The West End lies directly to the west of the Central Business District. Dayton Street, in the West End, was known as Millionaires Row in the 19th century for its grand townhouses, the homes of many of the city’s wealthiest families who had made their fortunes in brewing and meatpacking.
Beginning in the 1950s, government development projects and social forces radically changed the West End. Beginning with interstate highway construction in the 1950s, urban renewal programs in the 1960s, and the opening of other neighborhoods to African-American residents, the West End lost a large part of its population, housing stock, and neighborhood-oriented business. Between 1960 and 1980, the number of people living in the area decreased from 45,000 to 12,000.
But the decline of 25 years ago is being reversed. The Betts-Longworth Historic District was saved from demolition and renovated through city-funded efforts to provide upscale rental and homeownership opportunities for people wishing to live within walking distance of downtown. Recently, large public-housing complexes have been razed and replaced with hundreds of townhouse-style buildings that have attracted a population of homeowners and renters of all income levels.
The West end is the site of many historic buildings, including the Union Terminal, a classic Art Deco building that is now home to the Cincinnati Museum Center. The Arts Consortium is also located there.
The West End is bordered by Fairview and Camp Washington to the north, by Queensgate to the west, by the Central Business District and Queensgate to the south, and by Over-the-Rhine and the Central Business District to the east. The West End contains portions of four census tracts (1, 4, 8, and 16) included in the Empowerment Zone.
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