Jan W. Hillard, Ph.D.

Sitting at my desk, thinking about what to write about Cincinnati, Wes Montgomery’s 1968 album titled “The Grass is Always Greener” played on the radio. Montgomery is a jazz guitarist from the 1960s who I have a fondness for.

I recall seeing Montgomery play in a jazz club on Vine Street in the late '60s on a hot summer night. I was a junior in high school. I remember thinking after seeing Wes that Cincinnati is pretty cool, with deep roots in jazz, soul, and funk. As a teenager I soaked it up. Perhaps it was serendipity when I heard those cuts from the “Grass is Always Greener”. The message of the saying the grass is greener on the other side was exactly where my initial thoughts had taken me in thinking about the Greater Cincinnati of today.

I left Cincinnati in 1980 only to return after 23 years of absence. My return was heralded by new buildings, Tall Stacks, and still vibrant institutions like Music Hall and the Art Museum. However there was something new in the air. Something I heard from leaders and prominent stakeholders across the region. It was envy. Envy of other cities and regions, that they had something we were missing. It was like people were hooked on this narrative. They sought out other cities as “benchmarks” and held conversations that started with “if only we could be like….” and ended with “….oh well remember it's Cincinnati after all…” 

I believe the secret to our success is in fact remembering. Remembering the business innovation that has gone on and continues everyday in this region. Our firsts in the arts, UC as the first municipal university in the nation, first in sports history, first in wonderful planned villages, and on and on. Our strength comes from celebration not regret. Our strength comes from our history. It is important to imagine what could be, to have a foresight. Yet no surveyor worth their salt would proceed without a good back sight as well. When we are tempted to go to the place of envy or regret about Greater Cincinnati’s vibrancy, I recommend picking up a copy of one of Zane Miller’s books on Cincinnati history, browsing to any page and being reminded of our region’s incredible journey both socially and economically. With a good back sight the journey ahead will be made clear and most importantly it will be our journey and not someone else’s.