History
Cincinnati was founded in 1788 near the site of Fort Washington. It was
first named "Losantiville" by Israel Ludlow, a name formed from a hodgepodge
of four different languages meaning "The city opposite the mouth of the
Licking River." "Ville" is French for "city," "anti" is Greek for "opposite,"
"os" is Latin for "mouth," and "L" was all that was included of "Licking
River." In 1790, Arthur St. Clair, the governor of the Northwest Territory,
changed the name of the settlement to "Cincinnati" in honor of the Society
of the Cincinnati, of which he was president. The Society honored General
George Washington, who was considered a latter day Cincinnatus - the Roman
general who saved his city, then retired from power to his farm. To this day,
Cincinnati in particular, and Ohio in general, are home to a
disproportionately large number of descendants of Revolutionary War soldiers
who were granted lands in the state.
In 1802, Cincinnati was chartered as a village, and in 1819 it was
incorporated as a city. The introduction of steam navigation on the Ohio
River in 1811 and the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1832 helped
the city grow to 115,000 citizens by 1850. The nickname "Porkopolis" was
coined around 1835, when Cincinnati was the country's chief hog packing
center, and herds of pigs traveled the streets. Called the "Queen of the
West" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Cincinnati was an important stop on the
Underground Railroad, which helped slaves escape from the South.
As a pioneer-era city, it compared with Pittsburgh and Nashville. As a "Riverboat"
and canal-era city, it compared with Louisville, St. Louis, and New Orleans.
As an immigrant, industrial city it compared with Brooklyn, Cleveland,
Chicago, and Detroit.
Because of its river setting and extensive park system, many commentators
have remarked on Cincinnati's beauty, including Winston Churchill who called
it "the most beautiful of America’s inland cities." The city's picturesque
skyline was used as a backdrop for the fictional city of Monticello on the
soap opera The Edge of Night.
Politics
Currently, although downtown Cincinnati generally votes Democratic like
other racially-diverse Midwestern cities, greater Cincinnati/Hamilton County
generally votes Republican - a demographic legacy of its conservatism rooted
in families with pioneer, Revolutionary War veteran, and German-American
immigrant ancestry.
The city is governed by a nine-member city council, whose members are
elected at large. From 1925 to 1957, the council was seleted by proportional
representation. As of 1957, all candidates run in a single race and the top
nine vote-getters are elected (the "9-X system"). The mayor was selected by
the council. Starting in 1987, the top vote-getter in the city council race
automatically became mayor. Starting in 1999, the mayor was chosen in a
separate election. Cincinnati politics includes the participation of the
Charter Party, the longest continuous third-party that has won politics in
local elections.
Geography
Cincinnati is located at 39°8'10" North, 84°30'11" West (39.136160,
-84.503088)1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a
total area of 206.1 km˛ (79.6 mi˛). 201.9 km˛ (78.0 mi˛) of it is land and
4.1 km˛ (1.6 mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 2.01% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 331,285 people, 148,095 households, and
72,566 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,640.5/km˛
(4,249.0/mi˛). There are 166,012 housing units at an average density of
822.1/km˛ (2,129.2/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 52.97% European
American, 42.92% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.55% Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races.
1.28% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 148,095 households out of which 25.1% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 26.6% are married couples living together, 18.6%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 51.0% are non-families.
42.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.1% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.15 and the average family size is 3.02.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18,
12.9% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100
females there are 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $29,493, and the median
income for a family is $37,543. Males have a median income of $33,063 versus
$26,946 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,962. 21.9% of
the population and 18.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 32.0% are under the age of 18 and 14.8% are
65 or older.
People from Cincinnati
Doris Day, popular singer and actress
Ken Griffey, Jr., baseball player (born in Pennsylvania, but grew up in
Cincinnati)
Nick Lachey, lead singer of 98 Degrees, now married to Jessica Simpson (appearing
together on the MTV reality show Newlyweds)
Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President
Henry Heimlich, inventor of the Heimlich maneuver
Bill Hemmer, CNN anchor and reporter
Charles Manson, famous serial killer
Sarah Jessica Parker, actress
Carmen Electra, born Tara Leigh Patrick. Actress, Singer
Pete Rose, baseball player
Oscar Robertson, Basketball Hall of Famer
Albert Sabin, discoverer of oral polio vaccine
Tony Snow, news commentator
Steven Spielberg, movie director
Jerry Springer, former mayor of Cincinnati and current talk show host
Harriet Beecher Stowe, author and abolitionist
Robert A. Taft, 'Mr. Republican', and Senate leader
William Howard Taft, 24th President, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Lytle family; Longworth family; early leading Cincinnati families
Ray Combs, host of Family Feud, 1988-1994
Thomas Samuel Kuhn
Jerry Rubin, political activist, Chicago Seven
Daniel Carter Beard, founder Sons of Daniel Boone
Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys football Hall of Famer
Fictional characters
Aloysius Snuffleupagus' grandmother (fictional character on Sesame Street)
The staff of the radio station in TV series, WKRP in Cincinnati
Rain Man Dustin Hoffman's character was picked up from a suburban asylum by
Tom Cruise
Music
Afghan Whigs - rock band
Kendall Bruns - Visual Artist and Musician
Boom Bip - Electronic Musician
Cincinnati Brass Band
Bootsy Collins, Funk bassist
Henry Fillmore, march music composer
The Isley Brothers, R&B and Soul singers
Mamie Smith, blues singer
Gary Stone - Evangelistic Elvis impersonator
Blessid Union of Souls - Rock Band
98 Degrees - Boy Band of the '90s
Transportation
Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport is located in Hebron,
Kentucky, and serves Cincinnati, Ohio.
The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, opened in 1866, links Cincinnati and
Covington, Kentucky.
Cincinnati is accessible via interstates: I-75, I-71 and I-74
Lunken Airport - Cincinnati Municipal Airfield
Amtrak Passenger Rail Service
Greyhound Lines Bus Service
News
Cincinnati is served by two daily newspapers: The Cincinnati Enquirer, owned
by Gannett Co., and The Cincinnati Post, owned by Scripps Howard.
One African American newspaper is also published: The Cincinnati Herald.
Two weekly newspapers serve Cincinnati. The older of the two is CityBeat,
published by Lightborne Publishing. CiN Weekly is the second weekly and is
published by Gannett Co.
Cultural
Mt Adams
Attractions
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Coney Island of Cincinnati
Kings Island (located in a suburb north of Cincinnati)
Galleries
Carl Solway Gallery
Cincinnati Art Galleries
The Design Consortium Gallery
Marta Hewett Gallery
Miller Gallery
Visual History Gallery
Weston Art Gallery
Museums
American Classical Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Fire Museum
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Cincinnati Observatory Center
The Contemporary Arts Center
Drake Planetarium
Greater Cincinnati Science Education Center
Harriet Beecher Stowe House
National Signs of the Times Museum
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
The Taft Museum
Music
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Sports Teams
Cincinnati Reds, Major League Baseball
Cincinnati Bengals, National Football League
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, American Hockey League
Cincinnati Bearcats, University of Cincinnati
Xavier Musketeers, Xavier University
