Ohio

Ohio(/oʊˈhaɪ.oʊ/oh-HY-oh)is astatein theMidwesternregion of theUnited States. It bordersLake Erieto the north,Pennsylvaniato the east,West Virginiato the southeast,Kentuckyto the southwest,Indianato the west, andMichiganto the northwest. Of the 50U.S. states, it is the34th-largest by area. With a population of nearly 11.9 million, Ohio is theseventh-most populousandtenth-most densely populated state. Itscapitalandmost populous cityisColumbus, with the two other majormetropolitan centersbeingClevelandandCincinnati, alongsideDayton,Akron, andToledo. Ohio is nicknamed the "Buckeye State" after itsOhio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as "Buckeyes".
Ohio derives its name from theOhio Riverthat forms its southern border, which, in turn, originated from theSenecawordohiːyo', meaning "good river", "great river", or "large creek".The state was home to several ancient indigenous civilizations, with humans present as early as 10,000 BCE. It arose from the lands west of theAppalachian Mountainsthat were contested by various native tribes and European colonists from the 17th century through theNorthwest Indian Warsof the late 18th century. Ohio was partitioned from theNorthwest Territory, the first frontier of the new United States, becoming the 17th state admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, and the first under theNorthwest Ordinance.It was the first post-colonialfree stateadmitted to the union and became one of the earliest and most influential industrial powerhouses during the 20th century.
Although it has transitioned to a moreinformation-andservice-based economyin the 21st century, it remains an industrial state, rankingseventh in GDPas of 2019,with the third-largest manufacturing sector and second-largest automobile production.Modeled on its federal counterpart, Ohio's government is composed of the executive branch, led by thegovernor; the legislative branch, consisting of the bicameralOhio General Assembly; and the judicial branch, led by the stateSupreme Court. Ohio occupies 15 seats in theUnited States House of Representatives, the seventh-largest delegation.Sevenpresidents of the United Stateshavecome from Ohio, earning it the moniker "the Mother of Presidents".
Archeological evidence of spear points of both the Folsom and Clovis types indicate that the Ohio Valley was inhabited bynomadic peopleas early as 13,000 BC.These early nomads disappeared from Ohio by 1,000 BC.Between 1,000 and 800 BC, the sedentaryAdena cultureemerged. The Adena established "semi-permanent" villages because they domesticated plants, including sunflowers, and "grew squash and possibly corn"; with hunting and gathering, this cultivation supported more settled, complex villages.The most notable remnant of the Adena culture is theGreat Serpent Mound, located inAdams County, Ohio.
Around 100 BC, the Adena evolved into theHopewellpeople, who were also mound builders. Their complex, large and technologically sophisticatedearthworkscan be found in modern-dayMarietta,Newark, andCircleville.They were also a prolific trading society, their trading network spanning a third of the continent.The Hopewell disappeared from the Ohio Valley about 600 AD. TheMississippian culturerose as the Hopewell culture declined. Many Siouan-speaking peoples from the plains and east coast claim them as ancestors and say they lived throughout the Ohio region until approximately the 13th century.
There were three other cultures contemporaneous with the Mississippians: theFort Ancientpeople, theWhittlesey Cultureand theMonongahela Culture.All three disappeared in the 17th century. Their origins are unknown. The Shawnees may have absorbed the Fort Ancient people.It is also possible that the Monongahela held no land in Ohio during the Colonial Era. The Mississippian culture was close to and traded extensively with the Fort Ancient people.
Indians in the Ohio Valley were greatly affected by the aggressive tactics of theIroquois Confederation, based in central and western New York.After theBeaver Warsin the mid-17th century, the Iroquois claimed much of the Ohio country as hunting and, more importantly, beaver-trapping ground. After the devastation of epidemics and war in the mid-17th century, which largely emptied the Ohio country of Indigenous peopleby the mid-to-late 17th century, the land gradually became repopulated by the mostlyAlgonquian. Many of these Ohio-country nations were multiethnic (sometimes multi-linguistic) societies born out of the earlier devastation brought about by disease,war, and subsequent social instability. They subsisted on agriculture (corn, sunflowers, beans, etc.) supplemented by seasonal hunts. By the 18th century, they were part of a larger global economy brought about by European entry into thefur trade.
Some of the Indigenous nations that historically inhabited Ohio include the Iroquoian,the Algonquian,and the Siouan.Ohio countrywas also the site of Indian massacres, such as theYellow Creek massacreand theGnadenhutten massacre.After theWar of 1812, when Natives suffered serious losses such as atTippecanoe, most Native tribes either left Ohio or had to live on only limited reservations. By 1842, all remaining Natives were forced out of the state.
During the 18th century, theFrenchset up a system oftrading poststo control the fur trade in the region. Beginning in 1754, theKingdom of FranceandKingdom of Great Britainfought in theFrench and Indian War, with various Native American tribes on each side. As a result of theTreaty of Paris, the French ceded control of Ohio and the remainder of theOld Northwestto Great Britain in 1763.
Before the American Revolution, Britain thinly exercised sovereignty over Ohio Country by lackadaisical garrisoning of the French forts.Just beyond Ohio Country was the greatMiamicapital ofKekionga, which became the center of British trade and influence in Ohio Country and throughout the futureNorthwest Territory. By theRoyal Proclamation of 1763, British lands west ofAppalachiawere forbidden to settlement by colonists.TheTreaty of Fort Stanwixin 1768 explicitly reserved lands north and west of the Ohio as Native lands.British military occupation in the region contributed to the outbreak ofPontiac's Warin 1763.Ohio tribes participated in the war until an armed expedition in Ohio led byBrigadier GeneralHenry Bouquetbrought about a truce. Another colonial military expedition into the Ohio Country in 1774 broughtLord Dunmore's War, kicked off by theYellow Creek massacrein Ohio, to a conclusion. In 1774, Britain passed theQuebec Act, which formally annexed Ohio and other western lands to theProvince of Quebecin order to provide a civil government and to centralize British administration of theMontreal-based fur trade.The prohibition of settlement west of the Appalachians remained, contributing to the American Revolution.
By the start of theAmerican Revolutionary War, the movement of Natives and Americans between the Ohio Country andThirteen Colonieshad resulted in tension.Fort Pittin Pennsylvania had become the main fort where expeditions into Ohio started. Intrusions into the area included GeneralEdward Hand's 1778 movement of 500 Pennsylvaniamilitiamenfrom Fort Pitt towards Mingo towns on theCuyahoga River, where the British stored military supplies which they distributed to Indian raiding parties;ColonelDaniel Brodhead's invasion in 1780 anddestruction of the Lenape Indian capital of Coshocton;a detachment of one hundred ofGeorge Rogers Clark's troops that wereambushed near the Ohio Riverby Indians led byJoseph Brantin the same year; a British and Native American attack on the U.S.'Fort Laurens;and the 1782 detainment and murder of 96Moravian Lenapepacifists by Pennsylvania militiamen in theGnadenhutten massacre.
The western theatre never had a decisive victor. In theTreaty of Parisin 1783, Britain ceded all claims to Ohio Country to the newUnited Statesafter its victory in theAmerican Revolutionary War.
The United States created theNorthwest Territoryunder theNorthwest Ordinanceof 1787.Slavery was not permittedin the new territory. Settlement began with the founding ofMariettaby theOhio Company of Associates, which had been formed by a group of American Revolutionary War veterans. Following the Ohio Company, theMiami Company(also referred to as the "Symmes Purchase") claimed the southwestern section, and theConnecticut Land Companysurveyed and settled theConnecticut Western Reservein present-dayNortheast Ohio. Territorial surveyors from Fort Steuben began surveying an area of eastern Ohio called theSeven Rangesat about the same time.
The old Northwest Territory originally included areas previously known asOhio CountryandIllinois Country. As Ohio prepared for statehood, theIndiana Territorywas created, reducing the Northwest Territory to approximately the size of present-day Ohio plus the eastern half of theLower Peninsula of Michiganand the eastern tip of theUpper Peninsulaand a sliver of southeastern Indiana called "The Gore".
The coalition of Native American tribes, known as theWestern Confederacy, was forced to cede extensive territory, including much of present-day Ohio, in theTreaty of Greenvillein 1795.
Under theNorthwest Ordinance, areas could be defined and admitted as states once their population reached 60,000. Although Ohio's population was only 45,000 in December 1801,Congressdetermined that it was growing rapidly enough and accelerated the process via theEnabling Act of 1802. In regard to theLeni Lenapenatives, Congress decided that 10,000 acres on theMuskingum Riverin the present state of Ohio would "be set apart and the property thereof be vested in theMoravian Brethren... or a society of the said Brethren for civilizing the Indians and promoting Christianity".
Rufus Putnamserved in important military capacities in both theFrench and Indian Warand theAmerican Revolutionary War. He was one of the most highly respected men in the early years of the United States.
In 1776, Putnam created a method of building portable fortifications, which enabled theContinental Armyto drive the British from Boston.George Washingtonwas so impressed that he made Putnam his chief engineer. After the war, Putnam andManasseh Cutlerwere instrumental in creating theNorthwest Ordinance, which opened up theNorthwest Territoryfor settlement. This land was used to serve as compensation for what was owed to Revolutionary War veterans. Putnam organized and led theOhio Company of Associates, who settled atMarietta, Ohio, where they built a large fort,Campus Martius.He set substantial amounts of land aside for schools. In 1798, he created the plan for the construction of the Muskingum Academy (nowMarietta College). In 1780, the directors of the Ohio Company appointed him superintendent of all its affairs relating to the settlement north of the Ohio River. In 1796, President George Washington commissioned him as Surveyor-General of United States Lands. In 1788, he served as a judge in the Northwest Territory's first court. In 1802, he served in the convention to form a constitution for the State of Ohio.
On February 19, 1803, U.S. presidentThomas Jeffersonsigned an act of Congress that approved Ohio's boundaries and constitution.But Congress had not passed a formal resolution admitting Ohio as the 17th state. Although no formal resolution of admission was required, when the oversight was discovered in 1953, as Ohio began preparations for celebrating its sesquicentennial, Ohio congressmanGeorge H. Benderintroduced a bill in Congress to admit Ohio to the Union retroactive to March 1, 1803, the date on which theOhio General Assemblyfirst convened.At a special session at the old state capital inChillicothe, the Ohio state legislature approved a new petition for statehood, which was delivered toWashington, D.C., on horseback, and approved that August.
Ohio has had three capital cities: Chillicothe,Zanesville, andColumbus. Chillicothe was the capital from 1803 to 1810. The capital was then moved to Zanesville for two years as part of a state legislative compromise to get a bill passed. The capital was then moved back to Chillicothe from 1812 to 1816. Finally, the capital was moved to Columbus, to be near the state's geographic center.
Although many Native Americans migrated west to evade American encroachment, others remained in the state, sometimes assimilating in part. Starting around 1809, theShawneepressed resistance to encroachment again. Under ChiefTecumseh,Tecumseh's Warofficially began in Ohio in 1811. When theWar of 1812began, the British decided to attack fromUpper Canadainto Ohio and merge their forces with the Shawnee. This continued until Tecumseh was killed at theBattle of the Thamesin 1813. Most of the Shawnee, excluding thePekowiin Southwest Ohio, were forcibly relocated west.Ohio played akey rolein the War of 1812, as it was on the front line in the Western theater and the scene of several notable battles both on land and inLake Erie. On September 10, 1813, theBattle of Lake Erie, one of the major battles, took place nearPut-in-Bay, Ohio. The British eventually surrendered toOliver Hazard Perry.
Ultimately, after the U.S. government used theIndian Removal Act of 1830to force countless Native American tribes on theTrail of Tears, where all the southern states except forFloridawere successfully emptied of Native peoples, the government panicked because most tribes did not want to be forced out of their own lands. Fearing further wars between Native tribes and American settlers, they pushed all remaining Native tribes in the East to migrate west against their will, including all remaining tribes in Ohio.
