Downtown Cincinnati  lies along the Ohio River and is across the river from Newport and Covington in Kentucky.  Cincinnati centers around it’s famous Fountain Square.  Shops and restaurants surround this area.  Cincinnati is also known for having the largest collection of 19th century Italianate architecture in America, located just north of Downtown.  Several buildings of architectural and historic characteristics, such as the Carew Tower; the Scripps Center, the Ingalls Building, Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, and the Isaac M. Wise Temple, help make up Cincinnati’s skyline.  Procter & Gamble, one of Cincinnati's major manufacturers.  They began marketing Ivory Soap as far back as 1879. In fact, Cincinnati is home to several major corporations such as Procter & Gamble, The Kroger Company, Macy's, Inc., and Fifth Third Bank.  There are many Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the Cincinnati area. Statistically, Greater Cincinnati ranks consistently within the top 10 U.S. cities with Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies. 

Cincinnati was founded in 1788, and incorporated as a city, in 1819.  The name Cincinnati is in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati.  The society honored General George Washington, who was considered a latter day Cincinnatus.  Cincinnatus was the Roman general who saved his city and then retired from power to his farm.  The introduction of steam navigation on the Ohio River in early 1800’s and the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal railroad expansion helped the city grow.   People began referring to the city as the "Queen" city. The phrase was cemented in the poem "Catawba Wine" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who wrote that the city was "the Queen of the West." Cincinnati is considered to have been the first major American "Boomtown" to rapidly expand in the heart of the country in the early 19th century. 

Cincinnati has been involved in some major events in American History.  During the American Civil War, Cincinnati played a key role as a major source of supplies and troops for the Union Army.  Before the Civil War, Cincinnati was a border town between the states that allowed slavery, such as Kentucky, and those that did not, such as Ohio. Cincinnati and surrounding areas played a major role in Abolitionism. The area was a part of the Underground Railroad and was home to Harriet Beecher Stowe and Levi Coffin. 

The completion of several major developments enhanced the city. The Bengals and Reds sports teams both were built new, state-of-the-art stadiums: Paul Brown Stadium, opened in 2000; and the Great American Ball Park, opened in 2003, respectively. Two new museums have opened: the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in 2003, and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in 2004.  

Some interesting unique historical tidbits about Cincinnati are:  On April 1, 1853, Cincinnati's Fire Department became, the first full-time paid fire department in the United States, and the first in the world to use steam fire engines.  The Cincinnati Red Stockings, whose name and heritage inspired today's Cincinnati Reds, began their career in the 1800s as well. It became the first regular professional team in the country, being organized formally in 1869.

Now you now; now go out and enjoy