Ohio
The state of Ohio lies in the heart of the old industrial belt of the United States. Ohio has long prided itself on its reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse. When manufacturing declined beginning in the 1970s, however, the state faced economic problems. Since that time Ohio has tried to reduce its dependence on manufacturing by developing new industries.
With an area of 44,828 square miles (116,103 square kilometers), Ohio ranks 35th in size among the states. It has one of the largest populations, however. At the start of the 21st century more than 11 million people lived in Ohio. The capital is Columbus.
Ohio is in the north-central part of the United States. It is bordered on the east by Pennsylvania, on the north by Michigan and Lake Erie, and on the west by Indiana. The Ohio River in the south separates Ohio from West Virginia and Kentucky. The state takes its name from this river. Ohio is an Iroquois Indian word meaning “great water.”
Ohio has three natural regions. The eastern half of the state is part of the Appalachian plateau. This hilly region has Ohio's richest mineral deposits. Western Ohio is a gently rolling plains region known for its fertile soil. In this area is the state's highest point, Campbell Hill at 1,550 feet (472 meters). The lake plains stretch along the southern shore of Lake Erie and then curve northward into Michigan. These level to slightly rolling lands were once under water.
Ohio has warm summers and cool winters. Snowfall can be quite heavy in the north because of winds off Lake Erie.
Great forests once covered almost all of what is now Ohio, but many of those trees were cut down when the land was settled. The state's forestland increased in the 20th century, however, because many new trees were planted. Ohio's popular nickname, the Buckeye State, comes from a type of tree that was once plentiful in the area. Native Americans supposedly gave the tree the name buckeye because the light spot in its brown seed looked like the iris in the dark eye of a buck deer. The most common trees in the state today include oak, ash, maple, elm, hickory, beech, and pine.
Some 350 species of birds are found in Ohio, and many are native to the region. Mammals include deer, opossum, fox, skunk, groundhog, and rabbit. Bass, trout, and perch are among the most common fish.
Many Native American tribes lived in the Ohio area when European explorers and fur trappers arrived in the 18th century. Among them were the Miami, Shawnee, Ottawa, Wyandot (Huron), and Delaware (Lenni Lenape).
Many of Ohio's earliest white settlers came from the Eastern states. The first permanent white settlement in Ohio was established at Marietta in 1788 by a group of New Englanders. Soon villages were built in nearby areas. Many of the newcomers had fought in the American Revolution (1775–83) and had received land grants from the government. During the 19th century people from many European countries settled in the state.
Ohio's largest minority group is African Americans, who made up about 12 percent of the population at the start of the 21st century. Asians and Hispanics together make up less than 4 percent of the population.
The population of Ohio is largely urban. The state has six cities with more than 100,000 residents: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, and Dayton. Columbus, the capital and largest city, is in central Ohio. It is home to many educational institutions. Cleveland, on the coast of Lake Erie, and Cincinnati, in southwestern Ohio near the Kentucky border, are industrial, financial, and cultural centers.
Ohio has more than a million acres (404,700 hectares) of state parks, forests, and outdoor recreation areas. A popular spot is Lake Erie Vacationland, where visitors can boat and fish among the area's islands. Many visitors come to Ohio to see the state's prehistoric Indian mounds and other historical attractions.
Cleveland and Cincinnati have renowned orchestras, and several cities have noted art museums. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened in Cleveland in the mid-1990s.
Sporting events draw large crowds in Ohio. Professional teams include the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians (baseball), the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns (football), the Cleveland Cavaliers (men's basketball), the Cleveland Rockers (women's basketball), and the Columbus Blue Jackets (hockey). The Professional Football Hall of Fame is in the city of Canton.
The first school west of the Allegheny Mountains was opened in Ohio in 1773 by Moravian missionaries. These religious workers taught Native American children to read and write. In 1825 a system of free public schools was created.
