"Grand City of the Ohio River" Cincinnati by atufft

Cincinnati is located on a wonderful bend in the Ohio river, with the downtown virtually surrounded by water, while the uptown areas rise to a ridge line above the city and river. Cincinnati is closely associated with business further south in Kentucky, particularly at Louisville and Lexington, and downriver to the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. But, Cincinnati also has historical ties to the Miami & Erie Canals linking the Ohio River to Toledo on Lake Erie. Cincinnati has been a real giant of the industrial age, having 9 Fortune 500 company headquarters right within the city, including the most familiar brand names of Macy's, Chiquita, and Proctor & Gamble, and there are numerous other companies within the metropolitan Cincinnati area. Thus, Cincinnati is one of the three great "C" cities of Ohio, the others being Cleveland and Columbus. While Columbus, the capitol and university town, has expanded, Cleveland and Cincinnati have suffered during the post industrial age. Today, Cincinnati remains a somewhat troubled city whose growth rate has stalled. Unemployed African-Americans who rent predominate among the urban core of residents. Racial tensions and a higher than average crime rate plagues in this city that has no rapid transit system. However, since this is also the home of Cincinnati Red Baseball, and Bengals Football, it's a place I've always wanted to visit. Originally a collection of three settlements, these were apparently merged around 1790 and named Cincinnati by Arthur St. Clair, the governor of the Northwest Territory, in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati, of which he was president. This association with Rome (Cincinnatus was a Roman dictator) is also noted as Cincinnati is sometimes referred to as the city of seven hills. Thus, the undulating hill and dale terrain of the city provides for a fascinating opportunity to discover various districts, each of which have their own cultural contribution to the city.