South Fairmont

Many years ago my grandparents lived in South Fairmount and back then it was a working-class neighborhood on the decline. It kind of reminded me of the neighborhood Archie Bunker lived in. Today, it is a neighborhood with one of the highest concentrations of Section 8 housing in the city. The median income in South Fairmount is lower than the median income for Cincinnati and there is a high concentration of young men and women living in rental properties. The houses in this area tend to be older and are not very well maintained. Urban blight is all around in South Fairmount.

I used to stay with my grandparents during the summer and my Grandpa and I would walk to some of the businesses on Harrison Avenue...these days, I don't think I'd get out of my car in South Fairmount, let alone walk anywhere. The only part of South Fairmount that is reasonably safe (reasonable for the area, which is not very) is the part of South Fairmount where you first enter the neighborhood over the Western Hills Viaduct. The area along Queen City and Harrison Avenues is where you will find a number of fast food restaurants (McDonald's, Arby's, and a United Dairy Farmers). Today, these places would be the extent of my foray into the neighborhood.

South Fairmount has a number of industrial businesses and not too much else besides the run down housing and fast food joints. The only thing the area has going besides cheap property prices is its location. It's close to Downtown Cincinnati, near the University of Cincinnati, and near the hospitals. If you need Section 8 housing, it may be the place to go, but otherwise I would stay away from this part of town.