Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

Welcome to Cincinnati, a beautiful and exciting city located on banks of the Ohio River in the southwest corner of Ohio, a Midwestern state east of the Mississippi River. The Greater Cincinnati area, which includes Northern Kentucky, is a wonderful and exciting place to call home. In the heart of the Ohio River Valley, Cincinnati weather is generally mild, averaging around 38 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and 72 degrees in the summer with 2-4 inches of precipitation per month. July tends to be the area's warmest month, May the wettest and January the coolest with approximately 3-5 accumulating snowfalls per year. Located along interstates 75 and 71 with interstate 275 looping around the area, Cincinnati is a city which relies heavily on personal cars for transportation along with the Metro and Tank public bus systems.

Demographically, according to the 2000 US Census, the city of Cincinnati is 52.8% female, 76.7% high school graduates, and 36.6% college graduates with an average household of 2.15 people earning an average income of just under $30,000. Racially, the city is 53% white, 42.9% black and 1.5% Asian with approximately 3.8% foreign born residents. In surrounding areas, demographics are similar, except for slightly higher average household incomes and vastly different racial make-ups such as Northern Kentucky counties which to be over 90% white. Religiously, the whole Cincinnati area is predominantly Christian with a large Catholic population. Crime statistics for Cincinnati can also be found on the city's website .

For families, Cincinnati is great for raising children in terms of both family friendly activities and educational opportunities. Elementary and high school education is provided by Cincinnati Public and Kentucky State Public schools as well as a variety of private and parochial schools. For higher education, the Cincinnati area has many college and universities, including the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, Cincinnati State, Northern Kentucky University, and Thomas Moore College.

For singles and young professionals, Cincinnati is a place to make friends and find love at great bars, nightclubs, and other events, as well as make a living with companies such as Proctor and Gamble, Kroger Grocery, Toyota Motor Company, Fifth Third Bank and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati Medical Hospital in the Clifton area which is home to some of the top medical specialists in the region.

For more general area information on Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky go to www.cincyusa.com or www.northern-kentucky.com.

According to the Ohio Multiple Listing Service, homes in Hamilton County, where Cincinnati is located, sell for $177,412 on average. Usually homes here contain an average three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Taxes in the area are approximately $1,642 per $100,000 and homeowners typically receive a 10.5% return on their homes in five years. In 2007 there were 8,868 homes sold in Hamilton County at 95% of the listing price.

Founded in 1788, Cincinnati is known as the "Queen City" and has a rich history of art, culture and industry. With strong German immigrant roots, the city began to flourish in the 1830's when it became one of the main meatpacking cities in the nation, gaining the nickname "Porkopolois". The remnants of this history can be found in the brightly decorated and often hilariously creative pig statues located around the area.

In addition to this industrial history, Cincinnati also played an important role as one of the port cities on the Underground Railroad. For many slaves, the crossing of the Ohio River with the help of abolitionists in the area, meant Cincinnati was their first taste of freedom. Today this history is honored with the 2004 opening of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, symbolically located right in downtown Cincinnati not far the banks where so many found freedom.

Architecturally, Cincinnati has many historic buildings and structures such as the John A. Roebling or "Suspension" Bridge which is one of the six major bridges which connects Ohio and Northern Kentucky. When it was built in 1866 the Suspension Bridge was the world's longest bridge and the first to use both diagonal stays and vertical suspenders, eventually becoming a model for the Brooklyn Bridge by the same designer. Also, in Cincinnati's largest historic district, Over the Rhine, there is an impressive amount of historic buildings mostly of nineteenth century Italianate style.

In Northern Kentucky, historic cities include Covington, founded 1815 and home to MainStrasse historical district, a largely intact nineteenth century style, German influenced neighborhood with a variety of architectural styles and Newport, founded in 1795 and once known as "Sin City" for its reputation for nightclubs, gambling and gangsters in the 1940's and 1950's.

For more on the history of Cincinnati and Ohio, visit www.ohiohistorycentral.org.

When it comes to food, Cincinnati has a lot to offer, particularly German, Italian and general American cuisine with a growing number of Asian and Indian restaurants across the area. Additionally, there are some foods which are uniquely Cincinnatian. One hometown favorite is goetta, traditionally a breakfast food made of pork and pin oats, this Cincinnati creation has been transformed into many other breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert concoctions thanks to the annual GoettaFest.

There are also Cincinnati founded restaurants, the most well-known being Skyline Chili famous for its secret recipe bean-less chili served over hot dogs as coneys and over spaghetti with cheese as the infamous "three-way". It may sound strange, but in Cincinnati its nothing but delicious. Other famous Cincinnati eateries include LaRosa's Pizza and Montgomery Inn, famous for barbeque ribs and pulled pork sandwiches.

In Northern Kentucky, well-known dining spots include Covington's Riverview Revolving Restaurant, a slightly upscale restaurant on the top of the Clarion Hotel which slowly turns diners' tables around the window-lined facility with gorgeous views of the Cincinnati skyline. One city over, there's the German beer and food restaurant, the Hofbrauhaus. Opened in 2003 as the first Hofbrauhaus in America, Newport's Hofbrauhaus is a German dining experience with traditional food, decorations, seating and attire for the staff.

