Lincoln Heights, Ohio

Lincoln Heights was founded in the 1920s by property developers as a suburban enclave for black homeowners working in nearby industries. It was originally an unincorporated area which had no fire, police, streetlights, or paved roads. At the time, only some houses had electricity. Many black families bought houses in the community because zoning laws and redlining prevented them from purchasing property in other communities. It incorporated in 1946 and elected Reverend Michael J. Mangham as mayor, one of the earliest African mayors in the North. Incorporation attempts The first attempt at incorporation came in 1939; the motive was so residents could establish their own municipal services. Lockland residents objected to the Lincoln Heights incorporation proposal because they feared Lincoln Heights' business district may compete with its own, so they filed an objection several minutes before the filing deadline occurred. This was the start of a series of delays. The manager of the Wright Aeronautical Plant, located on land that Lincoln Heights residents wished to incorporate, also filed an objection because he did not want the factory to be in a majority black municipality. The communities of Woodlawn, and then Evendale incorporated even though Lincoln Heights' application kept being delayed. They respectively took the western and eastern portions of territory that was supposed to be in Lincoln Heights, the latter of which contained the aeronautical plant (now the GE Aviation Evendale plant). The persons trying to establish Lincoln Heights failed to successfully challenge the Evendale incorporation in court. In 1946, Hamilton County allowed Lincoln Heights to incorporate with 10% of the original proposal's area. It had no industrial tax base since there were no major factories or plants within the city limits. A University of Buffalo professor of urban and regional planning who wrote a dissertation on Lincoln Heights, Henry Louis Taylor, stated that this made Lincoln Heights vulnerable to future economic problems. At that time of incorporation it was the only black municipality north of the Mason-Dixon line, prompting Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey to establish a tour of Lincoln Heights, inviting New York City residents to participate. In the mid-20th century many Lincoln Heights residents worked at the Wright Aeronautical Plant and a nearby chemical plant. As of 2001 the community still included many longtime residents; many persons who stayed in the city had been unable to leave Lincoln Heights. Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval released a statement condemning the incident and said it was "shocking and disgusting to see swastikas displayed in Evendale today." In the following days, counterdemonstrations and vigils were held, with hundreds of locals participating. Some residents also formed armed patrols of the neighborhood. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. As of 2002 there were 19 churches within Lincoln Heights. ==Demographics==

Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Lincoln Heights had a population of 3,144. The population density was 4,231.49 people per square mile (1,633.46/km2). 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,262 households, of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 15.8% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 59.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48, and the average family size was 3.20. of 2010, there were 3,286 people, 1,287 households, and 803 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,564 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 1.7% White, 95.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population. There were 1,287 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 17.0% were married couples living together, 39.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.30. The median age in the village was 31.9 years. 30.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.2% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 12.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 43.3% male and 56.7% female. As of 2015 the percentage of African-Americans in Lincoln Heights is among the highest in Ohio. As of the same time nearby Blue Ash has more than twice the median income of Lincoln Heights. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 4,113 people, 1,593 households, and 1,062 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,762 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.86% African American, 0.95% White, 0.10% Native American, 0.02% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population. There were 1,593 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.6% were married couples living together, 40.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.21. In the village, the population was spread out, with 34.2% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 74.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $19,834, and the median income for a family was $22,500. Males had a median income of $24,050 versus $21,858 for females. The per capita income for the village was $12,121. About 26.6% of families and 29.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.0% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over. As of 2000 it was the Ohio municipality with the highest percentage of black residents. As of 2002 40% of the town residents rented their residences. ==Government and infrastructure==

The village maintains its own fire department. As of 2015 the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office provides police services, patrolling Lincoln Heights with eight officers. The village pays $773,000 annually for this coverage. Previously the village operated its own police department. The department, as of 2014, had eight full-time police officers, seven part-time officers, and four auxiliary officers, or citizens who work one day per week to provide support for police officers. That year, the police department's annual budget was $864,000. ==Crime==

Illegal drug distribution activity occurred in Lincoln Heights in the 2000s, Circa the 2010s typically Lincoln Heights experienced about one or two shootings each year. In 1993 and 2001 there were incidents of Lincoln Heights police cars being set on fire. A man broke into the Lincoln Heights police station on fire in 1998, causing about $100,000 in damages. Persons shot the windows of the village hall and shot at police cars during the same evening. In June 2001 authorities accused 33-year-old Stan Fitzpatrick of murdering community activist Elton "Arybie" Rose after killing Fitzpatrick's girlfriend and the girlfriend's daughter. In the summer of 2010 a man fired bullets at Sharonville police officer who was chasing two suspects while in Lincoln Heights. In September 2010 men with semiautomatic weapons shot at a Woodlawn police car. In 2012 there were four shootings, with one of them being a homicide, and in 2013 there were nine shootings, with four of them being homicides. In May 2014 a joint task force made up of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the county sheriff's department, the Cincinnati Police Department, and the Woodlawn Police Department was established to reduce violence stemming from illegal drug issues. In 2014, Chance stated that due to the nature of crime in Lincoln Heights, "we police the way that big city polices." Since then the Lincoln Heights police department had been disbanded. ==Education==

Residents are a part of Princeton City Schools, which operates Lincoln Heights Elementary School. For secondary school residents attend Community Middle School and Princeton High School. The current Lincoln Heights Elementary building, with a capacity of 440 students, opened in 2006 as part of an $85 million school bond program. In 2012 the school district considered closing the school due to issues with its budget, but the school remained open after a tax levy was passed. Due to violence occurring outside of the school, it was held in an all-day lockdown from May 14 to June 2, 2014. As of 2014, there were fewer than 200 students at Lincoln Heights Elementary, while 40 other elementary-aged children who live in Lincoln Heights attend other schools in the Princeton school district. ==Notable people==

• Nikki Giovanni, poet • Darryl Hardy, football player • Maurice Harvey, football player • The Isley Brothers, songwriters • Yvette Simpson, Cincinnati city council member • Carl Westmoreland, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center manager and scholar • Tony Yates, basketball player and coach ==References==