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Lincoln Heights, Ohio
Village
Houses on Steffen Avenue
Houses on Steffen Avenue
Location in Hamilton County and the state of Ohio.
Location in Hamilton County and the state of Ohio.
Country United States
State Ohio
County Hamilton
Area
 • Total 0.74 sq mi (1.92 km2)
 • Land 0.74 sq mi (1.92 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
594 ft (181 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 3,286
 • Estimate 
(2019)
3,349
 • Density 4,507.40/sq mi (1,739.96/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
45215
Area code(s) 513
FIPS code 39-43722
GNIS feature ID 1048919

Lincoln Heights is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,286 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of Cincinnati.

History

Lincoln Heights was founded in the 1920s by property developers as a suburban enclave for black homeowners working in nearby industries. It was originally an unincorporated area which had no fire, police, streetlights, nor any paved roads. At the time only some houses had electricity. Many black families bought houses in the community because zoning laws and redlining prevented them from purchasing property in other communities.

Incorporation attempts

The first attempt at incorporation came in 1939; the motive was so residents could establish their own municipal services. Lockland residents objected to the Lincoln Heights incorporation proposal because they feared Lincoln Heights' business district may compete with its own, so they filed an objection several minutes before the filing deadline occurred. This was the start of a series of delays.

Kitty Morgan of Cincinnati Magazine wrote that the Hamilton County and state governments were "unsympathetic" to the attempted incorporation. The manager of the Wright Aeronautical Plant, located on land that Lincoln Heights residents wished to incorporate, also filed an objection because he did not want the factory to be in a majority black municipality. The communities of Woodlawn, and then Evendale incorporated even though Lincoln Heights' application kept being delayed. They respectively took the western and eastern portions of territory that was supposed to be in Lincoln Heights, the latter of which contained the aeronautical plant. The persons trying to establish Lincoln Heights failed to successfully challenge the Evendale incorporation in court.

In 1946 Hamilton County allowed Lincoln Heights to incorporate with 10% of the original proposal's area. It had no industrial tax base since there were no major factories or plants within the city limits. A University of Buffalo professor of urban and regional planning who wrote a dissertation on Lincoln Heights, Henry Louis Taylor, stated that this made Lincoln Heights vulnerable to future economic problems.

Subsequent history

Morgan wrote that the "halcyon days" of Lincoln Heights were the post-World War II period through the 1960s. At that time of incorporation it was the only black municipality north of the Mason-Dixon line, prompting Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey to establish a tour of Lincoln Heights, inviting New York City residents to participate. In the mid-20th century many Lincoln Heights residents worked at the Wright Aeronautical Plant and a nearby chemical plant.

In the 1970s Lincoln Heights had 6,099 residents. In the 1970s and 1980s many factories began to close, and the tax base of the city decreased, making it difficult to establish community programs. It became difficult for residents find employment, and many residents who attended universities never returned to the city. By 1990 the number of residents in Lincoln Heights had decreased to 4,805. This further declined to 4,113 persons in 2000. In 2000 Cincinnati Magazine ranked Lincoln Heights in last place, #84, in its "The Best Places to Live," a ranking of communities in the Cincinnati area.

As of 2001 the community still included many longtime residents; many persons who stayed in the city had been unable to leave Lincoln Heights. That year the Lincoln Heights economic development director, Claude Audley, stated that he received telephone calls from people expressing a wish to move back to Lincoln Heights.

From 2007 to 2013 the values of houses in Lincoln Heights declined by 76.4%. During the same period the housing values in nearby Indian Hill increased by 27.7%.

In 2013 the population was down to 3,367. From 1970 to 2013, therefore, the population had declined by 45%. The population in nearby Blue Ash had increased by 46% during that time frame.

Geography

Lincoln Heights is located at 39°14′41″N 84°27′20″W / 39.24472°N 84.45556°W / 39.24472; -84.45556 (39.244608, -84.455570).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.76 square miles (1.97 km2), all land.

As of 2002 there were 19 churches within Lincoln Heights.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1950 5,531
1960 7,798 41.0%
1970 6,099 −21.8%
1980 5,259 −13.8%
1990 4,805 −8.6%
2000 4,113 −14.4%
2010 3,286 −20.1%
2019 (est.) 3,349 1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,286 people, 1,287 households, and 803 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,323.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,669.4/km2). There were 1,564 housing units at an average density of 2,057.9 per square mile (794.6/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 1.7% White, 95.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population.

There were 1,287 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 17.0% were married couples living together, 39.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.30.

The median age in the village was 31.9 years. 30.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.2% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 12.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 43.3% male and 56.7% female.

As of 2015 the percentage of African-Americans in Lincoln Heights is among the highest in Ohio. As of the same time nearby Blue Ash has more than twice the median income of Lincoln Heights.

Education

Residents are a part of Princeton City Schools, which operates Lincoln Heights Elementary School. For secondary school residents attend Community Middle School and Princeton High School.

The current Lincoln Heights Elementary building, with a capacity of 440 students, opened in 2006 as part of an $85 million school bond program. In 2012 the school district considered closing the school due to issues with its budget, but the school remained open after a tax levy was passed. Due to violence occurring outside of the school, it was held in an all-day lockdown from May 14 to June 2, 2014. The school district stated that this was due to concern over the safety of the students.

As of 2014 there were fewer than 200 students at Lincoln Heights Elementary, while 40 other elementary-aged children who live in Lincoln Heights attend other schools in the Princeton school district.

The previous Lincoln Heights elementary school building is unused. In 2015 the Princeton school district put this building on an auction with a minimum bid of $69,900. As of July 2015 no individual or entity has purchased the building.

Notable people

See also

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