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==History== The city is named after James Loveland, who operated a general store and post office near the railroad tracks downtown. It was incorporated as a [[village (Ohio)|village]] on May 12 or 16, 1876, and incorporated as a [[Municipal charter|chartered city]] in 1961.<ref name="Chamber history">{{cite web|url=http://lovelandchamber.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=185|title=History of the Loveland Area|year=2005|publisher=Loveland Area Chamber of Commerce|access-date=May 2, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070720141521/http://lovelandchamber.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=185|archive-date=20 July 2007}}<!-- {{cite web|url=http://www.lovelandchamber.org/community_history.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 8, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212225443/http://lovelandchamber.org/community_history.html |archive-date=February 12, 2005 |df=mdy }} --></ref><ref name="Clermont history" /><ref name="Pauwels" /> ===Settlement=== Present-day Loveland originally lay at the edges of the [[Symmes Purchase]] and [[Virginia Military District]], in what was then the [[Northwest Territory]]. The area was first settled in 1795<ref name="Paxton">{{cite web|publisher=Loveland Beautification Committee|url=http://explore.communitiesinbloom.ca/CIB_Detail.cfm?id=146|title=City of Loveland, Ohio, USA|work=[[Communities in Bloom]]|access-date=August 1, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927094541/http://explore.communitiesinbloom.ca/CIB_Detail.cfm?id=146|archive-date=September 27, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> by Col. Thomas Paxton: {{blockquote|The [[Kentucky]] landowners who were dissatisfied with their family land titles sold their holdings and bought land in the Miami valleys. Colonel Thomas Paxton who won his spurs in General [[Anthony Wayne|Wayne]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>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. He came here at the age of sixty and bought numerous tracts from Colonel [[William Haines Lytle|Lytle]], becoming a wealthy man before his death in 1813. The names of ten of his children who came to Ohio are associated with commodious residences, beautiful gardens and great orchards.|William E. Smith|''History of Southwestern Ohio: The Miami Valleys''{{sfn|Smith|Smith|1964|p=159}}}} Paxton named the settlement after himself; it was renamed Loveland in 1850.<ref>{{cite news|title=City: Transfer cemetery to Loveland ownership|first=Al|last=Andry|work=[[The Cincinnati Post]]|date=October 31, 1996|edition=East Central|department=Neighbors|page=3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108147814/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> ===Village getaway=== 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]]." Future [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]] [[Salmon P. Chase]] maintained a country home near Loveland,<ref name="Cincinnati history">{{cite news|first=Alisha|last=Woolery|url=http://frontier.cincinnati.com/communities/story_loveland1.asp|title=Loveland's natural touch|work=Cincinnati.com|access-date=May 18, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216080304/http://frontier.cincinnati.com/communities/story_loveland1.asp|archive-date=February 16, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Morris">{{cite book|title=The Bench and Bar of Cincinnati: Commemorating the Building of the New Court House|editor1-first=William W.|editor1-last=Morris|editor2-first=E. B.|editor2-last=Krieger|location=Cincinnati|publisher=New Court House Publishing Company|year=1921|page=16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X50jAQAAMAAJ|quote=It is a coincidence that his county home near Loveland, later came into the possession, for a few years, of Judge Charles J. Hunt, during the years the latter occupied the local Common Pleas Court bench.}}</ref> while the Cincinnati [[YWCA USA|YWCA]] maintained a summer cottage there.<ref name="OhioHist 105">{{cite journal|url=http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=detail&Page=010567.html&StartPage=46&EndPage=71&volume=105|title=Housing the Women Who Toiled: Planned Residences for Single Women, Cincinnati 1860–1960|first=Patricia A.|last=Carter|journal=Ohio History|publisher=[[Ohio Historical Society]]|volume=105|pages=46–71|quote=The YWCA's summer cottage was in Loveland, a rural community 25 miles from the city...|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926215840/http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=detail&Page=010567.html&StartPage=46&EndPage=71&volume=105|archive-date=September 26, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The area was also home to Ohio's first [[paper mill]], built in 1810 by John Smith. A local road retains the mill's eventual name, Kugler Mill.