Cincinnati is for (book) lovers, according to a new study from Explore.
In the study, Cincinnati ranked No. 9 out of 100 cities in the United States for book lovers, with our abundance of bookstores and libraries helping push us into the top 10. For avid readers, Cincinnati offers 2.06 bookstores and 2.51 libraries per 10,000 residents, as well as a literary history rich with characters, including the infamous bootlegger George Remus, who is said to have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
To figure out which cities ranked highest for book lovers, Explore looked at five key metrics:
- Bookstores per 10,000 people
- Independent bookstores per 10,000 people
- Libraries per 10,000 people
- Literary, art and music tours
- Literary landmarks
Each metric was scored on a scale of 1 to 10, and scores were weighted and combined to calculate a total score for each city out of 100. Cincinnati scored a total of 30 points out of 100. Lancaster, Pennsylvania; New York City; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, took the top three spots with scores of 45, 45 and 43, respectively.
In addition to Cincinnati’s number of bookstores and libraries, Explore also pointed to our annual Books by the Banks Festival, which draws in authors and readers across the country. Greater Cincinnati’s literary landscape also consists of several authors who do or at one time called the area home, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Curtis Sittenfeld, Emily Henry, Michael Cunningham, Leah Stewart and Jessica Strawser.
Four other Ohio cities landed in the top 50 for book-loving cities, with Youngstown landing at No. 21, Dayton at No. 24, Cleveland at No. 28 and Akron at No. 45.
You can see the full report here.
