Located on the Ohio River, in 1790, Cincinnati was established by the systematic plan the US government had set up to formally populate an area bounded by Pennsylvania, the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, the Great Lakes and Canada called the Northwest Territories. It was the second settlement to reach the benchmarks that had been set for recognitions as a population center. Only Marietta, in the state’s southeast corner preceded Cincinnati before it was later determined that there were enough people, in 1803 to form the entire state of Ohio. Ohio was followed by Indiana (1816), Illinois (1818), Michigan (1837). Wisconsin (1848) and Minnesota (1858) .
Named to honor Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus a Roman hero who lived nearly 500 years before Christ, Cincinnati benefited from being connected to the Mississippi River by another commercial shipping worthy river, the Ohio. When the Miami and Erie Canal was completed in 1845, joining it with Lake Erie to the north, a population boom resulted. By 1850, there were 115.000 people living in Cincinnati and now according to the 2000 census, it has 331,285 residents.
The proud home to the Cincinnati Reds, who in 1869 became the world's first professional baseball team, with its river and gently rolling hills that overlook it, Cincinnati is an attractive city. In fact, Winston Churchill, once called it "the most beautiful of America's inland cities." Even many of the bridges that connect to Kentucky on the other side are works of art. In fact, one of them, the John A Robeling Suspension Bridge takes its name from the man who later designed the landmark Brooklyn Bridge that we had crossed a few weeks ago. There is even a bike and pedestrian only water crossing called the Purple People Bridge that joins the two states..