north, filling up the rest of the low, flat basin between the two highways and extending all the way to the foothills. Its major components are the West End and Over-the-Rhine. 3) To the north where the hills begin is the Uptown area, the area surrounding the University of Cincinnati. This area is the second major business district featuring the other sizable collection of high-rise buildings and public institutions in the city, such as the aforementioned university and the Cincinnati Zoo. A large number of hospitals are located here as well. Many people, including a large number of students, call this diverse and densely populated area home. (4) North of Uptown is a large residential area, home to many well established neighborhoods such as Avondale, Clifton, Bond Hill and Evanston. Again, major city institutions are common here, such as Xavier University in Evanston and Cincinnati Gardens, the city’s former NBA venue, in Bond Hill.

2. Just west of Downtown, I-75 follows the Mill Creek Valley as it winds its way north from the river. The Mill Creek Valley is the industrial heart of the city and the center of production, storage and freight transportation. Interstate 75 is a major transnational trucking route and the valley contains the city's main rail complex and a water port where Mill Creek meets the Ohio River. The size and complexity of this area physically separates the West Side from the rest of the city. Accessing the West Side from the east usually requires crossing any one of several large viaducts, which accentuates the East/West division.

3. The area west of I-75, the West Side, is a residential area. It is popularly known for its working class character.

4. The East Side, east of I-71, is also largely residential. It is popularly known as an upper middle class area.

The suburbs of the city also tend to follow this pattern, with higher density found between the two highways (the business centers of Blue Ash, Evendale and Sharonville, for instance), heavy industry and freight located along Mill Creek and I-75 (The sprawling GE Aviation plant, for instance), and residential suburbs to the east and west. In Kentucky the pattern continues, with densely populated Covington and Newport located between the 71/75 and 471 interstates, and lower desity residential cities such as Villa Hills and Fort Thomas to either side.