Loveland is a city in Hamilton, Clermont, and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio.

The city is named after James Loveland, who operated a general store and post office near the railroad tracks downtown.

[14][15][3] Present-day Loveland originally lay at the edges of the Symmes Purchase and Virginia Military District, in what was then the Northwest Territory.

Colonel Thomas Paxton who won his spurs in General Wayne's army and became enamoured with the Miami Country, sold his farm in Kentucky primarily because of a faulty title and bought 1,200 acres where Loveland now stands.

[18] In its early days, Loveland was known as a resort town, with its summer homes for the wealthy, earning it the nickname "Little Switzerland of the Miami Valley."

[27] Until wagon bridges were built across the Little Miami River, settlement of Loveland was mostly confined to the Clermont County side, which had access to a railroad station.

[3] That year, the Cincinnati Campground at Loveland was the site of the holiness movement's tenth annual National Camp Meeting.

[35] In the 1920s, The Cincinnati Enquirer ran a promotion that offered a free plot of land in Loveland, along the Little Miami River, after paying for a one-year subscription to the daily.

[36] After a population spike during the 1950s, Loveland reincorporated as a chartered city – the first of only two in Clermont County – on July 25, 1961,[15] with George Anderson as its first mayor.

[43] Loveland has periodically sought to expand its borders by annexing surrounding areas, primarily to the more commercially active west.

The programs included a renovation of Historic Downtown itself to sport a more "gentrified" look, for example replacing concrete sidewalks with brick ones, installing park benches throughout, and providing incentives to businesses willing to improve their façades.

[49] The Loveland Beautification Committee was established to sponsor various programs and events that aim to improve landscapes and other buildings around town.

The city's efforts culminated with USA Cycling Elite National Championship criteriums in June 1998.

[50][51] On January 24, 2005, Loveland City Council voted to cancel the Tour, due to declining attendance and a lack of sponsors.

[56][57] On May 4, 2007, Ohio's first four-quadrant gate was installed at the Second Street railroad crossing in Loveland,[58] as part of a coordinated three-crossing system.

After the city acquired the White Pillars property in 1996, it began plans to develop the land, which is situated on State Route 48.

Prior to being elected councilman, Paul Elliot participated in a lawsuit against the city over attempting to rezone the property for commercial use without voter approval.

[68][69] Shooter's Supply, a local gun store, proposed building an indoor shooting range at the former location of the Matthew 25: Ministries humanitarian aid agency.

Nearby residents attempted to block the shooting range, which would be built near several apartment complexes and residential neighborhoods, as well as a church.

[74][75] Historic Downtown Loveland and the central business district lie in a small valley on opposite sides of the Little Miami Scenic River, the boundary between Hamilton and Clermont counties, whereas most of Loveland's residential areas are located on the hills surrounding the valley on either side.

[73] These areas include some neighborhoods from the 1950s and earlier, as well as a number of newer subdivisions built as part of the urban sprawl that saw nearby Mason grow tremendously.

[92][93] Martinizing Dry Cleaning, Totes Isotoner, Pro Mach, and Blue Chip Cookies were also formerly headquartered in Loveland.

The Valentine Lady helps stamp up to 20,000 envelopes by hand with a Valentine-themed cachet and cancellation that reads "There is nothing in this world so sweet as Love.

Colemine was founded in 2007 and has released records by artists such as Durand Jones & The Indications, Black Pumas, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, and Ikebe Shakedown.

As of 2017[update], they are held by Mayor Kathy Bailey, Vice-Mayor Rob Weisgerber, and councilmembers Neal Oury, Kent Blair, Ted Phelps, Angie Settell and Tim Butler.

[117] The city is also served by the Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development and a regional vocational school district.

At the 2000 census, 24.6% of Loveland children attended private or parochial schools, the nineteenth-highest rate among Greater Cincinnati communities.

[124] Dispatching for both is handled by Northeast Communications Center (NECC), which provides Wireless Enhanced 911 service and also activates the local network of tornado sirens.

[127][128] Waste disposal and recycling services are provided by Rumpke through the Southwest Ohio Regional Refuse (SWORRE) consortium.

[130] Loveland's Polk Run Wastewater Treatment Plant is part of Hamilton County's Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) under a 1985 operating agreement.