Mason, Ohio
—  City  —
Aerial view of Mason
Nickname(s): "Home of the Comets"
Motto: "more than you imagine."
Location of Mason, Ohio
Coordinates: 39°21′29″N 84°18′43″W / 39.35806°N 84.31194°W / 39.35806; -84.31194Coordinates: 39°21′29″N 84°18′43″W / 39.35806°N 84.31194°W / 39.35806; -84.31194
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Warren
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	David F. Nichols (R)
Area[1]
• Total	18.67 sq mi (48.36 km2)
• Land	18.63 sq mi (48.25 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation[2]	810 ft (247 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	30,712
• Estimate (2011[4])	31,039
• Density	1,648.5/sq mi (636.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	45040
Area code(s)	513
FIPS code	39-48188[5]
GNIS feature ID	1061481[2]
Website	imaginemason.org

Mason is a city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States, approximately 22 miles from downtown Cincinnati. As of the 2010 census, Mason's population was 30,712.^[6] Mason has experienced fast growth, with its historic Main Street remaining at the center of the community. Mason went from being a sleepy farm town of less than 5,000 residents in the 1960s to a large bustling community of Cincinnati commuters in the 1990s.

Mason is home to the Kings Island Amusement Park, and one of the largest tennis stadiums in the world, the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home of the Western & Southern Open.

History [edit]

On June 1, 1803, Revolutionary War veteran William Mason paid $1,700 at auction to purchase 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land in what is now downtown Mason. In 1815, he platted 16 lots on this land and named the village "Palmira." In 1832, two years after the death of William Mason and according to his will, more than 40 additional lots were platted on the north, south, and west of Palmira. When the plat was officially recorded, the name of the village was listed as "Palmyra."

In 1835, a petition was sent to the federal post office to correct the name of the town. It had been listed as Kirkwood, possibly an error because the postmaster at the time was William Kirkwood. When village officials were informed that there was another Palmyra in Ohio, the name was officially changed to "Mason."

Mason remained a small farming community for another 125 years. In 1970, a year before the town was incorporated to become a city, there were fewer than 5,700 residents.^[7]

Famous Mason residents have included:

• George Clooney, actor, attended Mason's Western Row Elementary School as well as St. Susanna Catholic School
• Dan Patrick, Mason High School class of 1974 (formerly Dan Pugh); national radio host, NBC Sports host, Sports Illustrated columnist, and former ESPN anchor
• Tom Seaver, Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer
• Nancy Lopez, World Golf Hall-of-Famer

Demographics [edit]

The median income for a household in the city was $89,569, and the median income for a family was $103,459^[3] Males had a median income of $96,002 and females had a median income of $75,968. The per capita income for the city was $37,948. The median house price was $320,289. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

The city is in the Mason City School District, with a very small portion of the city in the Kings Local and Lebanon City School Districts. The entire city is in the Mason telephone exchange. Mail is provided through the Mason, Kings Mills, Lebanon, and Maineville post offices.

In 2008 and 2011, CNN named Mason one of the top 100 places to live in the United States.^[8]

It is served by two interstates, I-71 and I-75.

2010 census [edit]

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 30,712 people, 11,016 households, and 8,205 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,648.5 inhabitants per square mile (636.5 /km²). There were 11,471 housing units at an average density of 615.7 per square mile (237.7 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.1% White, 3.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 9.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

There were 11,016 households out of which 44.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.30.

The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 30.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 9.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census [edit]

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 22,016 people, 7,789 households, and 5,981 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,250.0 people per square mile (482.7/km²). There were 8,111 housing units at an average density of 460.5 per square mile (177.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.79% White, 1.61% African American, 0.19% Native American, 2.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.

There are 7,789 households 45.2% of which have children under the age of 18, 67.5% have married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 persons and the average family size was 3.27 persons.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 5.1% between 18 to 24, 35.3% between 25 to 44, 19.1% between 45 to 64, and 8.4% over the age of 65. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

Economy [edit]

Area attractions and local businesses include Kings Island amusement park, Great Wolf Lodge hotel/indoor water park, Procter & Gamble's Mason Business Center, the headquarters of Luxottica Retail, and Cintas corporate headquarters. The Lindner Family Tennis Center hosts the historic Western & Southern Open men's and women's tennis tournaments, part of the top nine tennis tournaments in the world as part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series. Other notable companies with large operations in Mason are Mitsubishi Electric, L-3 Communications and Heinz.

