History of Cincinnati

Named by Arthur St. Clair in 1790, Cincinnati began as three small settlements north of the Ohio River between the Little Miami and Great Miami Rivers. The city was rapidly settled through the nineteenth century as many businesses were created to cater to those travelling west on the Ohio River. Here are some fun and interesting facts about The Queen City of the West. For additional fun facts, be sure to visit our CVB partners website.

• The city received the nickname “Porkopolis” as it became the leading meat processing center in the US in the early 1800s.
• Cincinnati is the home of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, now known as the Cincinnati Reds.
• The University of Cincinnati is the first municipal university to be established by a city in the US.
• Cincinnati is the birthplace of many famous entertainers including Sarah Jessica Parker, Bootsy Collins and Nick and Drew Lachey.
• The first heart-lung machine was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital making open heart surgery possible.
• Cincinnati is the home of several famous athletes including basketball legend Oscar “Big O” Robertson, baseball’s Pete Rose, and NFL Hall of Fame tackle Anthony Munoz.
• Chili is the signature dish of the city with Cincinnatians consuming more than 2 million pounds of Cincinnati-style chili per year.
• Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, hailed from Cincinnati and served as a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, resided in the neighborhood of Walnut Hills and her family home stands today as a national historic site.
• Cincinnati was named one of the best craft beer cities by Fortune Magazine.