2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Glendale Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 66 buildings. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1860.
The Glendale post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Fosdick (1852), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 690 in 18602020 census: 2,298172 years
How historic is Glendale?
A
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Glendale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Glendale’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glendale is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glendale’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Glendale’s 339 sits above most of its state (98% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 67 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Glendale’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The story so far
Glendale, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Glendale yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Glendale is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,298 at the 2020 census. It is a northern suburb of Cincinnati, and is the site of the Glendale Historic District.
Its first post office opened in 1854. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,155 to 2,298 (+7%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Glendale in 1894
Passages that mention Glendale, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio1894 · page 360Read the page →
Read the text
nati, martial law was proclaimed in Cincinnati, and hurried preparation was made to overhaul his forces. The city was in a tumult and confusion of futile preparation. But before an organized body of men could be formed, the great raider had passed to the eastward, through the village of Glendale, and continuing in an easterly direction, had reached the Little Miami by daylight on the morning of the 14th. There was no destruction of property in this county, except the burning of a bridge over the Great Miami river at New Baltimore. There was considerable loss by the exchange of broken-down and worthless horses for good ones taken from the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio1894 · page 443Read the page →
Read the text
The First Presbyterian Church of Glendale was organized November 29, 1855, in the chapel of Glendale Female College, with seventeen members. Services were held in the college chapel until 1860, when the present chapel of this church was built. The church edifice was dedicated in April. 1874. Revs. Thomas Spencer, J. G. Monfort, D. D., L. D. Potter, D. D , S. S. Potter, and Frank Robbins served as stated supplies until 1861, since which date the pastors have been Revs. Hiram A. Tracy, William H. Babbitt, S. H. McMullin and David A. Heron. The following is a list of elders: Jacob J. Packer, John F. Keys, William B. Moores, Stanley Mat-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio1894 · page 360Read the page →
Read the text
nati, martial law was proclaimed in Cincinnati, and hurried preparation was made to overhaul his forces. The city was in a tumult and confusion of futile preparation. But before an organized body of men could be formed, the great raider had passed to the eastward, through the village of Glendale, and continuing in an easterly direction, had reached the Little Miami by daylight on the morning of the 14th. There was no destruction of property in this county, except the burning of a bridge over the Great Miami river at New Baltimore. There was considerable loss by the exchange of broken-down and worthless horses for good ones taken from the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio1894 · page 443Read the page →
Read the text
The First Presbyterian Church of Glendale was organized November 29, 1855, in the chapel of Glendale Female College, with seventeen members. Services were held in the college chapel until 1860, when the present chapel of this church was built. The church edifice was dedicated in April, 1874. Revs. Thomas Spencer, J. G. Monfort, D. D.. L. D. Potter, D. D , S. S. Potter, and Frank Robbins served as stated supplies until 1861, since which date the pastors have been Revs. Hiram A. Tracy, William H. Babbitt, S. H. McMullin and David A. Heron. The following is a list of elders: Jacob J. Packer, John F. Keys, William B. Moores, Stanley Mat-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Glendale, 1852 to 1977
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Glendale post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Glendale rank for history?
Glendale is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Glendale?
Two places: the Glendale Historic District (listed 2018) and the Glendale Police Station (1975).
How old are the homes in Glendale?
53% of Glendale’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.9 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1938.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
2015
2004
