Ohio is a Midwestern state in the northeastern corner of the United States. It was the first and eastern-most state in the Midwest admitted to the Union under the Northwest Ordinance. Its U.S. postal abbreviation is OH; its old-style abbreviation is O. Ohio is an Iroquois word meaning "great water." The name refers to the Ohio River that forms its southern border.

The US Navy has named several ships USS Ohio in honor of this state.

Contents [showhide]
1 History

2 Law and Government

3 Geography

4 Economy

5 Demographics

6 Political Demographics

7 Important cities and towns

8 Education

8.1 Colleges and universities

9 Professional sports teams

10 Transportation

11 State symbols

12 External links

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History

Plaque commemorating the Northwest Ordinance outside Federal Hall in lower ManhattanOhio, the region north of the Ohio River and south of the Great Lakes, was originally controlled by various native tribes. At the time of European colonization, the Iroquois federation of the New York area claimed the region including the modern territory of Ohio as a hunting grounds. However, locally, the region was populated by several other peoples, principally the Miamis, Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, Ottawas, and Eries. During the 18th century, the French set up a system of trading posts to control the fur trade in the region.

In 1754, France and Great Britain fought a war known in North America as the French and Indian War. As a result of the Treaty of Paris, the French ceded control of Ohio and the old Northwest to Great Britain.

Britain soon passed the Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited the American colonists from settling in Ohio Country. British control of the region ended with the American victory in the American Revolution, after which the British ceded claims to Ohio and the territory in the West to the Mississippi River to the United States.

The United States created the Northwest Territory in 1787 under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, also known as the Freedom Ordinance because for the first time slavery would be prohibited from an entire American region. The states of the Midwest would be known as free states, in contradistinction to those states south of the Ohio River known as slave states, and later, as Northeastern states abolished slavery in the coming two generations, the free states would be known as Northern States. The Northwest Territory originally included areas that had previously been known as Ohio Country and Illinois Country. As Ohio prepared for statehood, Indiana Territory was created, reducing the Northwest Territory to the approximately the size of present-day Ohio.

Under the Northwest Ordinance, any of the states to be formed out of the Northwest Territory would be admitted as a state once the population exceeded 60,000. Although Ohio's population numbered only 45,000 in December 1801, Congress determined that the population was growing rapidly and Ohio could begin the path to statehood with the assumption that it would exceed 60,000 residents by the time it would become a state. On February 19, 1803, President Jefferson signed an act of Congress that recognized Ohio as the 17th state. The current custom of Congress declaring an official date of statehood did not begin until 1812, with Louisiana's admission. So, on August 7, 1953 (the year of Ohio's 150th anniversary), President Eisenhower signed an act that officially declared March 1, 1803 the date of Ohio's admittance into the Union.

In 1835, Ohio fought a bloodless war with Michigan over the city of Gargamesh, (now Toledo) known as the Toledo War. Congress intervened, giving Toledo to Ohio.

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Law and Government
Ohio's capital is Columbus, located close to the center of the state.

See: Ohio State Government

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Geography

Map of OhioSee: List of Ohio counties - List of cities in Ohio - List of villages in Ohio - List of Ohio townships - Ohio public lands

The Ohio coast of Lake Erie has played an important part in the history and economy of the U.S. as a wholeBeing centrally located in the northeastern corner of the United States' midwest region, Ohio is located on Lake Erie, is connected by major highways and borders several states. Ohio's southern border is defined by the Ohio River (with the border being at the 1793 low-water mark on the north side of the river), and much of the northern border is defined by Lake Erie. It borders Pennsylvania on the east, Michigan in the northwest near Toledo, Ontario, Canada across Lake Erie to the north, Indiana to the west, Kentucky on the south, and West Virginia on the southeast.

Much of Ohio features glaciated plains, with an exceptionally flat area in the northwest being known as the Great Black Swamp. This glaciated region in the northwest and central state is bordered to the east and southeast first by a belt known as the glaciated Allegheny Plateau, and then by another belt known as the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. Most of Ohio is of low relief, but the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau features rugged hills and forests.

Significant rivers within the state include the Cuyahoga River, Maumee River, Miami River, Muskingum River, and Scioto River. The rivers in the northern part of the state drain into the northern Atlantic Ocean via Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence River, and the rivers in the southern part of the state drain into the Gulf of Mexico via the Ohio and then the Mississippi.

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Economy
Ohio, a major producer of machines, tools, and other products, is one of the leading industrial states. As part of the Corn Belt, agriculture also plays an important role in the state's economy. In addition, however, Ohio's historical attractions, varying landscapes, and recreational opportunities are the basis for a thriving tourist industry. Over 2,500 lakes and 70,000 kilometers of river landscapes are a paradise for boaters, fishermen, and swimmers. Of special historical interest are the Native American archeological sites -- including grave mounds and other sites.

Ohio's 1999 total gross state product was $362 billion, placing it 7th in the nation. Its 2000 Per Capita Personal Income was $28,400, 19th in the nation. Ohio's agricultural outputs are soybeans, dairy products, corn, tomatoes, hogs, cattle, poultry and eggs. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, fabricated metal products, machinery, food processing, and electric equipment.

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Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2003, Ohio's population was estimated at 11,435,798 people.

The racial makeup of the state is:

85.0% White
11.5% Black
1.9% Hispanic or Latino
1.2% Asian
0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native
1.4% are mixed race
The 5 largest ancestry groups in Ohio are German (25.2%), Irish (12.7%), African American (11.5%), English (9.2%), American (8.5%).

The 5 largest religions in Ohio are Roman Catholic (20%), Baptist (15%), Methodist (11%), "Christian" (6%), Lutheran (5%). 16% of the population is nonreligious.

6.6% of Ohio's population were reported as under 5, 25.4% under 18, and 13.3% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population.

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Political Demographics
Politically, Ohio is a swing state. The mixture of urban and rural areas, and the presense of both large blue-collar industries and significant white-collar commercial districts leads to a balance of conservative and liberal population that (together with the state's 20 electoral votes, more than most swing states) makes the state very important to the outcome of national elections. Ohio was the deciding state in the 2004 presidential elections between George W. Bush and John Kerry. Ohio's demographics cause many to consider the states as a microcosm of the nation as a whole. Interestingly, a Republican presidential candidate has never won the White House without winning Ohio, and Ohio has gone to the winner of the election in all but two contests since 1892, backing only losers Thomas E. Dewey in 1944 (Ohio's John Bricker was his running mate) and Richard M. Nixon in 1960. Consequently, the state is very important to the campaigns of both major parties. (See also U.S. Electoral College.)

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Important cities and towns
See: List of cities in Ohio

Akron
Bellefontaine
Canton
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbus
Dayton
Hamilton
Kettering
Lakewood
Parma
Springfield
Toledo
Youngstown

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Education
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Colleges and universities
13 state universities
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio
Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Shawnee State University, Portsmouth, Ohio
University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio
Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio (Fairborn, Ohio)
Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio
(note: the University of Dayton is not one of Ohio's state universities; it is a private, Roman Catholic university run by the Society of Mary)

24 state university branch and regional campuses
46 liberal arts colleges and universities
6 free-standing state-assisted medical schools
Medical College of Ohio
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Wright State University School of Medicine
1 private medical school
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
15 community colleges
8 technical colleges
over 24 independent non-profit colleges
See List of Ohio colleges

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Professional sports teams

Major League Baseball
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
National Football League
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
National Hockey League
Columbus Blue Jackets
National Basketball Association
Cleveland Cavaliers
Major League Soccer
Columbus Crew
Minor League Baseball
Akron Aeros
Chillicothe Paints
Columbus Clippers
Dayton Dragons
Lake County Captains
Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Toledo Mud Hens
American Hockey League
Cleveland Barons

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Transportation
Ohio has a very solid network of roads and highways. Major east-west through routes include the Turnpike in the north, US 30 a bit further south, and I70 through Columbus. Major north-south routes include I75 in the west through Toledo and Cinci, I71 through the middle of the state from Cleveland through Columbus (which angles westward toward Cincinnati), and I77 in the eastern part of the state from Cleveland down into West Virginia. The north-south routes except for I75 are less important to non-local traffic than the east-west routes because, due to the presense of Lake Erie, they do not go through.