Reading (pronounced /ˈrɛdɪŋ/ RED-ing) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States.
In 1794, Abraham Voorhees moved his family from Somerset County, New Jersey, building a large double log cabin along the west bank of the Millcreek in Sycamore Township, in present-day Lockland.
Around 1798, Voorhees platted a town named Voorhees-Town but did not record it with county officials until January 7, 1804.
[7][9][10] The Benson Street Bridge, built in 1901, spans Mill Creek on the city limit with Lockland.
[17] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.89 square miles (7.49 km2), all land.
[18] Reading is bordered by Cincinnati's Roselawn neighborhood to the south, Amberley Village and Sycamore Township to the southeast, Blue Ash to the east, Evendale to the north, Lockland to the west, and Arlington Heights to the southwest.
Mill Creek divides Reading from Lockland and Arlington Heights.
The northbound lanes of Mill Creek Expressway run along the city's west side, with exits onto Galbraith Road and Koehler Avenue.
Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway has a complex interchange with Interstate 75 at Reading.
Like other communities in the Mill Creek Valley, Reading has an economy dominated by heavy industry, including suppliers for aerospace and automotive plants in nearby Sharonville and Evendale.
Thermo Fisher Scientific's Patheon subsidiary operates a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant on 30 acres (12 ha) in the city.
[24] The Bridal District along Benson Street in downtown Reading is the most well-known concentration of wedding-related businesses in the United States.
[25][26] The electronics store chain Steinberg's was founded and based in Reading until its bankruptcy and liquidation in 1997.
[27] As of 2023[update], the Mayor of Reading is Robert "Bo" Bemmes[28] and the current council president is Kevin Mattscheck.
Reading also includes a Roman Catholic all-girl's high school, Mount Notre Dame High School, where the daughter of Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman was one of the first students.
Reading is served by a branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
[29] Reading is part of the Cincinnati media market for newspapers, radio, and television.