Geography [edit]

Mason is located at 39°21′29″N 84°18′43″W / 39.35806°N 84.31194°W / 39.35806; -84.31194 (39.358009, -84.311822).^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.67 square miles (48.36 km²), of which, 18.63 square miles (48.25 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) is water.^[1]

Climate [edit]

Media [edit]

Mason is part of the Cincinnati media market. Although no broadcast stations are licensed to Mason itself, the city is home to the transmitter site of Clear Channel Communications' WLW (700 Cincinnati), which uses one of only seven remaining Blaw-Knox diamond-shaped towers. WLW was once (1934–1939) the most powerful broadcast station in the country at 500 kilowatts.

The broadcast tower for WLW

Newspapers/websites covering Mason include The Cincinnati Enquirer, MasonBuzz.com and Today's Pulse.

Education [edit]

Mason City Schools is consistently rated one of the top school districts in the state, with a perfect rating of 26 out of 26 indicators on the 2011-2012 Ohio Report Card, according to the district's website, MasonOhioSchools.com. The district earned "Excellent with Distinction" from the Ohio Department of Education and had the sixth-highest Performance Index Score in the state. Also in 2011-2012, the high school had 16 National Merit Semifinalists, and six National Merit Scholars. The Mason City School District has received Ohio Blue Ribbons for Excellence. The city's property taxes are above surrounding area averages and are the school district's major source of funding.

High school programs in athletics and academics have been successful at the state level, earning team state titles in:

• Boys Cross Country -- 2008^[11]
• Girls Golf -- 2008, 2009, 2010^[11]
• Girls Basketball -- 2000^[11]
• Girls Track and Field -- 2004^[11]
• Girls Cross Country -- 2012^[11]

The district joined the Greater Miami Conference (GMC), the public school league with the largest enrollments in Greater Cincinnati, in 2007-08, and has won the All Sports Trophy in each of its five years, according to GMCsports.com.

Famous people who have attended Mason schools include Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney, who attended Western Row Elementary School as well as also St. Susanna Catholic School in junior high; national radio and TV host Dan Patrick (Mason High School class of 1974); and Pretty Little Liars and Army Wives actor Brant Daugherty (Mason High School class of 1974).

Mason has 5 public schools: Mason Early Childhood Center (PK - 1), Western Row(grades 2-3), Mason Intermediate(grades 4-6), Mason Middle School( grades 7-8), and William Mason High School. Mason also has a community center that connected to the high school. The last building to open was the Mason Early Childhood ("MECC") which opened in 2006. Mason City Schools feature broadband networks while supporting over 4,600 classroom computers.^{[citation needed]} There are approximately 4.2 students per computer in the district.^{[citation needed]} The district also supports individual teacher pages for posting work assignments and class information (such as Edline and Mason Comets). Parents have secure web access to student information.

The most recent building project was in 2008-09 with an addition to the high school, which was built in 2001. The addition included an additional 3-story pod that added 3 computer labs, over 30 new classrooms, a new lunchroom, and new athletic and choral offices.

References [edit]

Further reading [edit]

• Elva R. Adams. Warren County Revisited. [Lebanon, Ohio]: Warren County Historical Society, 1989.
• The Centennial Atlas of Warren County, Ohio. Lebanon, Ohio: The Centennial Atlas Association, 1903.
• John W. Hauck. Narrow Gauge in Ohio. Boulder, Colorado: Pruett Publishing, 1986. ISBN 0-87108-629-8
• Josiah Morrow. The History of Warren County, Ohio. Chicago: W.H. Beers, 1883. (Reprinted several times)
• Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 6th ed. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme, 2001. ISBN 0-89933-281-1
• William E. Smith. History of Southwestern Ohio: The Miami Valleys. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1964. 3 vols.
• Rose Marie Springman. Around Mason, Ohio: A Story. [Mason, Ohio?]: The Author, 1982.
• State of Ohio Mock Trial Organization. [1]
• Warren County Engineer's Office. Official Highway Map 2003. Lebanon, Ohio: The Office, 2003.

External links [edit]

	Cincinnati portal
	Ohio portal

• Mason, Ohio at the Open Directory Project

v t e Municipalities and communities of Warren County, Ohio, United States County seat: Lebanon Cities Franklin Lebanon Loveland‡ Mason Middletown‡ Monroe‡ Springboro‡ Villages Blanchester‡ Butlerville Carlisle‡ Corwin Harveysburg Maineville Morrow Pleasant Plain South Lebanon Waynesville Townships Clearcreek Deerfield Franklin Hamilton Harlan Massie Salem Turtlecreek Union Washington Wayne CDPs Five Points Hunter Kings Mills Landen Loveland Park‡ Unincorporated communities Beedles Station Chautauqua‡ Cozaddale Crosswick Dallasburg Dodds Fosters Greentree Corners Hagemans Crossing Hammel and Millgrove Hillcrest Hopkinsville Kenricksville Level Mathers Mill Middletown Junction Murdoch Oregonia Red Lion Ridgeville Roachester San Mar Gale Twenty Mile Stand Zoar Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties