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Location and Geography : Ohio is located right between the Northeastern and
Midwestern areas of the United States, directly below Lake Erie. Its central position and
numerous waterways have continually assured its place as a major shipping and trading
hub within the country.
Counties and Regions: Ohios 88 counties cover a wide range of geological areas and
social groups. The general regions of Ohio are as follows:

Appalachian Ohio
Central Ohio
Cincinnati Metropolitan Area
Great Black Swamp
Greater Cleveland Area (Northeast Ohio)
Lake Erie Islands
Miami Valley (Southwest Ohio)
Northwest Ohio
Population: Ohio is one of Americas most populated states, ranked in the top ten for
both total population and population density. More than 11.5 million people make their
homes in Ohio, usually in or near one of its large cities.

Major Cities: It is well known that Ohio has several major cities within or near its
borders, making it an important residential state. Its capital, Columbus, and other cities
such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, and Dayton, all cover metropolitan areas
that house many millions of people.

Story Behind the Name: The name Ohio comes from a Native American phrase
meaning great river, which could have referred to the Ohio River, or any other of the
areas large rivers.

History and Colonization: The history of Native American peoples in Ohio stretches
back thousands of years, deep into the mists of antiquity. More than one native
civilization rose and fell in its river valleys, leaving behind nothing but artifacts and
mysteries. It is known that many of the seventeenth-century tribes that lived there
vanished in the space of a short time, perhaps from devastating contact with European
diseases. In the late seventeenth and throughout the eighteenth centuries, more violent
tribes laid claim to the region and pushed out the previous cultures, only to be
supplanted themselves as time brought more and more European and American
settlers.
The first European power to take over in Ohio were the French in the 1700s, as they
expanded their fur trade that was based out of what would later become Canada. As
British colonies began to flourish on the East Coast,
the two colonial powers clashed over the region, with Britain ultimately proving to be the
victor. This was short-lived, however, as the successful American Revolution soon
caused Britain to cede most of its claims on the North American continent to the newlyformed United States.
The modern-day state of Ohio was admitted out of a large, unorganized chunk of land
known as the Northwest Territory. Some questions of population prerequisites and
border disputes remained for a while, but all of these have long since been resolved.
Under the administration of President Andrew Jackson, most of the Native Americans
were forcibly removed, and the area was largely settled by American farmers. Ohio
contributed greatly to the Northern side of the American Civil War, both in terms of men
and munitions. An influx of European immigrants and African-American migrants
occurred in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, helping to fuel
Ohios development into an industrial, blue-collar state.
Ohio is often seen as a link between the Northeast and the Midwest, and major trade
routes and highways have always crisscrossed the state. A quintessential Midwestern
state, Ohio is known for its industrial output. During the American Civil War and both
World Wars, Ohioan workers produced much of Americas military might. The more
recent collapse of these institutions has, unfortunately, led to Ohio suffering a heavy
economic toll. In response, the people of the state have increasingly diversified into
other economic industries, such as technology and service.

More Ohio Facts & Trivia

1.The original ambulance service was set up in 1865 in Cincinnati.
2.The original pedestrian button was installed in East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue,
Cleveland. This device was meant to control traffic lights. Louis Spronze was chosen to
demonstrate its operation.
3.The first ever traffic light in USA was installed in Cleveland. It started to function from
5th August 1914.
4.Ohio has an aggregate area of 116,103 sqaure miles. This means it is the 34th
biggest state in USA in terms of size.
5.The pop tan can was invented by Ermal Fraze in Kettering.
6.Columbus is both the capital and biggest city in Ohio.
7.The cash register was invented in 1879 by James J Ritty who hailed from Dayton. His
main purpose was to prevent his patrons from stealing from his profits.
8.Half of US population resides within a 500 mile radius of Ohio's capital Columbus.
9.Ohio's official rock number is Hang on Sloopy.
10.The biggest basket of the world is located in Dresden. The basket is located at
Basket Village in USA.
11.The first team to have played baseball on a professional basis was Cincinnati Reds.
12.Fostoria is the only city that is located across 3 counties - Seneca, Wood and
Hancock.
13.The Y Bridge is located in Zanesville. It was built for the first time in 1814 for
covering the meeting point of Muskingum and Licking Rivers. The present bridge is the
5th structure over there. It has been stated by "Ripley's Believe It or Not" has stated that
it is the only bridge that can be crossed without moving over to the other side of the
river.
14.The state flag of Ohio has a pennant design and is the only one of its kind in USA.
15.The first ever police cars were used in Akron.

16.Ohio University is acknowledged as the original university of the Northwest Territory

as well as in the state. It was founded in 1804 in Athens.17.The first ever city fire
department to have operated professionally was founded in Cincinnati.
18.Oberlin College was the first ever coeducational and interracial college in USA. It
was set up in 1833.
19.Akron is called the global rubber capital.
20.The Glacial Grooves that can be seen on the northern side of Kelleys Island are the
biggest of their kind and easily accessible. These grooves had been battered into the
solid limestone bedrock surface of the island almost 18,000 years back. This was done
by the great ice sheet that had once covered parts of North America.
21.The American Federation of Labor was set up in Columbus.
22.The first permanent settlement in Ohio is Marietta. General Rufus Putnam founded
the settlement in 1788. It was named to honor the then French queen Marie Antoinette.
23.John Glenn, a senator from Ohio, became the oldest man ever to go into space. This
historic incident took place on 20th February 1962. On that day he also became the first
American to have gone around earth's orbit. He returned in 1998, when he was 77
years old, and took part in the particular space program. He went back into space again.
24.The original capital city of Ohio is Chillicothe.
25.The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located in Cleveland.
26.In 1879 Cleveland became the first city in the world to have electric lights.
27.Ohio is a prominent producer of nursery and greenhouse plants.
28.Ohio is also called the Buckeye State.
29.Canton houses the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
30.Thomas Alva Edison is from Miami.
31.Neil Armstrong hails from Wapakoneta.
32.The first car of USA was made by John Lambert in 1911. He hailed from Ohio City.

33.The Wright brothers hail from Dayton.

34.The automobile self starter was invented by Charles Kettering in 1911. He hailed
from Loundonville.
35.The Drew Cary Show, a famous television series, is based in Cleveland.
36.The system of vulcanizing rubber was developed in 1839 by Charles Goodyear. He
hailed from Akron.
37.The United States Public Land Survey started in East Liverpool.
38.Teflon was invented in 1938 by Roy J Plunkett. He hailed from New Carlisle.
39.Ohio is the birthplace of seven USA Presidents - Ulysses S. Grant, William McKinley,
Rutherford B. Hayes, William H. Taft, James A. Garfield, Warren G. Harding and
Benjamin Harrison.
40.The chewing gum was patented in 1869 by WF Semple. He was from Mount Vernon.
41.Ohio is where famous people like Steven Spielberg, Arsenio Hall, Paul Newman,
Clark Gable, and Annie Oakley were born.
42.In 1954 John Mercer Langston became a clerk of Brownhelm. He is supposed to be
the first ever African American to have been elected to a public office.
43.In 1899 the original full time car servicing station was started in Ohio.
44.DeHart Hubbard won at the 1924 Paris Olympics and created a long jumping record.
He was the first African American to have won an Olympic gold medal.
45.Ohio became the first state in 1852 to enact laws that protected working women.
46.Jesse Owens was brought up in Cleveland.
47.The first hot dog of USA was made in Ohio in 1900. It was cooked by Harry M
Stevens.
48.The poet laureate among African Americans is Paul Laurence Dunbar. He hailed
from Dayton.
49.On 1st March 1803 Ohio became the 17th state of USA