In 1835, Ohio fought with theMichigan Territoryin theToledo War, a mostly bloodless boundary war over the Toledo Strip. Only one person was injured in the conflict. Congress intervened, makingMichigan's admittance as a state conditional on ending the conflict. In exchange for giving up its claim to the Toledo Strip, Michigan was given the western two-thirds of theUpper Peninsula, in addition to the eastern third, which was already considered part of the territory.
Ohio's central position and its population gave it an important place in theCivil War. The Ohio River was a vital artery for troop and supply movements, as were Ohio's railroads. Ohio's industry made it one of the most important states in the Union during the war. It contributed more soldiers per capita than any other state in the Union. In 1862, the state's morale was badly shaken in the aftermath of theBattle of Shiloh, a costly victory in which Ohio forces suffered 2,000 casualties.Later that year, whenConfederatetroops under the leadership ofStonewall Jacksonthreatened Washington, D.C., Ohio governorDavid Todrecruited 5,000 volunteers to provide three months of service.From July 13 to 26, 1863, towns along the Ohio River were attacked and ransacked inMorgan's Raid, starting inHarrisonin the west and culminating in theBattle of SalinevillenearWest Pointin the far east. While this raid was overall insignificant to the Confederacy, it aroused fear among people in Ohio andIndianaas it was the furthest advancement of troops from the South in the war.Almost 35,000 Ohioans died in the conflict, and 30,000 were physically wounded.By the end of the Civil War, the Union's top three generals—Ulysses S. Grant,William Tecumseh Sherman, andPhilip Sheridan—were all from Ohio.
During much of the 19th century, industry was rapidly introduced to complement an existing agricultural economy. One of the first iron manufacturing plants, Hopewell Furnace, opened nearYoungstownin 1804. By the mid-19th century, 48 blast furnaces were operating in Ohio, most in the southern part of the state.Discovery of coal deposits aided the further development of Ohio's steel industry, and by 1853 Cleveland was the nation's third-largest iron and steel producer. The firstBessemer converterwas purchased by theCleveland Rolling Mill Company, which became part of theU.S. Steel Corporationafter the merger ofFederal Steel CompanyandCarnegie Steel, the first billion-dollar American corporation.The first open-hearth furnace used for steel production was constructed by the Otis Steel Company in Cleveland, and by 1892, Ohio was the second-largest steel-producing state, behind Pennsylvania.Republic Steelwas founded in Youngstown in 1899 and was at one point the nation's third-largest producer.Armco, now AK Steel, was founded inMiddletownin 1899.
The state legislature officially adopted theflag of Ohioon May 9, 1902.Dayton nativesOrville and Wilbur Wrightmade four brief flights atKitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, inventing the first successful airplane.Ohio was hit by its greatest natural disaster in theGreat Flood of 1913, resulting in at least 428 fatalities and hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage, particularly around theGreat Miami Riverbasin.
TheNational Football Leaguewas originally founded inCanton, Ohioin 1920 as the American Professional Football Conference.It includedOhio Leagueteams in five Ohio cities (Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton), none of which still exist. The first official game occurred on October 3, 1920, when theDayton Trianglesbeat theColumbus Panhandles14–0 in Dayton.Canton was enshrined as the home of thePro Football Hall of Famein 1963.
During the 1930s, theGreat Depressionstruck the state hard. By 1933, more than 40% of factory workers and 67% of construction workers were unemployed in Ohio.Approximately 50% of industrial workers in Cleveland and 80% in Toledo became unemployed, with the state unemployment rate reaching a high of 37.3%.American Jews watched the rise ofNazi Germanywith apprehension. Cleveland residentsJerry SiegelandJoe Shustercreated theSupermancomic character in the spirit of the Jewishgolem. Many of their comics portrayed Superman fighting and defeating theNazis.Approximately 839,000 Ohioans served in the U.S. armed forces duringWorld War II, of whom over 23,000 died or were missing in action.
