In 1797, the first settlers built Carpenter's Run Baptist Church out of blue ash logs, giving the area its eventual name.

[7] In the late 19th century, the Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway provided narrow-gauge commuter rail service to Blue Ash.

Originally a private airfield called Grisard Field, it was sold to the City of Cincinnati in 1946, becoming Ohio's first municipal airport.

[7] Eventually, through Reed Hartman's Community Improvement Corporation, Cincinnati developed the surrounding area as an industrial park and golf course.

[9] In 1998, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority proposed a MetroMoves light rail system with a Green Line that would initially run 19-mile (31 km) from Blue Ash to Covington, Kentucky.

A future phase would have extended the line further north to Kings Island and south to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

As of the census of 2020, there were 13,394 people living in the city, for a population density of 1,766.09 per square mile (681.89/km2).

Blue Ash's "daytime population" reaches approximately 55,000 due to the 2,000 businesses within the city limits.

[18] "Red, White and Blue Ash" is held annually in celebration of the 4th of July and features the biggest Independence Day firework display in the region.

[citation needed] These events draw internationally popular headlining rock acts.

On July 4, 2010, the bands Yes and Peter Frampton drew a record estimated 150,000 people to that year's Red, White, and Blue Ash event.

In addition, the City provides an annual Concert Series[20] each year during the summer months.

Blue Ash is mostly served by the Sycamore Community School District, which has had the most National Merit Scholars of any public school in Ohio for the past four years and has been given the highest rating of "Excellent" by the Ohio Department of Education for eight consecutive years.

Blue Ash is served by a branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.