Hi Joe, My company has a branch in Cincinnati and I am usually there about once a month but I deal with our GM everyday so I have a feel for the city that may be somewhat equal to yours as a non resident. You have to know about the Over the Rhine riots.
The racial tension in the downtown area can be cut with a knife with some residents. There are some people that carry a real chip on their shoulder. If you follow the Inquirer http://www.enquirer.com/today/ you will see a regular eruption of problems. My company provides the campus shuttle bus to UC which is near the downtown area. Drug deals and car theft/vandalism seems pretty common. From about 6th street to the Ohio, the real downtown area, you are pretty safe. Just don't expect to be safe in Washington Park/ Over the Rhine.
Now for some good stuff. I ran the Flying Pig Marathon in May and the town really did a great job of throwing out the welcome mat. It has some beautiful buildings and parks. The Ohio river is a beautiful mainstreet separating the downtown area of Cincinnati from Kentuckys Covington and Newport. Covington and Newport used to be the underbelly of the area, but they cleaned it up a few years ago. There are some nice restaurants and nightspots there. Also, our GM lives in Kentucky and says that taxes are much lower as well as housing costs are lower. Lots of people commute from KY to downtown Cincy. The commute isn't bad either. Lots of bridges to get across the river. In summing up, I would move there. I like the area. Kentucky offers some scenic areas. Cincinnati has a great zoo and botanical garden. The Reds are winning this year. Oh,by the way, don't ever say anything bad about Pete Rose. They universally love him and believe he is getting a raw deal from baseball. As you know, the Bengils suck, but that can't go on forever. Well maybe it could.
ps pass any specific questions and I will run them by our guy in Cincy.