Located on the hills of the Ohio River Valley, Cincinnati is known to residents as a big city of many opportunities with a small-town atmosphere. You can get to some beautiful country roads by driving just a few minutes outside of the city. With its low crime rate and friendly residents, Cincinnati is known as an affordable city and a good place to live and raise a family.

Cincinnati's economy is driven by the service industry and by professional services. The downtown area has recently been beautifully redesigned to show off its energy and convenience. The Reds and the football Bengals both enjoy new stadiums. Workers relish the short commute from the nearby suburbs, and residents come from many different ethnic backgrounds.

The Main Street area is the entertainment district with many restaurants and nightclubs. Union Station, restored to what it would have looked like in the Industrial Age, is popular with residents. It houses hundreds of new shops and restaurants, some with great views of the city skyline.

The Cincinnati region includes 15 counties in three different states, so residents always find plenty to do. The arts are a big draw in the city, especially when it comes to music. Esquire magazine recently listed Cincinnati as one of the "Top 10 Cities that Rock." The city is home to the well-known Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras, as well as to the Cincinnati Ballet.

Cincinnati residents experience all four seasons. Good weather or bad, you can get just about anywhere in the city on the METRO bus service. For all travelers and residents, two popular destinations are Cincinnati's new riverfront park and the riverboat casinos that sail the Ohio River.

Corporate-types are also attracted to Cincinnati because of its centrality in American industry. In the 2005 ranking of the Fortune 500, Cincinnati was home to two of the top 30 American companies, including The Kroger Corp. (#19) and Proctor & Gamble (#28).

Cincinnati is known for its chili. Famous for it, actually. Those who champion Cincinnati's chili argue that the dish reaches its culinary apex in the Queen City of the West. Of course, the folks down in Texas might have a thing or two to say about that, but loyal lovers of Cincinnati-style chili will fiercely defend their hometown concoction as the best.

In Cincy, the chili is made from tomatoes and ground beef and is seasoned with cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, chocolate and coffee. The chili is served on top of spaghetti and is covered with shredded mild cheddar cheese. The website http://www.cincyusa.com estimates that Cincinnati is home to 140 chili restaurants and that locals consume more than 2 million pounds of chili and 850,000 pounds of shredded cheddar each year.

MUSEUMS

Cincinnati Art Museum
Located in Eden Park, this art museum is the largest in the state and was opened in 1886. It features more than 60,000 works that span 6,000 years. The museum has traveling exhibits and many art-related programs, activities and special events.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Cincinnati was a major stop along the road to freedom for American slaves. The center consists of three large and impressive buildings with curved architecture. Exhibits, programs, special events and interactive displays show what slaves went through to gain their freedom.

Contemporary Arts Center
The New York Times hailed this six-story building as "the most important American building to be completed since the end of the cold war." The Iraqi-born London architect Zaha Hadid created the radical design of the $28-million building, which opened in 2003, and in doing so Hadid became one of the first women in the world ever to design a museum. The newly renamed Lois and Richard Rosenthal Contemporary Arts Center building itself is widely recognized as a work of art, and it won for Hadid several major architectural awards. The center houses contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography and more. It also features the "UnMuseum" for children, with hands-on activities and exhibits.

Cincinnati Observatory Center
Former president John Quincy Adams, who had long expressed his interest in astronomy, traveled to Cincinnati in 1843 to lay the cornerstone for the Cincinnati Observatory. He was 77 and in poor health, and during this visit he gave his last public speech. The Cincinnati Observatory's first telescope went into operation in 1845, at a time when only a few small telescopes existed in America. The Observatory came to be known as the "Birthplace of American Astrology." This national historic landmark allows you to view the sky through two huge, historical telescopes. It also features tours, interactive exhibits, shows and special events.

ATTRACTIONS

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens
The second zoo in the nation and a national historic landmark, the extremely kid-friendly Cincinnati Zoo is home to 500 different types of animals on 75 acres. The award-winning Botanical Gardens house 3,000 different plant species.

Findlay Farmer's Market
A gathering place for very diverse groups of residents, Findlay looks like an old-fashioned public market. Open on weekends, the market features dozens of outdoor vendors as well as special events and street performers.

Coney Island Park
Fun for the whole family, the park is home to the Sunlite Pool, the world's largest recirculating swimming pool, which is 200-feet wide and 401-feet long. More than three million gallons of water circulate through the pool. The park also features rides, miniature golf, live stage shows, Kids Town, arcade games, and arts and crafts.

Paramount's Kings Island
The largest theme and water park in the Midwest, Kings Island sits upon 394 acres. There are more than 80 rides and a 30-acre water park.

Krohn Conservatory
Located at Eden Park, the conservatory has 5,000 varieties of exotic tropical, desert and orchid plants. It is home to a 20-foot rainforest waterfall and is one of the nation's largest public greenhouses.

Kentucky Speedway
The Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval track. The speedway seats 70,000, and features races, driving schools, concerts, auto shows and camping.

Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater
This five-story wrap-around screen with state-of-the-art sound and format will make you feel like you are actually at the exotic destinations you see on the screen.

Bicentennial Commons Waterfront
Located at Sawyer Point, this attraction overlooks the beautiful Ohio River and offers riverwalks, a geologic timeline and fishing piers. Other features include playgrounds, a fitness center, boat ramps, a performance stage, and volleyball and tennis courts.

Sources:
(http://www.cincyusa.com)

(http://tripadvisor.com)

(http://www.cincinnatiusa.com)

(http://www.cincinnati-living.com)