Artists, writers, musicians and actors developed in the state throughout the 20th century and often moved to other cities that were larger centers for their work. They includedZane Grey,Milton Caniff,George Bellows,Art Tatum,Roy Lichtenstein, andRoy Rogers.Alan Freed, who emerged from the swing dance culture in Cleveland, hosted the first live rock 'n roll concert in Cleveland in 1952. Famous filmmakers includeSteven Spielberg,Chris Columbusand the originalWarner Brothers, who set up their first movie theatre in Youngstown before the company relocated to California. The state produced many popular musicians, includingDean Martin,Doris Day,The O'Jays,Marilyn Manson,Dave Grohl,Devo,Macy GrayandThe Isley Brothers.
Two Ohioastronautscompleted significant milestones in thespace racein the 1960s:John Glennbecoming thefirst American to orbit the Earth, andNeil Armstrongbecoming thefirst human to walk on the Moon. In 1967,Carl Stokeswaselectedmayor of Cleveland and became the first African American mayor of one of the nation's 10 most populous cities.
In 1970, anOhio Army National Guardunitfired at studentsduring an antiwar protest atKent State University, killing four and wounding nine. The Guard had been called onto campus after several protests in and around campus became violent, including a riot in downtown Kent and the burning of anROTCbuilding. The main cause of the protests was the United States'invasion of Cambodiaduring theVietnam War.
Ohio was an important state in the developing ties between theUnited States and the People's Republic of Chinain the late 1970s and early 1980s.Relations between the two countries normalized in 1979, during the second term of Ohio governorJim Rhodes.Rhodes sought to encourage  economic ties, viewing China as a potential market for Ohio machinery exports.In July 1979, Rhodes led a State of OhioTrade Missionto China.The trip resulted in developing economic ties, a sister state-province relationship withHubei province, long-running Chinese exhibitions at theOhio State Fair, and major academic exchanges between Ohio State University andWuhan University.Beginning in the 1980s, the state entered into international economic and resource cooperation treaties and organizations with otherMidwesternstates, as well asNew York,Pennsylvania,Ontario, andQuebec, including theGreat Lakes Charter,Great Lakes Compact, and theCouncil of Great Lakes Governors.
Ohio's economy has undergone significant change in the 21st century, as the trend ofdeindustrializationhas greatly impacted theAmerican Midwestand theRust Belt. Manufacturing in the Midwest experienced a stark decline during the early 21st century,a trend that greatly impacted Ohio. From 1990 to 2019, it lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs, but added over 1,000,000 non-manufacturing jobs.Coinciding with this decline, Ohio has seen a large decline in union membership: 17.4% of Ohioan workers were union members in 2000, while 12.8% were union members in 2022.
In the wake of these economic changes, Ohio's state government has looked to promoting new industries to offset manufacturing losses, such as the production ofsolar energyandelectric vehicles.One major program the state government launched was the "Third Frontier" program, created during the governorship ofBob Taft, which aimed to increase investment in Ohio and boost its technology sector.As of 2010, the Ohio Department of Development attributes the creation of 9,500 jobs to this program, with an average salary of $65,000,while having a $6.6 billion economic impact with areturn on investmentof 9:1.In 2010 the state won theInternational Economic Development Council's Excellence in Economic Development Award, celebrated as a national model of success.
Ohio's economy was also heavily afflicted by theGreat Recession, as the state'sunemployment raterose from 5.6% in the first two months of 2008 up to a peak of 11.1% in December 2009 and January 2010.It took until August 2014 for the unemployment rate to return to 5.6%.From December 2007 to September 2010, Ohio lost 376,500 jobs.In 2009, Ohio had 89,053 foreclosures filings, a then-record for the state.The median household income dropped 7% from 2006–07 to 2008–09, and the poverty rate ballooned to 13.5% by 2009.By 2015, Ohiogross domestic productwas $608.1 billion, theseventh-largest economy among the 50 states.In 2015, Ohio's total GDP accounted for 3.4% of U.S. GDP and 0.8% of world GDP.
