Hyde Park is an affluent neighborhood on the east side of Cincinnati, Ohio. The population was 13,356 at the 2010 census. It is located on the eastern side of Cincinnati, approximately six miles away from Downtown Cincinnati. Much of the neighborhood is situated between Interstate 71 and the Ohio River. At the center is Hyde Park Square, which is within a 2-block area of Erie Avenue primarily bounded by Edwards Road on the West and Michigan Avenue on the East. The square features a park in the center surrounded by retail shops and restaurants. Its centerpiece is the Kilgour Fountain, which features a draped female figure with fluted basins. It was donated in 1900 by John and Charles Kilgour. The Graeter's Ice Cream parlor has been present on Hyde Park Square since 1938. In 2010, Forbes named Hyde Park one of "America's Best Neighborhoods", citing the education levels of its residents and its high concentration of shops and restaurants.
History
Hyde Park initially consisted of a rural area with very few houses as late as 1885, until the Norfolk and Western Railway linked it with Cincinnati in the 1872. Shortly afterwards, population began to increase and in 1892, several prominent Cincinnati real estate businessmen, collectively known as the Mornington syndicate, capitalized on the new transportations to downtown and purchased much of the land to create a community exclusively for Cincinnati's wealthy, selling old parcels to residents who met such criteria. In 1896, the village of Hyde Park was incorporated and was named after the affluent hamlet of Hyde Park in New York. In November 1903, Hyde Park was annexed by the City of Cincinnati. Almost immediately thereafter, it experienced a real estate boom, bringing hundreds of new residents. Today, the neighborhood is rather thickly populated.
Geography
Hyde Park is located on the eastern side of Cincinnati, approximately six miles away from the Central Business District. Much of the neighborhood is situated between Interstate 71 and the Ohio River. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of East Walnut Hills, Evanston, Mt. Lookout, O'Bryonville, Oakley, and the City of Norwood. Hyde Park is located on a plateau above the Ohio River Valley and the Miami Valley. Linwood Road, Torrence Parkway and Delta Avenue, all flow towards the Ohio River and follow the major pathways by the major drainage valleys that cut into the plateau.
Hyde Park is a largely residential neighborhood, as such, its economy is focused towards small, privately-owned businesses. Hyde Park Square is considered the neighborhood's commercial district and hosts several family-owned shops and boutiques, restaurants, art galleries, banks, and real estate agencies.
