Early in its history, the city already had what was perhaps its first "urban legend." Just as the city of Rome was said to be built upon seven hills, people would say that this city named for a Roman hero was built upon seven hills as well. The question to this day has been, which seven hills? An article in the Cincinnati Enquirer answered thus:

"OK, since you asked, here they are: Bond Hill, College Hill, Liberty Hill, Paddock Hills, Price Hill, Vine Street Hill, Walnut Hills, Western Hills, Winton Hills... Mount Adams, Mount Airy, Mount Auburn, Mount Echo, Mount Hope, Mount Lookout, Mount Washington... Fairview Heights, Clifton Heights..."

Whoever you ask, one of the seven would surely be Mount Adams, located just to the east overlooking downtown. Originally named Mount Ida, after a local Irish washerwoman, someone thought the better of it, and renamed it after then-President John Quincy Adams. Up until the 1950s, an incline plane operated regularly, bringing daily commuters up and down a hill that was considered too steep for a horse-drawn buggy, or the early automobiles. In the late 1960s, the neighborhood became somewhat of a Bohemian setting. The decades that followed bestowed a certain status symbol on an address there. To this day, it is an enviable location, with quaint little shops and corner markets, well-kept townhouses, and an active local night-life located at one's doorstep.