Mason

Located in southwestern Warren County, this city was started as a humble village two hundred years ago by Revolutionary War veteran William Mason. At an auction in 1803, Major Mason paid $1,700 for 640 acres between the Great and Little Miami Rivers from John Cleves Symmes. In 1815, he platted sixteen lots on his property adjoining Muddy Creek. He wanted his two-block Main Street to run due east-west, so he angled the existing northeast to southwest road through town (today's Route 42) to accommodate his wish.

Positioned as it was on the Cincinnati-Xenia Road, Mason became a trading center to meet the needs of weary travelers at the turn of the century. Drivers of wagons and stagecoaches drawn by teams of up to eight horses would often fill Mason's many boarding hotels and saloons, lending the town a raucous atmosphere. Add to that the common occurrence of hogs running wild through the streets, this sleepy farm town was anything but sleepy at times.

With the construction of Interstates 75 and 71 in the 1950s and 60s, the village was starting to experience rapid growth. In 1971, with the population exceeding 5000, Mason officially became a city. When Kings Island opened in 1972, the growth continued and has not stopped to this day. Corporate, retail and residential proliferation, as well as the excellent schools, has made Mason a very desired location to raise a family, which is something that has not changed in the last 200 years.

source: en.wikipedia.org

Mason shopping includes Deerfield Towne Center, an open air mall that includes specialty merchants and restaurants. This lifestyle shopping center is expanding daily along Mason-Montgomery Road. Also, downtown Mason has small independent businesses, specialty stores and restaurants. Currently the downtown is going through a revitalization giving the downtown a new look, but still preserving its history. Nearby shopping includes stores along Route 42, Tri-County Shopping Center and Forest Fair. Kenwood Towne Center is located 15 miles southeast and offers several anchor department stores and numerous nationally recognized stores.

Mason is recognized as the resort area of southwest Ohio and is “Ohio’s Largest Playground”. Paramount’s Kings Island Amusement Park, The Beach Waterpark, Great Wolf Lodge and Conference Center, The Golf Center at Kings Island are among the prominent recreation destinations in the area. Mason is home to the world-recognized Tennis Masters Series-Cincinnati as well as several well-loved local annual events. The Alverta Green Museum, operated by the Mason Historical Society, keeps the city in touch with its historical roots. There are seven city parks covering 301 acres that include baseball fields, basketball courts, fishing lakes, hiking trails, picnic shelters, playgrounds, soccer fields, softball fields, a swimming pool, tennis courts, volleyball courts, and wildlife areas. The City of Mason operates and manages a state-of-the-art community recreation center that was built by the school district. The Community Center has over 150,000 square feet of recreational and leisure facilities and equipment, as well as hundreds of programs and activities. Mason hosts several annual events including Red Rhythm & Boom held in July.

Mason is home to the Cincinnati School of Music which offers private lessons for children and adults for a variety of instruments and voice.