The city of Cincinnati is made up of 52 neighborhoods. Notably not on the list are two municipalities entirely surrounded by Cincinnati: the city of Norwood and the Village of St. Bernard. There also are communities bordering the city that may have Cincinnati addresses, but are not within the city itself.
Each neighborhood has its own flag thanks to the CincyFlags project, which used grant funding from the city as well as private organizations to design 52 unique flags.
Cincinnati officials use neighborhood boundaries for various reasons.
The Cincinnati Police Department divides the city into a Central Business District plus four neighborhood districts. Each district has a Neighborhood Liaison Unit, with officers assigned to each specific neighborhood.
The Community Council Map shows the boundaries that each community council claims — that means there are areas of overlap where more than one community council claims to represent that area. This is the map the Department of Planning and Engagement uses when a proposed zoning change or other type of project requires notification. In cases of overlap, the city notifies all councils that claim the area.
The Department of Planning and Engagement separately defines the Statistical Neighborhood Approximation (SNA) boundaries every 10 years using U.S. census data. The SNA map uses census tract and block group lines, matched as closely as possible to the community council boundaries. This is important for accurately estimating population size and demographic information like race and ethnicity, and income.
Neighborhood boundary lines may vary depending on the context.
What is a community council?
The city website describes community councils as “a crucial link between the City and its many unique neighborhoods” that “ensure neighborhood development responds to the needs and goals of its citizens” and act as “a vehicle for communication and engagement throughout neighborhoods.”
Most of the official city neighborhoods have an active community council, although it might be called a “neighborhood association” or “civic league” or something similar.
These councils are nonprofit organizations that exist to advocate for the interests of residents in each neighborhood.
As of summer 2026, there are 48 active community councils and three inactive councils: English Woods Civic Association, Millvale Residents & Community Council, and The Heights Community Council. The Queensgate neighborhood is primarily an industrial and commercial community, and historically has not had a community council.
City Council typically approves some funding for community councils in the biennial budget, through the Neighborhood Support Program (NSP). In fiscal year 2027, this funding totals $521,950, or about $10,000 per community council.
The city partners with the nonprofit Invest in Neighborhoods (IIN) to administer the program; IIN typically gets direct funding in the city budget as well.
When City Council first started funding the NSP in the 1980s, it established eligibility rules for community councils:
- Membership must be open to any adult resident of the neighborhood;
- Membership cannot be denied based on “the nature of housing quarters,” i.e., councils can’t limit membership to homeowners;
- Meetings in which decisions about NSP funding are made must be open, and all neighborhood residents must be allowed to vote (even if other meetings or votes are limited to registered members).
Community councils can allow non-residents to join, and many open up membership to people who own a business or operate a nonprofit in the neighborhood.
Each community council must be a not-for-profit corporation, and must follow Ohio law related to nonprofit corporations. That means having bylaws that govern the organization’s conduct such as defining who can be a member and trustee, officers, committees, etc.
A community council can further register as a 501(c)(3) in order to accept grants and donations, and qualify for charitable tax exemption.
Some community councils are free to join while some charge a small fee to become a member, ranging from a few dollars to $20 a year.
Community councils typically have a volunteer board of trustees that is elected by the broader membership. The board might include specific positions such as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The positions and length of terms are defined in the bylaws.
What do community councils do?
An ordinance passed by City Council in 1989 says community councils are “representative of a neighborhood in connection with neighborhood issues such as zoning issues, formulating or commenting on proposed development plans, funding requests, or objections to liquor permits.”
For any official city action, community councils are advisory only. A community council’s support or opposition to a development project may influence how the Planning Commission or City Council votes on the measure, but otherwise that opinion has no real power.
The city’s traffic calming and pedestrian safety infrastructure program is based on recommendations from the community councils (more on this in the previous lesson about city departments).
Many councils disseminate information to residents about what’s going on at City Hall; plan community events; collaborate with the police department on public safety questions; and much more.
In short, a community council is often much more accessible than City Hall for residents looking to get involved.
Find your community council
The city maintains a list of recognized community councils, with scheduled meeting information and contact details such as websites and email addresses.
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