<ref name="OhioHist 51">{{cite journal|url=http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=detail&Page=0051185.html&StartPage=184&EndPage=194&volume=51|title=Contrasts in 150 Years of Publishing in Ohio|first=Charles M.|last=Thomas|journal=Ohio History|publisher=Ohio Historical Society|volume=51|pages=184–194|quote=There [in Loveland], on the Little Miami River, John Smith built the first paper mill in Ohio for a settler named Christian Waldschmidt or Wallsmith.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929115114/http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=detail&Page=0051185.html&StartPage=184&EndPage=194&volume=51|archive-date=September 29, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The area surrounding Loveland in Clermont County was well known for its [[peach]]es and [[Garden strawberry|strawberries]].{{sfn|Smith|Smith|1964|p=419|ps=: "The Clermont County hills around Loveland were famous for peaches and strawberries that were shipped to all parts of the United States. In 1845 one grower sent 400 [[quart]]s of strawberries to the Cincinnati market in one day; some were packed in ice and shipped to New Orleans."}} The Obionsville Post Office began operations on October 24, 1831, then changed its name to the Loveland Post Office on January 14, 1848.<ref name="PO of Ohio">{{cite book|title=The Post Offices of Ohio|last1=Gallagher<!--|access-date=August 17, 1992-->|first1=John S.|last2=Patera|first2=Alan H.|publisher=The Depot|year=1979|location=Burtonsville, Maryland|page=111|quote=Established as Obionsville Post Office on October 24, 1831, name changed to Obanionsville Post Office on July 31, 1832, name changed to Loveland Post Office on January 14, 1848.}}<!-- Citation for 1775 est. date: {{cite press release|publisher=Phaethon World-Stage Co. Pictures|date=February 11, 2005|url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/20052/0/prweb207336.htm|title=Oprah's Valentine's Day Secret|access-date=May 29, 2006}} --></ref> The [[Hillsboro and Cincinnati Railroad]] was chartered in 1846 to run a line between [[Hillsboro, Ohio|Hillsboro]] and O'Bannon Creek in Loveland on the [[Little Miami Railroad]]'s route. By 1850, the H&C had completed the {{convert|37|mi|km|0}} to Hillsboro, Ohio. The H&C would lease its line in perpetuity to the [[Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad]] and ultimately became the mainline of the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]. Loveland's location at the junction of the Little Miami Railroad (now converted into the [[Loveland Bike Trail]]) and the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad fueled the city's growth, bringing "40 passenger trains per day, and 12 scheduled freight trains between Loveland and Cincinnati."<ref name="Chamber history" /> Another railroad ran through [[History of the United States (1789–1849)|antebellum]] Loveland: the [[Underground Railroad]]'s Eastern Route from Cincinnati included a stop at the village and continued northward to [[Waynesville, Ohio|Waynesville]] and [[Lebanon, Ohio|Lebanon]].<ref name="Enquirer Trường">{{cite news|title=Rev. Thomas B. Foster led history group|first=Quan|last=Truong|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=January 27, 2009|access-date=January 27, 2009|url=http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20090127/NEWS0104/901270342/|quote=[Rev. Thomas B. Foster's] family farm was also a stopping point for slaves on the Underground Railroad in the 1850s. 'His great-grandfather would put (the slaves) in a wagon and cover it with straw and take them on up to Waynesville,' Avery Foster said.}}</ref><ref name="Siebert">{{cite book|title=The Underground Railroad in Ohio, vol. 11|first=Wilbur H.|last=Siebert|url=http://www.ohiohistory.org/undergroundrr/siebert.pdf|author-link=Wilbur Henry Siebert|access-date=May 28, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625084913/http://www.ohiohistory.org/undergroundrr/siebert.pdf|archive-date=June 25, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} Visible in [[:Image:Undergroundrailroadsmall2.jpg|Routes of the Underground Railroad, 1830 - 1865]], by the same author.</ref> During the Civil War, Confederate Brig. Gen. [[John Hunt Morgan]] and his troops passed through Loveland, seizing possessions of northern and southern sympathizers alike (see [[Morgan's Raid]]).