Why Cincinnati OH Is Called The Queen City

You might have heard Cincinnati described as “The Queen of the West.” But where did this Ohio city get its regal nickname? The answer to Cincinnati’s queenly designation has roots in 19th-century economics, westward expansion, journalism, and even poetry. Discover the nickname’s origin story.

After Cincinnati was initially settled in the 1780s and 1790s, it experienced phenomenal growth. Incorporated as a town in 1802 and an official city in 1819, Cincinnati exploded as a center of arts and commerce. The city quickly became a creative and economic hub over the next 40 years and attracted thousands of new settlers. By 1820, Cincinnati locals had begun calling it “The Queen City” and “The Queen of the West” in conversation and local writing, in reference to the culture, arts, and civilization the city offered in the midst of the wildness of the emerging West.

Cincinnati’s royal moniker was also likely inspired by journalist Ed B. Cooke’s article in the Inquisitor and Cincinnati Advertiser. In the May 4, 1819, issue of the paper, he wrote, “The City is, indeed, justly styled the fair Queen of the West: distinguished for order, enterprise, public spirit, and liberality, she stands the wonder of an admiring world.” At the time, Cincinnati was the primary symbol of America’s westward movement and the promise of western expansion and “civilization,” due to its status as the first major city built west of the Alleghenies by settlers.

The poem’s final stanza contains yet another reference to Ohio’s status as “Queen of the West,” likely furthering the term’s popularity:

“And this Song of the Vine,
This greeting of mine,
The winds and the birds shall deliver,
To the Queen of the West,
In her garlands dressed,
On the banks of the Beautiful River.”

The terms “The Queen of the West” and “The Queen City” haven’t been abandoned by locals and regional brands, who still use it to describe their beloved Cincinnati and its historic legacy.

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Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

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