Greater Cincinnati is a center for social, cultural and educational opportunities; there is something for everyone. Like Rome, the city is built on seven hills. The Art Academy of Cincinnati is located on one of the hills affording a spectacular view of the city, the Ohio River and northern Kentucky. The Academy is minutes from downtown where the Symphony, Cincinnati Ballet and the opera perform. The Contemporary Arts Center, Taft Museum, the zoo and the Museum of Natural History are all close by.

Cincinnati was cited by Places Rated Almanac as one of the most livable cities in the United States. The University of Cincinnati has made numerous contributions to the environment of the metropolitan area. The College Conservatory of Music provides more than 1,00 different events a year including concerts, Broadway musicals and dramas. Sports enthusiasts can watch the Reds, the Bengals and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats.

The University of Cincinnati (UC), which traces its roots to 1819, is a multifaceted academic institution. Many of its programs are nationally ranked. Its design programs are rated in the top five, the architecture program is rated in the top ten, and the engineering program is ranked in the top ten. The Cincinnati Initiative for Teacher Education Program is a national leader, and the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is internationally renowned. Cincinnati has three 2-year colleges that provide a general education, a high-quality technical education, and transition programs that enable students to enroll successfully into bachelor programs at UC's main campus. There are more than 33,000 students, of whom more than 18,000 are full-time undergraduates. Eighty-eight percent of the students are from Ohio, and 78 percent are graduates of public schools. The ethnic population is made up of 6,714 students while 1,837 international students are working toward undergraduate and graduate degrees. Student involvement is important at the University of Cincinnati. More than 275 student organizations are available, including 33 social fraternities and sororities and a broad variety of special interest groups. Bearcat basketball is played in the Shoemaker Center and UC football in the recently renovated Nippert Stadium.

Xavier University is located on 125 acres in a residential section of Cincinnati. Founded in 1831, Xavier is the fourth oldest of the twenty-eight Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. There are approximately 4,000 undergraduate students attending Xavier during the day, and the total University enrollment is 6,700. The University has students from forty-five states and forty-three countries and they may choose from more than sixty undergraduate majors in three colleges and can later pursue graduate degrees in eleven areas.