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The Botany Hills Neighborhood Association focuses on fostering community connections, representing our needs to the city, and projects that help us have a clean and safe neighborhood.
Thanks for turning out to the
Botany Hills Mural Painting Day!
Led by local artist and muralist Dai Williams aka S0FT GH0ST
What are the Botany Hills “Chicken Steps”?
The Chicken Steps are steep concrete stairs connecting John Street (above) and Spring Street (below). Tucked away in an obscure spot, they’re easy to miss unless you live nearby—yet they’re a beloved link between our hillside and the riverfront.
A little neighborhood history
The Botany Hills neighborhood spans the hillside between Crescent Avenue and Ludlow along the Ohio River.
In the mid-1800s, residents kept free-range chickens that famously roosted on these very steps, inspiring the nickname "Chicken Steps" for this stairway. Before incorporation in 1858, the village was commonly called “Economy” for its frugal, resourceful residents.
By 1875, more than a thousand people—many immigrants from Ireland, England, Scotland, and Germany—had built homes here. West Covington remained an independent city until annexation by Covington in 1916.
A neighborhood school was built on Parkway Avenue in 1919 (with a 1931 addition). As the population declined after the 1960s, Eleventh District School closed in 1979 and St. Ann Elementary in 1981—but the steps remain a cherished pathway.
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You are invited to join us at an upcoming meeting, or send an email to botanyhillsna@gmail.com.
What does Botany Hills, Economy, Forrest Hill, and West Covington have in common? Here's the origin story.
Learn about Covington's city-wide community resources, and why we are getting together to chat.