A major city of the Ohio Valley, Cincinnati is situated on the north bank of the Ohio River in Hamilton County, which is the extreme southwestern county of the state of Ohio. It is midway by river between the cities of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cairo, Illinois . The city lies opposite the mouth of the Licking River , an important factor in its being sited where it is. Cincinnati's core metro area spans parts of southern Ohio and northern Kentucky. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 79.54 square miles (206.01 km 2 ), of which 77.94 square miles (201.86 km 2 ) is land and 1.60 square miles (4.14 km 2 ) is water. The city spreads over a number of hills, bluffs, and low ridges overlooking the Ohio River in the Bluegrass region of the country.
