Incorporated in 1855, Glendale covers about one square mile and has a population of 2600. The village is nestled between Sharonville and Springdale, just fourteen miles north of Cincinnati and the Ohio River. It is governed by a mayor and six councilmen who are paid exactly the same as they were in 1855: absolutely nothing. The village, conceived as a totally independent community, has its own water works, sewer system, and police department, as well as a modern volunteer fire department.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Village's 392 acre Historic District was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977. With this special recognition, Glendale was placed on a level with the Charleston Historic District and the Alamo. The Village was chosen for this distinction because it was the earliest known planned subdivision in America laid out in a curvilinear plan according to topography. (Prior to this towns were normally laid out in a grid pattern.) Glendale is also known as the first planned railroad commuter town in the nation.