Camp Chase

Hillcrest

Ohio Department of
Transportation/
Ohio Department
of Public Service

About the Neighborhood

The Greater Hilltop area is large, primarily residential area on the west side of Columbus. Since its founding, the Hilltop community has been a model for home development. This "Middle Urban" community can boast proximity to the downtown and easy access to all of central Ohio while providing its residents with traditional neighborhoods of front porches, tree-lined streets, large back yards, and churches, schools, and parks within walking distance. Most importantly, the rich history of the Hilltop offers its residents and businesses a sense of place and belonging. Greater Hilltop embraces its diverse population, primarily Caucasian with African-American and a growing Hispanic population.

The Hilltop boasts a long, rich history, from mound building tribes, to early Ohio settlers, to its prominent role in Civil War history. The Hilltop’s Camp Chase, at 160 acres, was the largest confederate prison camp in the North, swelling to 9,000 prisoners in 1865. A war veteran’s cemetery was constructed on the site in 1897. More than 2,000 veterans are buried on the site, which is surrounded by the remains of the original stone wall that circled the prison encampment.

The elevated area to which “Hilltop” owes its name has not only made the community a highly visible, readily identifiable community, but also saved the community from natural disaster on several occasions. The flood in 1913 left nearly 20,000 homeless in Columbus but left much of the Hilltop area unaffected. This led to unprecedented growth in the Hilltop area from 1913 to 1925, with many nearby residents relocating both homes and businesses to the area.

The eastern portion of the Hilltop was settled in the early 1800s and is known as “historic Hilltop.” It has a typical urban grid pattern of streets and sidewalks. Because of the later development in the western portion, after automobiles defined living and commuting patterns in the 1940s and 50s, the community took on a more suburban pattern, with winding suburban streets, cul-de-sacs and larger residential lots. While still very affordable, Hilltop is beginning to experience rising home values and improvements and expansion of community infrastructure.

The primary east-west commercial corridors are Broad Street and Sullivant Avenue two main commercial corridors within the Hilltop.

Location

The Greater Hilltop Planning area is located on the west side of the city of Columbus. The area is bounded on the north by Interstate 70, on the east by the B&O Railroad, and on the south and west by Interstate 270. There are several jurisdictions within the planning area, including the city of Columbus, Village of Valleyview, Franklin County, Jackson Township, and Franklin Township.

Community and Civic Organizations

Homes on the Hill Community Development Corporation
http://www.hoth-cdc.org/
Hilltop Business Association
http://www.hilltopbusinessassociation.org/
Greater Hilltop Area Commission
Greater Hilltop Community Development Corporation

Places of Interest

Camp Chase
Columbus Metropolitan Library – Hilltop Branch http://www.cml.lib.oh.us/ebranch/about_cml/locations
/sel_branch_detail.cfm?bldg_id=430

Parks and Recreation

Big Run Park
http://recparks.columbus.gov/Parks/Parks_81.asp
Rhodes Park
http://recparks.columbus.gov/Parks/Parks_223.asp
Westgate Park
http://recparks.columbus.gov/Parks/Parks_293.asp
Glenwood Park
http://recparks.columbus.gov/Parks/Parks_149.asp
(The City of Columbus operates 14 parks in the Hilltop area)
Glenwood Recreation Center
http://recparks.columbus.gov/RecCenters/RecCenters_21.asp
Westgate Recreation Center
http://recparks.columbus.gov/RecCenters/RecCenters_2.asp
Westside Community Center