Politically, Ohio has been long regarded as aswing state,but the success of manyRepublicancandidates in Ohio since the late 2000s has led many to question whether Ohio remains an electoral battleground.
On March 9, 2020, theCOVID-19 pandemicreached Ohio, with three cases reported.As of February 2023, over 41,600 Ohioans have died from COVID-19.Ohio's economy was also heavily impacted by the pandemic, as the state saw large job losses in 2020, as well as large amounts of subsequentstimulus spending.
Ohio's location has proven to be an asset for economic growth and expansion. Because it links the Northeast to the Midwest, much cargo and business traffic passes through its borders along its well-developed highways. Ohio has the nation's 10th-largest highway network and is within a one-day drive of 50% of North America's population and 70% of North America's manufacturing capacity.To the north, Ohio has 312 miles (502 km) of coastline with Lake Erie,which allows for numerous cargo ports such as Cleveland and Toledo. Ohio's southern border is defined by theOhio River. Ohio's neighbors arePennsylvaniato the east,Michiganto the northwest,Lake Erieto the north,Indianato the west,Kentuckyon the south, andWest Virginiaon the southeast. Ohio's borders were defined bymetes and boundsin theEnabling Act of 1802as follows:
Ohio is bounded by the Ohio River, but nearly all of the river belongs to Kentucky and West Virginia. In 1980, theU.S. Supreme Courtheld that, based on the wording of the cessation of territory byVirginia(which at the time included what is now Kentucky and West Virginia), the boundary between Ohio and Kentucky (and, by implication, West Virginia) is the northern low-water mark of the river as it existed in 1792.Ohio has only that portion of the river between the river's 1792 low-water mark and the present high-water mark. The border with Michigan has also changed, as a result of theToledo War, to angle slightly northeast to the north shore of the mouth of the Maumee River.
Much of Ohio featuresglaciated till plains, with an exceptionally flat area in the northwest being known as theGreat Black Swamp. This glaciated region in the northwest and central state is bordered to the east and southeast first by a belt known as theglaciated Allegheny Plateau, and then by another belt known as theunglaciated Allegheny Plateau. Most of Ohio is of low relief, but the unglaciated Allegheny Plateaufeatures rugged hills and forests.
Ohio's rugged southeastern quadrant, stretching in an outward bow-like arc along the Ohio River from the WestVirginia Panhandleto the outskirts of Cincinnati, forms a distinctsocioeconomicunit. Geologically similar to parts of West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania, this area's coal mining legacy, dependence on small pockets of old manufacturing establishments, and distinctive regional dialect set this section off from the rest of the state. In 1965, Congress passed theAppalachian Regional Development Act, an attempt to "address the persistent poverty and growing economic despair of the Appalachian Region".It defines 29 Ohio counties as part of Appalachia.While 1/3 of Ohio's land mass is part of the federally defined Appalachian region, only 12.8% of Ohioans live there (1.476 million people.)
Significant Ohio rivers include theCuyahoga River,Great Miami River,Maumee River,Muskingum River, andScioto River. The rivers in northern Ohio drain into the northern Atlantic Ocean viaLake Erieand theSt. Lawrence River, and those in southern Ohio drain into theGulf of Mexicovia theOhio Riverand theMississippi. Ohio also includesBass IslandsandKelleys Island.Grand Lake St. Marysin the west-central part of the state was constructed as a supply of water forcanalsin the canal-building era of 1820–1850. This body of water, over 20 square miles (52 km), was the largest artificial lake in the world when completed in 1845.Ohio's canal-building projectswere not the economic fiasco that similar efforts were in other states. Some cities, such as Dayton, owe their industrial emergence to their location on canals, and as late as 1910 interior canals carried much of the bulk freight of the state.
Areas under the protection of theNational Park ServiceincludeCuyahoga Valley National Park,Hopewell Culture National Historical Park,Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park,First Ladies National Historic Site,James A. Garfield National Historic Site,William Howard Taft National Historic Site, and theCharles Young Buffalo Soldiers National MonumentandPerry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.