<ref name="DDN Bennish">{{cite news|title=The Longest Raid|first=Steve|last=Bennish|work=[[Dayton Daily News]]|location=Dayton, Ohio|date=September 19, 1999|page=B1|access-date=August 28, 2010|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:DDNB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F51BC5548793584&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0E592096DB567DF5|format=fee required|quote=As Morgan made his way through the Buckeye state, his raid became a series of unforgettable encounters that played like lost script pages from ''[[The Good, the Bad and the Ugly|The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly]]''. In northern Loveland in Warren County, Sarah Todd Jones, described by Horwitz as a 'sharp-tongued' Southern sympathizer, tried to save her horse from being taken. 'I am a Rebel,' she pleaded. 'All my sympathy is with the South ... Please don't take my horse!' The trooper paused thoughtfully. 'Well, if it's true that you support our cause, then we thank you for your donation,' he said, sweeping his hat off in a grand gesture.}} Review of {{cite book|title=The Longest Raid of the Civil War: Little-Known & Untold Stories of Morgan's Raid Into Kentucky, Indiana & Ohio|first=Lester V.|last=Horwitz|location=Cincinnati, Ohio|publisher=Farmcourt Publishing, Inc.|year=2003|isbn=0-9670267-3-3}}</ref> [[File:Railroad Station Loveland Ohio from Baltimore & Ohio Employes Magazine August 1914 Vol 02 No 11 Page 108.jpg|thumb|Railroad Station, circa 1914]] 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.<ref name="Clermont history">{{cite web|url=http://www.co.clermont.oh.us/508/includes/page/topic/history/history_default.php?topic=villages&item=loveland|title=Loveland|work=History of Clermont County Villages|publisher=Clermont County, Ohio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927200212/http://www.co.clermont.oh.us/508/includes/page/topic/history/history_default.php?topic=villages&item=loveland|archive-date=September 27, 2006}}</ref><ref name="GLHSM history">{{cite web|title=Loveland History|publisher=Greater Loveland Historical Society|access-date=February 8, 2009|url=http://www.lovelandmuseum.org/LovelandHistory.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723024540/http://www.lovelandmuseum.org/LovelandHistory.asp|archive-date=July 23, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> A wooden bridge spanned the river at Symmestown and [[Branch Hill, Ohio|Branch Hill]] from 1850 until it washed out six years later.<ref name="Enquirer July 4th">{{cite news|title=The fourth at branch hill|work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer|The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer]]|date=July 6, 1871|page=3|id={{ProQuest|878006643}}}}</ref> For years, residents on both sides pushed for a bridge at Loveland, to avoid the long trip to [[Fosters, Ohio|Foster's Crossing]] or [[Miamiville, Ohio|Miamiville]], and by 1868 threatened to have Miami Township annexed to Hamilton County if Clermont County officials continued to obstruct the project.<ref name="Enquirer bridge meeting">{{cite news|title=Important bridge meeting|work=The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer|date=December 1, 1868|page=8|id={{ProQuest|877420160}}}}</ref> A $75,000 [[suspension bridge]] was finally built at Symmestown and Branch Hill and dedicated on July 4, 1871. It was anchored by four {{convert|7000|lb|adj=on}} [[wrought iron]] columns, at that time the heaviest ever made in the United States.<ref name="Enquirer July 4th" /> A second bridge, connecting East and West Loveland, was completed between 1872 and 1876.<!-- https://www.proquest.com/docview/877256640 https://www.proquest.com/docview/877329901 --> Loveland incorporated as a village on May 16, 1876. John H. Law was elected the village's first mayor.<ref name="Pauwels" /> That year, the Cincinnati Campground at Loveland was the site of the [[holiness movement]]'s tenth annual National Camp Meeting.<ref name="Enquirer camp meeting">{{cite news|title=The National Camp-Meeting at Loveland|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=July 22, 1876|page=8|id={{ProQuest|877827000}}}}</ref> In 1886, the skeleton of a [[mastodon]] and prehistoric [[stone tool]]s were found in a Loveland [[gravel pit]].{{sfn|Smith|Smith|1964|p=24|ps=: "Bones of a mastodon and implements were found thirty feet below the surface of the ground, in a gravel pit, at Loveland, Ohio, in 1866."}} In 1903, Loveland voted to become a [[Dry county|dry village]],<ref name="Dry town">{{cite news|url=http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/page.cfm?ID=217|title=Loveland – A Dry Town|work=The Informer|publisher=Ohio Historical Center Archives Library|date=February 1903|volume=6|issue=9|pages=1|access-date=May 28, 2007}}</ref> prohibiting the sale of alcohol within the village limits 17 years before a [[Prohibition in the United States|national ban]]. Loveland was a center of the [[Temperance movement]] in Ohio.<ref name="NYT temperance">{{cite news|title=Ohio Democratic Faith.; Little Outward Comfort for the Party —Tilden and Bookwalter.