As quoted in a 1914 Cincinnati Times-Star editorial, a farmer facetiously remarked that his farm (in Westwood) "was a good one when he first took it up but that since he had cleared off all the trees it had slid down the creek and was to be found somewhere in the neighborhood of New Orleans.

The numerous hiking trails, bridle paths, walls, gardens, pedestrian bridges, and various other improvements within Mount Airy Forest reflect the ambitious park planning and development that took place in Cincinnati in the early-to-mid-20th century.

Conceived as the nation's first urban reforestation project, the park has developed over the years—especially during the Depression and post-World War II period- into a park with a variety of areas, spaces and structures designed to accommodate recreational, social, and educational activities.

Today it continues to offer a large expanse of protected land within the city limits where the public can enjoy the richness and diversity of nature.

[5] In the largest reforestation program undertaken by a city seen until that time, the barren land was restored to a park largely in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).