One of Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhoods, Mount Auburn is one of the seven hills on which Cincinnati is built and forms the gateway between downtown Cincinnati and the Uptown area where the University of Cincinnati is located. During Cincinnati’s early years, its main thoroughfare Auburn Avenue was considered Cincinnati’s “Fifth Avenue” – a tree lined street with ornate gaslights and elegant homes. Some of Cincinnati’s most notable residents sought refuge on this hilltop with sweeping views and fresh breezes. Charles Dickens, following his 1842 visit to Cincinnati, noted “I was quite charmed with the appearance of the town, and its adjoining suburb of Mt. Auburn: from which the city, lying in an amphitheatre of hills, forms a picture of remarkable beauty, and is seen to great advantage.”
The Mount Auburn Historic District, extending along both sides of Auburn Avenue from Ringold Street to William Howard Taft Road, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (link) in 1973.
Today, Mount Auburn is home to over 5,000 residents (community site says 7ppp, 2010 census says 5000) and is known for its notable architecture in Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Romanesque Revival, and Georgian revival styles.