|work=The New York Times|date=August 22, 1881|page=1|access-date=October 25, 2008|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B01E5D9133EE433A25751C2A96E9C94609FD7CF}}</ref> Downtown Loveland's proximity to the Little Miami River has made it vulnerable to flooding. The worst such event, the [[Ohio Flood of March 1913]], destroyed a [[Gristmill|corn mill]]<ref name="Clermont history" /> and washed out the Loveland Bridge, which was replaced with an iron bridge the next year.<ref name="Beller">{{cite book|title=Loveland: Passages Through Time|first1=Janet Brock|last1=Beller|first2=Maxine Elliott|last2=Nason|publisher=Greater Loveland Historical Society|year=1992|oclc=27166122}}</ref> 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. The [[Loveland Castle]] was built on multiple plots obtained through this promotion.<ref name="Castle KOGT">{{cite web|url=http://www.lovelandcastle.com/kogt.html |title=Knights of the Golden Trail |publisher=Historic Loveland Castle Museum |date=July 18, 2002 |access-date=July 5, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929165436/http://www.lovelandcastle.com/kogt.html |archive-date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref> ===Growing city=== [[File:Loveland Historical Society 2019.jpg|thumb|Loveland Historical Society Museum]] [[File:Welcome to Loveland, Ohio.jpg|thumb|right|Loveland's main welcome sign]] After a population spike during the 1950s, Loveland reincorporated as a [[Municipal charter|chartered city]] – the first of only two in Clermont County – on July 25, 1961,<ref name="Clermont history" /> with George Anderson as its first mayor.<ref name="Chamber history" /> The city absorbed smaller settlements, such as Paxton,<ref name="White Pillars">{{cite web|url=http://www.lovelandoh.com/white-pillars|title=White Pillars|last=Stephany|first=Amanda|publisher=City of Loveland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501223922/http://www.lovelandoh.com/white-pillars|archive-date=May 1, 2011|url-status=dead|access-date=August 29, 2010|df=mdy-all}}<!-- {{cite web |url=http://www.lovelandoh.com/wphomestead.cfm |title=Archived copy |access-date=September 8, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023100956/http://www.lovelandoh.com/wphomestead.cfm |archive-date=October 23, 2006 |df=mdy }} --></ref> Obanionsville, and Symmestown. German architect [[Rudolf Fränkel]] developed a master plan for Loveland. Another major flood in 1959 led to the construction of a dike along the Little Miami River in 1962–1963.<ref name="GLHSM history" /> In 1969, Loveland elected Viola Phillips as mayor; she was the first woman to serve as a city official.<ref>{{cite news|title=Woman Elected Loveland Mayor; Says It Will Be a Full-Time Job|first=Mary|last=McCarthy|work=[[The Cincinnati Post and Times-Star]]|date=December 2, 1969|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106635525/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In 1972 and 1973, Loveland was the site of multiple [[Ku Klux Klan]] rallies that drew members from multiple states.<ref>{{cite news|title=KKK Rallies Near Loveland|first=Bill|last=Vale|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=August 13, 1972|page=6–A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28716660/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Another Klan Rally Planned|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|agency=Associated Press|date=September 17, 1972|page=6–A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28716477/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Deluge Shortens Rally Of Klan In Loveland|first=Norm|last=Clarke|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|agency=Associated Press|date=May 20, 1973|page=11–D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28716541/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The long-abandoned Little Miami Railroad corridor was converted into a bike trail in the 1980s<ref name="Enquirer McNutt">{{cite news|url=http://www.cincinnati.com/local/loveland/E30html_08192003__GNLroadtrip.ART_Other.html|title=Loveland, Symmes still recall Civil War, rail era|last=McNutt|first=Randy|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=August 19, 2003|access-date=April 6, 2007}}</ref> and became part of the [[Little Miami Scenic Trail]] in 1984.<ref name="Loveland HDR">{{cite web|title=Amendment and Addition to the City of Loveland Downtown Historic Redevelopment Plan|work=Historic Downtown Loveland Request For Proposals|publisher=City of Loveland|date=September 28, 2004|access-date=May 28, 2007|url=http://www.lovelandoh.com/upload/attachment%20c.doc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060511172502/http://www.lovelandoh.com/upload/attachment%20c.doc|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 11, 2006|format=[[DOC (computing)|Word]]}}</ref> Loveland has periodically sought to expand its borders by annexing surrounding areas, primarily to the more commercially active west. In 1993, the city attempted to annex parts of [[Deerfield Township, Warren County, Ohio|Deerfield Township]], prompting petitions to instead merge the township with the City of Mason.