The downtown area is practically nonexistent and never stays open later than six. No one really goes downtown to do things/have fun, unless you want to go to a sports event, aronoff center, or the museum. There isn’t a whole lot of culture in Cincinnati, the safety is rather poor, in the downtown area especially. The public transportation here is also practically nonexistent and bike friendly it is not. I’ve lived in Cincinnati my entire life and it just doesn’t add up to a whole lot. I can’t remember the exact number, but Cincinnati is in the top five poorest cities in the country and the diversity/race relations are horrid here.

The only thing I can agree with Summer about is the fact that this town is not bike friendly. Cincinnati is a series of hills and vallys and it is difficult to find places including parks that don’t have this geographic layout. As far as public transportation goes, it is average. There is a large metro route that goes around greater Cincinnati area but the bus schedule is sometimes iffy so I wouldn’t rely on it if you have a place you need to be at a certain time.

I feel there is a great deal of culture and entertainment around here. NYC it is not, but still has several museums, concert halls, and A LOT of great restaurants. Ludlow Ave is one of my favorite areas, good restaurants, great shopping and an indie movie theater. Some great points of interest are the Cincinnati Zoo, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops, Newport on the Levee which is in KY right across from downtown (has a huge aquarium, movie theaters, restaurants) the Aranoff, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincy Art Museum, Playhouse in the Park, Eden Park, BEARCAT SPORTS!!, Bengals, the Reds (not great teams but nice stadiums!), US Bank Arena hosts popular sporting events and concerts…the list goes on, my head hurts thinking about it. Greatest little Big City I’ve ever seen!

Robert,

I’m a 33 yr native of the Cincinnati Metro area and disagree completely with Summer’s response. Cincinnati has been named one of the the US “most livable cities”.

Traditionally, the major sections of town are the West Side, East Side, Downtown and N. Kentucky (NKY).

Downtown is bustling between 9-5 and somewhat empty after work hours. That is changing as young professionals are moving in and cleaning up.

The increase in people living downtown has lead to new businesses and two new museums (Rosenthal Modern Art, Freedom Center).

As for culture, Cincinnati has a great deal to offer:

Theater, Opera, Ballet, Broadway shows, a multitude of concert venues, professional football & baseball, IHL Hockey, Oktoberfest, WEBN Fireworks, Taste of Cincinnati, Tall Stacks, Pepsi Jammin on Main, Summerfest, Midpoint Music Festival … and even a ladies Roller Derby team.

There are many galleries and museums, a world class zoo as well as an aquarium.

Urban Cincy to answer some of your questions: http://urbancincy.blogspot.com/2007/07/new-downtown-cincinnati.html

A recent article about the “bike friendliness” of Cincy: http://www.pulsedt.com/blogs/default.asp?Display=14

The Wikipedia article on Cincy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati,_Ohio

Most Livable Cities page about Cincinnati: http://mostlivable.org/cities/cincinnati/home.html

If you road bike, like I do, then you will love the rural scenery just outside town: http://iseecincy.blogspot.com/

Without knowing what your other interests are, its hard for me to give you more detail.

Hope that helps. :)

Adam

NOT WORTH IT!!!!!
We moved back here from Florida, and we HATE HATE HATE it!!! We had to to come back here to “Purgatory” to take care of some family stuff and, on a daily basis, we totally regret it! This city is insane!! I can’t comprehend the mentality here. Cold, RUDE, narrow-minded, self-important people. Terrible roads and terrible drivers. High crime, nothing is free. Cincinnati has some of the worst air pollution in the US. The night life here is very lame. There are some overpriced, snooty bars downtown, but I don’t feel safe at all down there at night – weirdos everywhere! There is basically NO culture here. Virtually everyone is black or white, and they hate each other for the most part. Scant traces of a couple other ethnicities, and EVERYBODY seems to hate them!! I meet maybe two nice people out of 100. You say hello to someone on the street here, and they just frown and look at you like your head’s on backwards. My hubby says it’s like walking in a sea of dead people – very accurate! People are very clique-ish here and don’t want anyone to intrude into their little bubble. I wouldn’t call this city bike friendly either. The only good things I can think of are ribs, chili, ice cream and the zoo. I find the food here heavy and salty. Everything there is beef and pork. city-data.com is a good website to check out statistics on cities. We are completely miserable here. We’re going back south next year, and I never want to set foot back in this city again. Do yourself an immense favor and cross Cincinnati off your list!!! Good luck!!!