Breaking down the makeup of one of Hamilton’s northernmost neighborhoods
Do you know where you live? Hamilton is a combination of 17 neighborhoods, spread across all 22 square miles of the city limits. One of the northernmost neighborhoods, and a relatively new neighborhood, sits right on the St. Clair Township line. This is the Washington neighborhood.
Nestled between the boundaries of West Elkton Rd to the east, Eaton Avenue to the west, St. Clair Township to the north, and the Two Mile Creek to the south, the Washington neighborhood is home to more than 5200 people living in 2100 households. There are many subdivisions spread throughout the streets of Washington, notably Random Hills, Random Oaks, Sanders, Berkeley Square, and Hamilton West Estates.
There are three types of neighborhoods in Hamilton: urban, traditional, and suburban. Washington is one of five suburban neighborhoods in the city. This type of neighborhood primarily holds single-use zones, predominantly residential in character. The streets in these kinds of neighborhoods are often winding, complete with cul-de-sacs and dead ends.
The neighborhood was named after its most primary road, Washington Boulevard, which runs from the eastern border clear to the western border of the neighborhood. According to an article written by Jim Blount in 1995, Washington Boulevard was originally planned (in 1920) to act as a beltway around the city. In 1932, Washington Boulevard was officially named by Mae Diefenbach, a member of the Women’s City Club, as a tribute to the president of the same name. While the roadway was originally intended to take only two years to construct, it ended up taking 30 years due to the Depression and World War II.
It is very common for many of the structures in Hamilton’s suburban neighborhoods to have been built after 1950. In fact, prior to the 1950s, most of the Washington neighborhood was part of St. Clair Township and was platted under the name ‘Carmen Place’. It was later annexed to the city and over several years, with the efforts of a few talented builders such as Ed Shelton, the area grew into what it is today.
In 2012, a mixture of motivated residents, city council members, and city administration banded together to form what is now known as the 17 Strong Advisory Board. This board works diligently to help bring neighborhoods together by increasing neighborhood awareness and pride through identifying what makes each neighborhood unique. Each board member of 17 Strong serves as a neighborhood voice.
Washington is lucky enough to have three representatives sitting on the 17 Strong Board: Sue Head, Peggy Bange, and Stephanie Foley. Sue has been a resident of the Washington neighborhood for 22 years. One of her favorite parts of living in Washington is the relationship she has with her neighbors.
“We have always enjoyed living in this neighborhood,” Sue said. “The neighbors we have on all sides of our house are kind, thoughtful, and always concerned for our welfare. We even have a neighbor who will move your trash cans up to your garage on trash day, or bring your paper up to your doorstep.”
Another major feature of the Washington neighborhood is the walkability of the streets. While there are flatter parts of the neighborhood such as the beautiful stretch along Cleveland Avenue, there are also some challenging hills, most namely the Hermay Drive hill, that provide a more challenging route.
Any members of the Washington neighborhood who want to become more engaged are encouraged to reach out to any of the 17 Strong board members. 17strong@hamilton-oh.gov