PEOPLE

A-to-Z Guide to Greater Cincinnati:
"Best Place to Live in North America"

Cincinnati is a diverse community

Tristaters are caring and giving

Ever since Mark Twain said if the world was coming to an end, he'd rush to Cincinnati because everything happens 10 years later here, Cincinnatians have been trying to live it down.

The Queen City can be slow to adapt to change, but it gets an unfair rap sometimes as a stodgy, conservative town.

The people are caring and giving, said Dick Aft, president of United Way and Community Chest.

''Per capita, we have the highest giving rate in the nation. We have a long history of giving to our neighbors,'' Mr. Aft said.

Besides donating money, Greater Cincinnatians give their time as well. Mr. Aft said United Way's Volunteer Resource Center has a goal to have at least one person from each household volunteering by the year 2000.

A survey done in August 1995 showed that .71 of households had a volunteer, so United Way's goal is attainable, he said.

''Volunteering is so important to our quality of life ... people in Greater Cincinnati will step forward to help when they believe there is a need,'' Mr. Aft said, noting his agency receives tens of thousands of phone calls annually from people wishing to volunteer.

Rich German heritage

Greater Cincinnati has a rich German heritage. About one-third of the 1.8 million people in the eight-county area have German origins.

There's also a large Appalachian influence. Many people from Kentucky, Tennessee, and other parts of the mountain ridge migrated here in the mid-1900s in search of jobs, said Alfred Tuchfarber, director of the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research. By 1980, one of every four Greater Cincinnatians had an Appalachian background.

According to the 1990 census, African-Americans made up nearly 21 percent of the population of Hamilton County, but less than 3% of the rest of the eight-county region.

Did you know?

  • Greater Cincinnatians are big readers. The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has 42 branches and tops the nation in per capita circulation of books (6.8 million per year.

  • We have a hearty appetite for the fine arts and back the arts with financial support.

  • We like to play soccer. Greater Cincinnati is No.1 in the nation in soccer players, per population. Softball and bowling are also big here.