Butler County

Butler County covers 470 square miles in the greater Cincinnati area. Approximately 375,000 people live in this county bordering the State of Indiana. Hamilton is the county seat and largest city, with about 63,000 residents. In 2000, Hamilton was designated as the City of Sculpture, due in large part to the hundreds of sculptures displayed at Pyramid Hill.

Family

Oxford's Miami University is the 10th oldest university in the country. President Benjamin Harrison, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are all alumni. Approximately 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students attend school at the main 2000-acre campus in Oxford. Miami University is an NCAA Division I school.

History of Butler County

Fort Hamilton, named after Alexander Hamilton, was built along the shores of the Great Miami River in 1791. It served a crucial role as a supply station for troops engaged in the Northwest Indian War. Butler County is named after Maj. Gen. Richard Butler, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. In 1791, he led troops northward out of Fort Hamilton to the Battle of Wabash where he was killed. The fort ceased operations in 1800 as Hamilton gradually became a center for commerce and agricultural trade.

In 1859, during a campaign stop on behalf of gubernatorial candidate William Denison, Abraham Lincoln referred to the Miami Valley as "the garden spot of the world." In the late 19th century, Hamilton emerged as a prosperous manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution.

Parks and Recreation

MetroParks manages over 3,000 acres of green space throughout the county. The 268-acre Gilmore MetroPark is an oasis of tranquility in the midst of commercial development on the southeast side of Hamilton. Enjoy miles of hiking trails. The Forest Run MetroPark is an 82-acre scenic preserve southwest of Hamilton. Enjoy prairie views from the elevated observation deck, or hike through woods and along the wetlands.

dog in park

Middletown's Smith Park features a seven-acre fishing pond, ball fields, playgrounds and picnic areas. In West Chester, Voice of America Park is popular with dog lovers because of Wiggly Field Dog Park. Fitness enthusiasts enjoy over six miles of hiking trails

Avid golfers have their choice of a number of excellent courses in Butler County. In fact, there are 14 public golf courses in the county. Several championship layouts are over 7,000 yards long from the back tees. The longest is the par-72, 7,044-yard Hueston Woods Golf Course in Oxford. Another Oxford course is Indian Ridge Golf Club, a par-72, 7,001-yard championship layout with a 73.7 course rating. Indian Springs is the home of the par-72, 7,001-yard Walden Ponds Golf Club.

Attractions and Activities

The 300-acre Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum in Hamilton displays contemporary sculptures in a tranquil outdoor setting. It's possible to drive through the park and to stop whenever one wishes. Use the app to listen to commentary from the artists themselves. In the Ancient Sculpture Museum, visitors examine ancient Greek, Etruscan, Roman and Egyptian sculptures.

Hamilton's Holiday Auto Theatre is on Old Oxford Road. A summer night at a drive-in movie theater is classic Americana, and the facility in Hamilton is one of just 600 such theaters remaining in the country.

Lindenwald, a neighborhood settled by German immigrants in the mid-1800s, is a National Historic District. The Lane Public Library in Hamilton is housed in an historic structure in the German Village. It opened in 1866, and today it has the distinction of being the oldest library west of the Allegheny Mountains.

Those that appreciate theatre and the arts will find performances to consider across the county. Those involved with the Middletown Lyric Theatre have brought quality community theatre to Butler County since 1978. Middletown's Sorg Opera House has hosted dramas, comedies and musicals for over a century. Those that love the symphony can attend performances by the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra and the West Chester Symphony Orchestra. Since 2002, Art on Symmes has offered the creations of hundreds of regional artists. Enjoy a truly eclectic art gallery experience, visit Art off Symmes on High Street in Hamilton.

Events

Hamilton Oktoberfest is a three-day German festival that began over 50 years ago. Everything from the bratwurst to the cream puffs is homemade. The keg-tapping ceremony features an authentic wooden keg from Munich, Germany. German bands play as thousands of attendees from the tri-state area enjoy the wiener dog races and much more.

For more than a decade, the Pyramid Art Fair has attracted regionally and nationally known artists to Pyramid Hill. The Zombie Ball is a unique event held at Pyramid Hill every October. During the holiday season, the light display is mesmerizing.

Every July, The Ohio Challenge comes to Smith Park and the Middletown Regional Airport. The hot air balloon and skydiving festival offers memorable experiences like balloon rides, a car show and live music at the main stage. The cornhole tournament and pancake breakfast are also popular. The hot air balloon competition attracts some of the best pilots in the country to Middletown. Skydiving lessons are available at the airport thorughout the summer.

Butler County Residential Real Estate

Those relocating to the Cincinnati will find every type of modern and historic home in Butler County. Newer developments include two-story all-brick homes, ranches, Colonials and more. In many of the county's communities, you'll find everything from updated bungalows to meticulously restored Victorians. Butler County is also the place to look for that dream property with acreage. For example, estate-style residences with 4-5 bedrooms and 4-6,000 sq ft of living space are often situated on multi-acre lots.

Butler County residents enjoy easy access to downtown Cincinnati and the greater metropolitan area via Route 127 south to the I-275 Beltway and Route 129 east to Interstate 75.

To learn more about all that Butler County offers, please contact Mark Schupp today!

MARK SCHUPP

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