<ref name="Hunter Deerfield">{{cite news|first=Ginny|last=Hunter|title=Petitions Flying in Annexation War|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CNPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB030C0B6168D74&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420| work=[[The Cincinnati Post]]|publisher=[[E. W. Scripps Company]]|page=5A|date=January 16, 1993|access-date=September 8, 2006}}</ref> Moves to merge Symmes Township with Loveland began the next year<ref name="Hunter Symmes">{{cite news|first=Ginny|last=Hunter|title=Petitions would put merger panel to vote Loveland Council hears residents|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CNPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB0318666457461&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|work=The Cincinnati Post|page=Editorial 1|date=August 18, 1994|access-date=September 8, 2006}}</ref> but ultimately failed. In 1996, Loveland moved its eastern border by purchasing Col. Paxton's original White Pillars homestead,<ref name="White Pillars" /> which had remained unincorporated, despite being the first settlement in the Loveland area. In the late 1990s, Loveland was designated a [[Tree City USA|Tree City]] by the [[National Arbor Day Foundation]], as it began a number of efforts to promote its Historic Downtown neighborhood, in part to celebrate the city's bicentennial. The programs included a renovation of Historic Downtown itself to sport a more "[[Gentrification|gentrified]]" look, for example replacing concrete sidewalks with brick ones, installing park benches throughout, and providing incentives to businesses willing to improve their façades. Major roads such as South Lebanon Road (County Road 298<ref name="ODOT Cinci urban 5">{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.state.oh.us/planning/Functional%20Class/2004Urban_Maps/cincinnati_map_5.pdf |title=Cincinnati Map 5 |work=Functional Classification Maps |publisher=Office of Systems Planning and Program Management, [[Ohio Department of Transportation]] |year=2004 |access-date=August 13, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411065039/http://www.dot.state.oh.us/planning/Functional%20Class/2004Urban_Maps/cincinnati_map_5.pdf |archive-date=April 11, 2008 }}</ref>) were expanded and given landscaped medians. The front lawn of Loveland City Hall was decorated with a [[nativity scene]] annually from 1973 until 1993, when a representative of the Ku Klux Klan asked the city for permission to erect a cross beside the display.<ref>{{cite news|title=KKK cross denied by two cities|first1=Jeff|last1=Harrington|first2=Steve|last2=Kemme|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=December 3, 1993|page=A1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28716801/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Loveland part of Klan's plan to target small towns, critic says|first=Steve|last=Kemme|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=December 3, 1993|page=A6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28716880/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Since then, the nativity scene has been placed on privately owned property.<ref>{{cite news|title=Klan's cross request steals Christmas spirit|first=John|last=Eckberg|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|edition=East Central|date=December 16, 1993|page=1 Extra|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28716174/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The Loveland Beautification Committee was established to sponsor various programs and events that aim to improve landscapes and other buildings around town. Under the mayorship of Lee Skierkiewicz, Loveland heavily promoted itself as a cycling destination. The Tour de Loveland, an annual cycling race, was started in order to promote the [[Loveland Bike Trail]] as the centerpiece of Historic Downtown Loveland. The city's efforts culminated with [[USA Cycling]] Elite National Championship [[criterium]]s in June 1998.<ref name="Queenan">{{cite news|first=Bob|last=Queenan|url=http://www.cincypost.com/sports/1998/cycle042198.html|title=Area becoming cycling mecca|work=The Cincinnati Post|date=April 21, 1998|access-date=November 30, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041108155122/http://www.cincypost.com/sports/1998/cycle042198.html|archive-date=November 8, 2004}}</ref><ref name="Keeler">{{cite news|first=Sean|last=Keeler|url=http://www.cincypost.com/sports/1998/cycle062498.html|title=Loveland hosts cycling nationals|work=The Cincinnati Post|date=June 24, 1998|access-date=November 30, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041108155126/http://www.cincypost.com/sports/1998/cycle062498.html|archive-date=November 8, 2004}}</ref> On January 24, 2005, Loveland City Council voted to cancel the Tour, due to declining attendance and a lack of sponsors.