Mariemont

The Village of Mariemont,nestled on the eastern side of Cincinnati, was founded in the 1920s and is one of the first planned communities in the United States. As such, it is a nice community with lovely homes, large tree-lined streets, and a quaint business district. Mariemont was built to resemble an English village and, as such, reflects a variety of English architectural styles in the buildings and homes. The Village of Mariemont was named a National Historic Landmark in 2007.

The main street through Mariemont is Wooster Pike/Route 50; since this is the road that Columia Parkway turns into, it is an easy trip from Mariemont to Downtown Cincinnati and points in between via Columbia Parkway. Along Wooster Pike, you will find the Mariemont business district with a variety of shops restaurants, businesses, a hotel, and a movie theater. The grocery store for Mariemont, Kroger used to be in this stretch of town, but moved down Wooster Pike to a larger location just outside of the main community quite a few years ago. The main business district, as is the rest of Mariemont, is very walkable. There is also some on street parking, some parking at the central fountain, and a couple of parking lots behind the businesses. So, for the most part, parking is not usually a problem. The business district has several nice restaurants and the Dilly Cafe also offers a wine shop with a large selection of wines and live music on weekends. The Mariemont Inn features both a restaurant, the National Exemplar, and a bar, Southerby's. The Quarter is another good restaurant right in the heart of Mariemont and right by the Mariemont Theater, a theater which plays both mainstream and independent films.

Throughout Mariemont you will find a variety of single-family homes, duplexes, some apartment buildings, and condos. Mariemont has seen some development in recent years with some new homes/condos being built; however, any new buildings within Mariemont are built to fit into the architectural style of the community. Unfortunately, while rents in Mariemont tend to be very reasonable, housing prices tend to be quite high for many of the larger homes on the more desirable streets (south of Wooster). If you don't mind a smaller home on a less desirable street, then there are some more affordable homes on the north side of Wooster. These areas are still nice, but the homes are smaller and closer together. While the main street of Wooster Pike is very busy most of the time (because of its connection to Downtown Cincinnati to outlying areas), the residential streets are fairly quiet. There are a couple of large parks in Mariemont, and one even offers a lovely view of the Little Miami River valley below. Mariemont has excellently rated schools and the schools are all conveniently and centrally located within this small community. Mariemont offers a variety of amenities (pools, tennis, and other recreation programs) and is a very senior friendly community offering a social service and recreation program through the MariElders.

Overall, Mariemont is a very nice community that has a lot to offer. It offers a walkable lifestyle with lots of community amenities. The homes offer a variety of English-themed architectural styles and stately tree-lined streets. There are excellent schools and great dining and shopping within this conveniently located community.