Cincinnati is surrounded with picturesque foothills creating a spectacular skyline. Cincinnati is Ohio’s third largest city. Also known as the Queen City, Cincinnati’s culture is a mixture of the Northeast, Old South, Midwest and Appalachia with a strong German-Catholic heritage. It was one of the United States’ early boomtowns. Cincinnati’s the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood is the largest National Historic District in the country. 

The city’s early economy was based on the pork industry. The Miami and Erie canals were used in the 1840’s to transport hogs and butchered pork products to Cincinnati from much of western Ohio. To celebrate this heritage every year Cincinnati holds the “Flying Pig Marathon”. Large flying pig statues decorate many downtown offices, parks and private residences. During the 1840’s massive waves of Germans settled into the city. These German immigrants built a culture based off of beer gardens, beer brewing, dance and music halls giving Cincinnati a very distinct and vibrant local culture. 

Some faded German signs may be seen on densely built ornate Victorian buildings in Over-The-Rhine and the celebration of large German festivals such as Bockfest, Mayfest and Oktoberfest. Cincinnati also has a charming riverboat heritage that dates back to the days when large, steam and paddlewheel driven vessels were used to transport locally produced pork products. In recognition of this tradition, the city plays host to the Tall Stacks Festival every four years. 

River boats of all shapes and sizes jostle for positions along the river banks. Baseball is another Cincinnati tradition. The Cincinnati Reds werer the first professional basemball team in the United States. Because of this Opening Day is always a home game for the Reds. 

—source Wikitravel http://wikitravel.org/en/Cincinnati