Walnut Hills

Walnut Hills is a neighborhood of extremes both good and bad. It is conveniently located near Downtown Cincinnati and within a short distance of both the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. Walnut Hills boasts a number of historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the streets are lined with Victorian style homes, as well as homes reflecting architecture from other eras. There are also some not so nice or safe areas of Walnut Hills.

Peebles Corner, located at the intersection of Gilbert Avenue and McMillan Street is one of the Walnut Hills locations listed on the National Register. However, today it is a rundown, mainly abandoned business area that once thrived. Further down McMillan, heading towards East Walnut Hills, you will find a variety of businesses and a Kroger. This area of Walnut Hills becomes very lively during the summer months and you can find people hanging out on the street and vendors with their smokers selling fresh made BBQ.

Many of the nicer and more expensive homes in the area, including some hi-rise condo developments and townhomes are close to Eden Park. The streets of St. James Avenue and Alpine Place are particularly nice ones. From these streets, you can head down a revitalized Nassau Avenue to dine at Andy's Mediterranean Grille. Andy's features decent food and often has belly dancers performing for the diners.

Because of the nature of the neighborhood with its diverse population, there tends to be a good deal of crime in Walnut Hills. You will find more of the violent crimes in the less nice areas, with burglaries being more prevalent on the nicer streets. There are also more businesses and some light industry in the areas of Florence and Gilbert Avenues. Nearby you will find ZZ's Pizza, a small, but excellent pizza restaurant that was a neighborhood favorite for many years before closing; it has since reopened using the original recipes for its signature dishes. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but I haven't been to the reopened place yet.

Traffic around the Eden Park area can be quite heavy, especially on the weekends. Overall, once you are off the main thoroughfares, traffic is not that bad and on street parking is relatively easy to find. Walnut Hills has a Post Office located on Kemper Lane in one of the more residential areas. Walnut Hills also has a very active community action committee, the Walnut Hills Area Council, which meets monthly.

Overall, Walnut Hills is a diverse neighborhood that would be a good place to live if you choose the right part to live in. Stick to the streets closest to Eden Park and you can't go wrong living in this historic and conveniently located neighborhood.

Like many of the urban neighborhoods close to the heart of Cincinanti, Walnut Hills is a mix of old and new buildings and high to low incomes. There are fabulous large historic homes, especially in the area surrounding Eden Park. On Gilbert Ave you'll find the well-preserved home of writer Harriet Beecher Stowe. There are high rises at the edge of Eden Park and small and large apartment buildings throughout the neighborhood, including a senior highrise on Park Ave. at William Howard Taft.

Walnut Hills has a few problems with crime, but Good Guys Loitering holds sit-ins along McMillan to let criminals know their presence won't be tolerated. The Walnut Hills Area Council (walnuthills.us) is also a positive presence in the neighborhood.

Shopping and Eating
The main strip that stretches beyond Peeple's corner and down McMillan Ave used to be a thriving shopping district. Kroger, CVS and US Bank are still there. There's a Wendy's on William Howard Taft, Andy's Mediterranean Grill on Nassau and a scattering of small stores still holding their own along McMillan.

The empty storefronts you'll see are solid, brick, historic buildings. When I pass them, I get the impression they're waiting for a rebirth. That's a reasonable assumption given the renewal that's already taken place further down the street.

Brew House (www.brewhouse.com) hasn't left the corner of Park in over 34 years. In that same strip, Kurelis Interiors, Simply Stitches Upholstery and Walker Funeral Homes recently opened their doors in formerly empty buildings. Across the street, Parkside Cafe serves breakfast and lunch out of the old Frisch's spot. Down the road McDonalds, Skyline and my favorite Taco Casa handle my fast food cravings.

Recreation and other activities
Bush Recreation Center, 2640 Kemper Lane has a pool, fitness center, game room and more
The Cincinnati Public Library on Kemper Lane has summer reading programs for children
Eden Park is at the South Edge of Walnut Hills. They've got wonderful overlooks, a kid's play area and Khron Conservatory.

Cincinnati Public Schools
Walnut Hills High School 3250 Victory Parkway (It's actually in Evanston)
Frederick Douglas School Pre-8, 2627 Park Ave. (douglass.cps-k12.org )

Walnut Hills is 5 minutes away from several hospitals.