<ref name="Tour">{{cite news|url=http://news.enquirer.com/article/20060125/NEWS01/301180013|title=Loveland cancels bike race|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=January 25, 2006|access-date=May 2, 2006}}</ref> On April 9, 1999, Loveland found itself in the path of [[April 1999 Cincinnati tornado#April 9 event|an F4 tornado]] (see [[Fujita scale]]). The tornado claimed four fatalities, including a Loveland resident,<ref name="Enquirer Wilkinson">{{cite news|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1999/04/10/loc_tornado1.html|title=Hope emerges from the rubble|first=Howard|last=Wilkinson|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=April 10, 1999|access-date=April 17, 2008}}</ref> before reaching the city. With "four blooms", Loveland won the 2005 [[America in Bloom]] competition for cities with 10,001 to 15,000 residents.<ref name="AIB">{{cite web|url=http://www.americainbloom.org/aib_2005_winners.asp |title=America In Bloom 2005 Award Winners |access-date=August 1, 2006 |date=September 12, 2005 |work=America in Bloom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060522163553/http://www.americainbloom.org/aib_2005_winners.asp |archive-date=May 22, 2006 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref> Loveland lost to [[St Ives, Cornwall|St. Ives]]/[[Carbis Bay]] in the 2006 [[Communities in Bloom]] International Challenge, medium category, but won the "Communities in Bloom Youth Involvement Project Award."<ref name="CIB">{{cite web|url=http://www.communitiesinbloom.ca/news.php?news_table=cib_english_news&id=25|title=The results are in...congratulations to all national finalists|access-date=September 28, 2006|publisher=Communities in Bloom|year=2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927191941/http://www.communitiesinbloom.ca/news.php?news_table=cib_english_news&id=25|archive-date=September 27, 2006|df=mdy-all}}</ref><!--<ref name="LBC">{{cite web|title=Beautification Committee|publisher=City of Loveland|year=2006|access-date=August 1, 2006|url=http://www.lovelandoh.com/beautification.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821050526/http://www.lovelandoh.com/beautification.cfm|archive-date=August 21, 2007}}</ref> --> In 2004, [[CSX Transportation]] leased the former Baltimore and Ohio railroad to [[RailAmerica]]'s [[Indiana and Ohio Railway]] system.<ref name="Lane B&O">{{cite web|title=B&O Timeline|work=Transportation Timelines|publisher=[[Lane Public Library]]|date=December 10, 2007|page=5|access-date=February 14, 2009|url=http://www.lanepl.org/crth/pdf/B&O_Timeline.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326131146/http://www.lanepl.org/crth/pdf/B%26O_Timeline.pdf|archive-date=March 26, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="IORY map">{{cite map|title=Indiana & Ohio|publisher=RailAmerica|access-date=February 14, 2009|url=http://www.railamerica.com/Files/IORY/IORY_revisedNov7.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref> On May 4, 2007, Ohio's first [[four-quadrant gate]] was installed at the Second Street railroad crossing in Loveland,<ref name="Enquirer Kemme">{{cite news|url=http://news.enquirer.com/article/20070503/NEWS01/305030038/|last=Kemme|first=Steve|title=Loveland rail crossing upgraded|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=April 3, 2007|access-date=April 3, 2007}}</ref> as part of a coordinated three-crossing system.<ref name="Enquirer Baker RR">{{cite news|title=Crossing gates break down again|first=Jennifer|last=Baker|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=February 14, 2009|access-date=February 14, 2009|url=http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090214/NEWS01/902140337/|quote=The gates cover three interconnected railroad crossings at West Loveland Avenue, Second Street (Ohio 48) and Riverside Drive. ... RailAmerica owns the Indiana & Ohio Railroad, which is responsible for all the signal equipment along the rail line, including all the electronics, [Stu Nicholson] said.}}</ref> In 2013, Loveland was named a "Best Hometown" by ''[[Ohio Magazine]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Best Hometowns 2013–2014: Loveland|first=Jennifer|last=Keirn|magazine=[[Ohio Magazine]]|date=November 2013|url=http://www.ohiomagazine.com/Main/Articles/Best_Hometowns_20132014_Loveland_4863.aspx}}</ref> Loveland went without a mayor from August to December 2017, after Mayor Mark Fitzgerald resigned under pressure from a recall effort and a move to replace him was declared invalid.