CINCINNATI, Ohio, city and county-seat of Hamilton County, in the extreme southwest of the State, one of the great commercial and manufacturing centres of the Union, 10th in nominal rank and 7th or 8th in fact. It is situated on the north bank of the Ohio River, almost half way from its origin at Pittsburgh to its mouth at Cairo, Ill., about 465 miles by water from each, and 315 miles by rail from the former and 369 miles from the latter; and is a terminal of every trunk line of railroad in the Middle West, being the main terminal of the Cincinnati Southern, Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton, Chesapeake and Ohio and a number of others. It is 138 miles by water from Louisville and 1,631 miles from New Orleans against 114 miles and 1,210 miles respectively by rail; 764 miles by rail from New York and 270 miles from Chicago.
Topography.— Cincinnati occupies the northern half of a circular amphitheatre of hills about two and a half miles in diameter bisected east and west by the Ohio River— which here makes a great southward sweep. The southern half is bisected north and south by the Licking River with its Kentucky sub urbs, respectable cities themselves. The north ern semi-circle rises from the river in two great terraces sloping northward to a third level at the summit, originally quite distinct, now much confused by grading. The lower platform is a bluff about 65 feet above low water, the second 50 to 100 feet higher. The crest hills, 15 to 300 feet higher yet, are about 475 feet at the summits—Mount Adams, Price Hill, Mount Lookout, Mount Auburn, Fair view Heights, etc.—giving a noble prospect of river and country. Three of these hills can be reached by inclined plane cable railways, used in the main for lifting of electrical cars. These hills are cut by ravines, the heavy original woods having been replaced by miles of the finest residence streets in America, parked with shrubbery, lawns and flower gar dens. On the western side of the city from north to south runs Mill Creek, the remains of a once huge glacial stream whose gently slop ing valley, one-half mile or more wide, forms an easy path into the heart of the city and was an indispensable factor in determining its posi tion. Highways, canals and railroads come
through it and the city's growth has pushed much farther up this valley than in other direc tions. The railroad stockyards are on its east ern slope. Cincinnati extends for about 30 miles along the river front to a width of about 15 *miles in an irregular block north from it. The total area thus far in the city limits is 72 square miles, much more being legitimately a part of it. Cincinnati owns a strip of land 100 feet wide and 335 miles long directly south to Chattanooga, Tenn., upon which is built the city-owned Cincinnati Southern Railroad.
Municipal Conditions.— The site of the city is a glacial moraine of gravel and boulders cut through by the Ohio River. There is there fore little bottom land and there has been from the first none of the malaria which was long such a scourge and reproach to Western settle ments; and this with the moderate climate averaging about 75 degrees in summer and 30 or 40 degrees in winter and the easy sewerage i down the slopes into the Ohio and away from the city has given it excellent sanitary con ditions. Its death rate fell from 21 per 1,000 in 1890, to 15.6 per 1,000 in 1915. The city owns its waterworks and 712 miles of mains. In re cent years it has completed a municipal water works at a cost of $12,000,000, including a com plete magnificent filtration plant which fur nishes the city with 128,000,000 gallons of pure water daily. This water is so pure that it is used for all hospital purposes except where distilled water is distinctly specified. Cincin nati has 960 miles of streets and alleys (608 miles improved) ; and 463.6 miles of sewers. It owns property worth $126,000,000 and has an assessed property valuation of $706,613,000.