# Pleasant Ridge, Cincinnati

Pleasant Ridge is one of the 52 neighborhoods of Cincinnati, Ohio. Annexed in 1911, the neighborhood is predominantly residential. The population was 8,895 at the 2020 census.

## History

John Cleves Symmes, congressman from New Jersey, purchased a vast tract of land between the two Miami rivers for less than a $1.00 an acre. Pleasant Ridge marks its beginning as a community in 1795, when land agent Colonel John McFarland bought nearly 1,000 acres (4.0 km$^2$) from Symmes and built a small fort to protect early settlers from Native American attacks. This was one of a series of forts built in the Symmes purchase. McFarland's Station was located on the border of what is now the neighborhoods of Kennedy Heights and Pleasant Ridge.
There were few settlers in the early years, but the promise of owning their own land at a reasonable price began to draw interested individuals to the area, including several young veterans of the Revolutionary War. Legend is that one of these young veterans, Samuel Pierson, accompanied his friend John Brewster, who lost his wife and baby in childbirth, on the search for a proper burial site. Upon reaching a “grassy spot…on the brow of a hill overlooking the Mill Creek Valley” Pierson said, “Here is a pleasant ridge.”...
Its subsequent settlement, Pleasant Ridge, first developed due to the construction of county roads. One road, an old Native American trail, wound between the mouth of the Little Miami River and what is now Reading. Originally called Columbia Road, this trail became Ridge Road. The other road, a turnpike, was built by early settlers to connect Cincinnati to Zanesville. In 1803, when the road was extended from Sharpsburg (Norwood) to Montgomery, it became known as the Montgomery Turnpike. With the arrival of the turnpike, Pleasant Ridge developed some stopping places for travelers, such as Sudler's Tavern and Auten's Tavern. The area was originally known as Cross Roads, because of the intersection of the Montgomery Pike and Columbia Road (Ridge). Ridge Road connected McFarland's Station with other forts in Carthage and Lockland. This was one of a series of forts built in the Symmes purchase. McFarland's Station was located on the border of what is now the neighborhoods of Kennedy Heights and Pleasant Ridge.
The Presbyterian Church moved from Duck Creek to its present site in 1800 with a school built nearby around 1819. The Church took the name Pleasant Ridge around 1818, and the community is said to have changed from Cross Roads to Pleasant Ridge in 1850.
The first permanent settler of Pleasant Ridge was James C. Wood in 1809. Wood bought 660 acres (2.7 km$^2$) from Colonel McFarland in 1809 for $4.00 per acre. The family, including 10 children, lived in "the fort" until they built a house off Montgomery Pike, with brick burned on site. When James died in 1824, the land was divided among his heirs, and Pleasant Ridge was first platted.
The community of Pleasant Ridge grew slowly. In 1832, the year the post office opened, population was only 100. The community was basically a farming community with a few businesses to serve farmers or travelers passing through the turnpike.
Pleasant Ridge was incorporated as a village in 1891 when its population exceeded 1,000. John H. Durrell, businessman and descendant of the original Wood family, became the first mayor. The village enacted certain improvements, such as board sidewalks and oil street lamps. The village had a council, policeman, lamplighter, and fireman.
The petition to be annexed by Cincinnati 20 years later had several opponents, but the proponents believed the added services would outweigh other disadvantages. Pleasant Ridge became part of Cincinnati on a vote of 260-174.
In 1904 the village made national news when the floor of the school's outhouse collapsed, and nine young girls drowned in the waste of the vault beneath.

## Geography

The neighborhood is bordered by the cities of Norwood and Golf Manor, Amberley Village, the neighborhoods of Kennedy Heights and Oakley, and unincorporated Columbia Township.

## Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 8,895 people living in the neighborhood. There were 4,636 housing units. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 61.1% White, 27.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from some other race, and 6.3% from two or more races. 5.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,162 households, out of which 51.2% were families. 44.6% of all households were made up of individuals.
18.9% of the neighborhood's population were under the age of 18, 69.3% were 18 to 64, and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. 49.1% of the population were male and 50.9% were female.
According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the neighborhood was $62,150. About 11.9% of family households were living below the poverty line. About 50.9% of adults had a bachelor's degree or higher.

## Culture

Pleasant Ridge is home to many artists and musicians. On October 11, 2008 Pleasant Ridge and neighboring community Kennedy Heights formed an Alliance called District A, a grassroots effort to build community partnerships and fuel economic development through the arts along the Montgomery Road corridor that is the main thoroughfare for both communities.
Ridge Day is an annual community festival held in Pleasant Ridge, first organized in 1971 by a group of volunteers. The event takes place on the first weekend of August each year and features local artisans, food vendors, live music, and family-friendly activities. Ridge Day has remained a volunteer-run event since its inception.

## Notable people

* Reed Ghazala, recognized as the "Father of Circuit Bending"