<ref name="WLWT no mayor">{{cite web|title=Loveland Has No Mayor|publisher=[[WLWT-TV]]|date=August 18, 2017|url=http://www.wlwt.com/article/loveland-solicitor-city-has-no-mayor/12029494}}</ref><ref name="Enquirer Vilvens">{{cite news|title=Will new councilmembers restore balance to Loveland politics?|first=Sheila|last=Vilvens|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=November 8, 2017|access-date=November 9, 2017|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/11/08/new-councilmembers-restore-balance-loveland/844124001/}}</ref><ref name="Magazine Smith" /> ===Zoning controversies=== Loveland has seen several controversies over [[zoning]] regulation. 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. In 2003, Mike Showler led a successful referendum to block the rezoning.<ref name="Enquirer McLaughlin">{{cite news|first=Sheila|last=McLaughlin|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/26/loc_loc4gun.html|title=Loveland eases gun law|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=August 26, 2004|access-date=October 21, 2006}}</ref> An earlier attempt to develop a [[YMCA]] location on a section of Phillips Park also failed, when a group of residents protested the city's development plans, prompting the YMCA to abandon the location.<ref name="Enquirer Winston">{{cite news|first=Earnest|last=Winston|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/06/27/loc_opposition_voiced_to.html|title=Opposition voiced to YMCA in park|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=June 27, 2001|access-date=May 2, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Courier YMCA">{{cite news|url=http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2002/01/21/daily39.html|title=YMCA scraps plan for Loveland facility|work=[[Cincinnati Business Courier]]|publisher=[[Advance Publications#American City Business Journals|American City Business Journals]]|date=January 24, 2002|access-date=May 2, 2006}}</ref> In December 2006, Loveland announced a plan to build a Loveland Recreation Center on land adjacent to Phillips Park. The city planned to enter into an operating agreement with the YMCA once the center was built;<ref name="Courier YMCA2">{{cite news|publisher=City of Loveland|url=http://www.lovelandoh.com/27947%20loveland%20Newsletter.pdf|title=Recreation Center Planning on Pace for 2007|work=All Heart Newsletter|date=December 29, 2006|access-date=January 5, 2007}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> however, the Recreation Center tax referendum was defeated in May 2007. The Recreation Center plan was later revised,<ref name="City rec center">{{cite web|url=http://www.lovelandoh.com/recreationaquaticcenter.cfm|title=Loveland Recreation Aquatic Center Information|publisher=City of Loveland|date=July 11, 2007|access-date=July 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080507041543/http://www.lovelandoh.com/recreationaquaticcenter.cfm|archive-date=May 7, 2008}}</ref> but Loveland residents again rejected an [[income tax]] levy to fund the center on November 6, 2007.<ref name="BOE real time">{{cite web |url=http://www.hamilton-co.org/boe/inputdata/Electionsresults/Final/RealTime.pdf |title=Cumulative – Unofficial / Hamilton County, Ohio – General Election – November 6, 2007 |publisher=Board of Elections, Hamilton County, Ohio |pages=79 |date=November 7, 2007 |access-date=November 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411065040/http://www.hamilton-co.org/boe/inputdata/Electionsresults/Final/RealTime.pdf |archive-date=April 11, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="Enquirer Whitaker YMCA">{{cite news|url=http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20071107/NEWS01/311070034/|title=Loveland rec center a dead deal|first=Carrie|last=Whitaker|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=November 7, 2007|access-date=November 7, 2007}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Enquirer Prendergast">{{cite news|first=Jane|last=Prendergast|url=http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061021/NEWS01/610210376/1056/COL02|title=Loveland shooting range is closer|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=October 21, 2006|access-date=October 21, 2006}}</ref> In May 2007, the building was instead converted into a luxury boarding facility for dogs.<ref name="Enquirer McKinney">{{cite news|url=http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070810/BIZ01/308100011/|title=Luxury pet lodge opens|first=Jeff|last=McKinney|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=August 10, 2007|access-date=August 11, 2007}} {{cite news|url=http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070812/BIZ01/708120352/|title=Take a trip; pamper your pet|first=Jeff|last=McKinney|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=August 12, 2007|access-date=August 12, 2007}}</ref>
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