Ohio River

One of the largest and longest-lengthed rivers on the continent of North America. It runs from the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania all the way to the very southern tip of Illinois at a town called Cairo, whereupon it pours out into the Mighty Mississippi River. It covers a length of well over 300 miles and creates the northern border for Kentucky and West Virginia, separating them from the rest of Midwest. This major waterway has been the lifesource for the people who have resided in this large Ohio River Valley since the dawn of the 1800s, and the Native Americans who predominantly occupied the region beforehand. The riverboat traffic on the Ohio as well as the major freshwater source was the number one reason for the development of such huge cities and large towns along the Ohio River. See Owensboro, Evansville, Cincinnati, Huntington, and Louisville.