In addition to these food companies, Cincinnati is home to Graeter's Ice Cream one of the oldest surviving ice cream companies to still use the French pot process and large hand-cut chunks of dark chocolate. Their raspberry chocolate chip ice cream was named as Oprah's favorite ice cream, giving them wide-spread name recognition and orders coming in from across the country.

For more on dining in the Greater Cincinnati area visit the Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Association's website at www.dineoutoften.com.

For those interested in arts and theater, Cincinnati has many venues to offer including the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Contemporary Art Center, the Cincinnati Music Theatre the Children's Theatre, Playhouse in the Park, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and the Aronoff Center for the Arts which features traveling productions including Broadway musicals. To add to these the Esquire Theatre features award-winning films from film festivals across the nation which not often available in other mainstream movie theaters.

In terms of music and dance, Cincinnati has several professional companies which entertain area residents with their performances. Both the Cincinnati Pops and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras have performed internationally and the Cincinnati Opera is the second oldest opera company in the nation. The Contemporary Dance Theatre puts on new and innovative dance performances throughout the year, while the Cincinnati Ballet performs new and old dances alike, including their annual production of the Nutcracker.

For more on arts and entertainment in the area visit the Cincinnati Arts Association website at www.cincinnatiarts.org.

Throughout the year, there are many events which keep everyone in the Cincinnati area busy with things to do. In the fall, events include Oktoberfest , a food, beer, and music festival celebrating the city's German heritage and WEBN Riverfest, a gigantic annual Labor Day weekend fireworks display synchronized to music played on local radio station WEBN and shot off from barges on the Ohio River so people can watch near and far on both sides of the river.

In the winter, Cincinnati area residents brave the cold to attend the PNC Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo. With over 2.5 million lights and displays, train rides, hot cocoa and of course Santa Claus, this Cincinnati holiday tradition is an annual must for families and also fun for a think-out-of-the-box date. Another winter hotspot is the newly remodeled Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati, offering ice skating, carriage rides and other holiday activities.

Springtime brings more fun to Cincinnati with events like the Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory where butterflies from a featured area of the world are loose in one greenhouse, often landing on heads and fingers for picture perfect moments. Also in the spring is the annual Flying Pig Marathon, a weekend event full of races for groups, individuals, kids, and wheelchair users which culminates in the full 10 marathon which winding through downtown, across the river into Covington and back again. If you're a runner, this is one local event you don't want to miss!

Finally, Cincinnati summers are full of things to do outside including the Taste of Cincinnati, a Memorial Day weekend event where over 40 local restaurants bring the best of their menus to one place for people to purchase with live local bands also there to entertain. For a weekday fun, Cincinnati offers Party in the Park at Sawyer Point, every Wednesday April through August with free concerts and happy hour drink specials. In addition to these, Cincinnati has numerous other local church and community festivals across the area such as Mayfest and Italianfest in Covington and Newport, Kentucky.

To find more events around the area, please visit: Cincinnati Calendar.

But wait, there's more! The Cincinnati area has amusement and water parks including Coney Island with a huge pool and classic rides, The Beach Water Park with giant wave-pool and Paramount King's Island with large rollercoaster's, rides, and a water park for all ages. For a more low-key day, there's Sawyer Point, a park near downtown which contains a playground, pool, tennis courts, basketball courts and live entertainment during the summer months. Also downtown, the new Duke Energy Convention Center is home to many conventions year-round such as the Home and Garden Show, the Pet Expo and Bridalrama. Speaking of brides, the Greater Cincinnati area has the Reading Bridal District, the largest bridal district in North America with a growing bridal district also in Covington, Kentucky.

Cincinnati is also home to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens with animals and plans from around the world and the Krohn Conservatory, one of the largest greenhouses in the nation open to the public with over 5,000 varieties of plants. Another attraction located here is the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, a former train station which now contains the Cincinnati History Museum, the Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History and Science and the OMNIMAX Theater featuring a five-story dome screen.

Just across the river is Newport on the Levee for shopping, movies, dining and the Newport Aquarium, where overhead and underfoot glass makes you feel as if you're walking underwater with fish and sharks! Getting between Newport and Cincinnati is now easy and fun for residents who can travel by foot on the Purple People Bridge. Formerly L&N Bridge built in 1872, the Purple People Bridge was repainted and modified into a pedestrian-only bridge in 2003.

For sports fans, the Cincinnati area not only offers professional baseball, football and hockey with the Cincinnati Reds, Bengals and Cyclones, but also the Florence Freedom minor league baseball team and strong showing of local high school and college sport rivalries, including the annual Crosstown Shootout when the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University's men's basketball teams face off against one-another. More interested in playing sports than watching? The Cincinnati Sports League offers co-ed sport leagues and events to participate in as well.