Ohio's state-supported institutions of higher education include Ohio State University, in Columbus; Ohio University, in Athens; Kent State University, in Kent; Miami University, in Oxford; and Bowling Green University, in Bowling Green. Oberlin College, founded in Oberlin in 1833, was the first college in the United States to admit both male and female students. It was also one of the first colleges to admit black students on an equal basis with white students.
For many years manufacturing has been the most important part of Ohio's economy. Many workers are involved in making motor vehicles, industrial machinery, chemicals, electrical equipment, rubber products, and other goods. Like many other states, however, Ohio became more dependent on service-oriented industries in the late 20th century. Health care, business services, and finance were among the industries that expanded during this period.
Ohio is located within a few hundred miles of several large population centers in the United States and Canada. Therefore it is a transportation hub and one of the nation's main trading centers.
Coal was discovered in Ohio as early as 1808. It is the state's most valuable mineral resource. Ohio is among the nation's leading states in the production of sandstone, limestone, salt, and sand and gravel. The rich deposits of clay found throughout Ohio have made it a top producer of pottery and tile. Some oil and natural gas are produced as well.
In the mid-19th century Ohio ranked first among the states in agricultural production. Despite the growth of industry since then, Ohio remains an agricultural leader. The chief crops include corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, and hay. Many cattle, hogs, and poultry are raised.
Ohio has a bustling fishing industry because of Lake Erie. The catches include yellow perch, carp, white bass, and catfish.
People have lived in the Ohio region for thousands of years. Prehistoric Indians of the Adena and Hopewell cultures built earth mounds that they used for ceremonies and burials. Both cultures had disappeared from the area by about AD 300–400. Other Native American tribes moved into the region in later centuries.
Historians believe that the French explorer La Salle reached the area in 1669. Two years later the French claimed the Ohio territory, but they made no permanent settlement. In 1763 France handed over the land to Great Britain. The area became part of the United States after the American Revolution (1775–83) and was included in the Northwest Territory in 1787.
The arrival of white settlers led to conflict with the Native Americans in the region. The fighting ended with the defeat of the Indians in 1794. Gradually the Indians were forced off their land, tribe by tribe.
With the area at peace, Ohio began to grow. In 1796 the city of Cleveland was founded. Soon settlements sprang up throughout the Northwest Territory. Ohio was the first state to be carved from the territory. It became the 17th state in the Union in 1803.
The population of Ohio increased quickly in the first half of the 19th century. The state's growth was helped by improvements in transportation. The Ohio and Erie Canal opened in 1832, and the next year the Cumberland Road was completed to Columbus. The first horse-drawn railroad started operation in 1836. By 1850 Ohio was the third most populous state in the nation and the leader in agriculture.
Before the American Civil War (1861–65), many Ohio residents helped runaway slaves reach Canada through the Underground Railroad. Ohio stayed in the Union during the war. The state's industries expanded during the war and continued to grow into the 20th century.
The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 connected the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. This seaway turned Cleveland, Toledo, and other cities on Lake Erie into inland seaports for oceangoing ships.
Kent State University drew international attention in 1970 because of a campus protest against the Vietnam War. The Ohio National Guard fired on the protestors, killing four students. This event caused further unrest at other campuses throughout the country.
Ohio's industrial development led to environmental problems. Laws were passed to lessen soil damage caused by strip mining, a process used to produce much of the state's coal. In 1988 a major oil spill polluted the Monongahela and Ohio rivers. Lake Erie also has had periods of serious pollution. Efforts made by both the United States and Canada since the 1970s have helped to improve the lake's water quality.
Economic problems severely hurt some Ohio cities in the last decades of the 20th century. Cleveland was hit very hard in the late 1970s and was unable to pay off its debts. Cleveland and other industrial cities continued to struggle economically in the 1980s and 1990s. As the 21st century began, the state continued its efforts to attract new businesses to make up for income and job losses in manufacturing. Population (2000 census), 11,353,140.
