Alden Library

Madeira, Ohio

What makes a small town unique from all the rest? To an outsider, the city of Madeira, Ohio may appear to be just another suburb of the Greater Cincinnati area. However to Steven Kirby, a former resident of the town, it is not just another suburb. Voted #1 suburb by Cincy Magazine in 2010, Madeira can be described as it’s own “bubble,” where there are no strangers, no McDonalds, and where the worst thing that happens is someone breaking into a car. The local atmosphere, the award winning school system, and the close location to a big city makes Madeira a wonderful place to live.

Madeira is located 10 miles northeast of the city of Cincinnati, which gives about a 15-20 minute drive to and from it. According to Kirby, a lot of the adults living in Madeira work at the Procter & Gamble (P&G) headquarters in downtown Cincinnati. P&G manufactures a large amount of consumer goods and serves over 180 countries worldwide; this company provides many job openings for people in need. Living in such close proximity to the city allows for many job opportunities and also an easy escape from the small town life.

This year, Madeira celebrated their 100-year birthday; the town was formed as a village in 1910, and since then it has progressed into one of the better suburbs of the Cincinnati area. Along with that, the fact that there are no McDonalds in this town sets it apart from most other places to grow up in general. Madeira is only home to a Starbucks and a Subway restaurant; the rest of the downtown area is filled with local businesses and diners, which gives the town a more welcoming atmosphere. Along with the local scene, Madeira is filled with many parks and attractions, such as a fountain right across the street from Starbucks, where Kirby says most teenagers spend their time.

The Madeira City School District is constantly voted in the top 10 public high schools in Ohio. In Kirby’s graduating class, there were only approximately 120 kids. This allows students attending the school to be able to interact with every student on a personal level, not only in their class but also in the entire school. Considering that no one is a stranger in this town, most would agree that it is easier for kids to make friends in such a place. However, Kirby stated that knowing everyone made it a little harder for him to break free of what he was used to and make new friends when the time came to do so. But even so, Madeira’s small but highly rated school district makes it a great place to raise kids.

Madeira is filled with many unique places and people, which make it a great place to live. The unique setting allows for people to step out of the usual city atmosphere and into something more secluded and personal, where people can actually get to know each other and interact with everyone living in the town. Even though Kirby is unsure if he will be returning after completing his college education at Ohio University, he definitely recommends Madeira for anyone trying to raise a family.

Connection with a Place

A place that I have a connection with would be a little town called Door County, Wisconsin. Old family friends of mine live there during the summer and every year my family and I would take a trip and spend a little more than a week there. Door County is located near one of the great lakes, which allows for a lot of swimming and boating. In Door County there are only local shops and restaurants which makes it unique in that sense; however a very hidden treasures of this town would be it's chocolate store where they sell "chocolate chickens," which are literally just little delicious chicken figurines molded from chocolate. Another interesting place in Door County is a restaurant that, at various parts during the day, has cows eating from the grass-covered roof. Since these treasures are one of a kind, I really value the fact that I even got to experience such rarities, like seeing cows graze on top of a roof. I connect with this place because I've spent so much time there that I think of it as another home. It is special to me, not only because of the people who live there, but because it is one of a kind and reminds me of important childhood memories.

About Me

Hey, I'm Kelsey Williams. I'm from Toledo, Ohio and I live on West Green. I really enjoy listening to music and going to concerts. My favorite movie would have to be either Transformers or Inception. I also like to drive, mostly because my car is a Toyota Prius, therefore it's good for the environment and gets great gas mileage. I have one brother who is a freshman in high school and I have a golden retriever. I also work at a locally owned coffee shop back home called Chandlers Cafe... and that's basically it!