CINCINNATI

One of the communities north of the Cincinnati city center is the City of Blue Ash.  It is a very prosperous city with a large industrial base for a population of only about 12,000.  It was settled in the last decade of the 18th century.  Homes and churches were constructed of the plentiful blue ash trees in the area. 

There are many species of ash trees; too many to enumerate.  The blue ash got it's name when early American settlers discovered that the inner bark of this particular one could be used to make a blue dye for their yarn.  The blue ash is common to the mid-western part of the United States.  This particular species is the least susceptible to the emerald ash borer which is decimating the ash tree population in the area. 

The area grew slowly through the 1800s  and into the twentieth century.  In 1921, an airport was built for the small planes of the time.  The City of Cincinnati purchased the air port property making it the first municipal air port in the State of Ohio.  After World War II, Cincinnati desired to expand it for commercial service.    The locals responded by taking on a village charter in 1955 and opposing the expansion.  In 1961, the village became a city and continued to oppose any expansion for commercial air traffic use.  Cincinnati developed what property it had surrounding the air port into a golf course and industrial park.  In 2012, Cincinnati closed the air port and sold all the property back to the City of Blue Ash.  This property is now being developed around a project they call Summit Park.

The City of Blue Ash holds several great events each Summer; one at the 4th of July being called "Red, White and Blue Ash" with outstanding entertainment and fire works display and the other "Taste of Blue Ash".   An inside source told me that the City will soon vote on a new motto "If you don't like it, you can kiss my blue ash." 
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