Ohio has wide variety of unique animal species. Rare and endangered species include theEastern Hellbender, which is found in the Southeastern Appalachian region of Ohio and is classified as state endangered.The Eastern Hellbender is the 3rd largestamphibianin the world, and can grow up to 27 inches in length. It is fully aquatic and breathes almost entirely through its skin. Due to this, it is only found in pristine, cool, clear, fast flowing streams and rivers. It is highly threatened byhabitat loss,water pollution, andsedimentationdue to logging and other human activities.
The climate of Ohio is ahumid continental climate(Köppen climate classificationDfa/Dfb) throughout most of the state, except in the extreme southern counties of Ohio'sBluegrass regionsection, which are located on the northern periphery of thehumid subtropical climate(Cfa) andUpland Southregion of the United States. Summers are typically hot and humid throughout the state, while winters generally range from cool to cold. Precipitation in Ohio is moderate year-round. Severe weather is not uncommon in the state, although there are typically fewertornadoreports in Ohio than in states located in what is known as theTornado Alley. Severelake effect snowstormsare also not uncommon on the southeast shore ofLake Erie, which is located in an area designated as theSnowbelt.
Although predominantly not in a subtropical climate, some warmer-climate flora and fauna do reach well into Ohio. For instance, some trees with more southern ranges, such as theblackjack oak,Quercus marilandica, are found at their northernmost in Ohio just north of the Ohio River. Also evidencing this climatic transition from a subtropical to a continental climate, several plants such as the Southern magnolia(Magnolia grandiflora),Albizia julibrissin(mimosa),Crape Myrtle, and even the occasionalNeedle Palmare hardy landscape materials regularly used as street, yard, and garden plantings in theBluegrass regionof Ohio; but these same plants will simply not thrive in much of the rest of the state. This interesting change may be observed while traveling through Ohio onInterstate 75fromCincinnatitoToledo; the observant traveler of this diverse state may even catch a glimpse of Cincinnati'scommon wall lizard, one of the few examples of permanent "subtropical" fauna in Ohio.
The worst weather disaster in Ohio history occurred along the Great Miami River in 1913. Known as theGreat Dayton Flood, the entireMiami Riverwatershed flooded, including the downtown business district ofDayton. As a result, theMiami Conservancy Districtwas created as the first major floodplain engineering project in Ohio and the United States.
The highest recorded temperature was 113°F(45°C), nearGallipolison July 21, 1934.The lowest recorded temperature was −39 °F (−39 °C), atMilliganon February 10, 1899,during theGreat Blizzard of 1899.
Although few have registered as noticeable to the average resident, more than 200 earthquakes with amagnitudeof 2.0 or higher have occurred in Ohio since 1776.The Western Ohio Seismic Zone and a portion of theSouthern Great Lakes Seismic Zoneare located in the state, and numerousfaultslie under the surface.
The most substantial known earthquake in Ohio history was theAnna(Shelby County) earthquake,which occurred on March 9, 1937. It was centered in western Ohio, with a magnitude of 5.4, and was ofintensityVIII.
Other significant earthquakes in Ohio include:one of magnitude 4.8 nearLimaon September 19, 1884;one of magnitude 4.2 nearPortsmouthon May 17, 1901;and one of 5.0 inLeRoy Township in Lake Countyon January 31, 1986, which continued to trigger 13 aftershocks of magnitude 0.5 to 2.4 for two months.
Notable Ohio earthquakes in the 21st century include one occurring on December 31, 2011, approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) northwest ofYoungstown,and one occurring on June 10, 2019, approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) north-northwest ofEastlakeunderLake Erie;both registered a 4.0 magnitude.
There are 13metropolitan statistical areasin Ohio, anchored by 16 cities, as defined by the U.S.Office of Management and Budget. Additionally, 30 Ohio cities function as centers ofmicropolitan statistical areas, urban clusters smaller than that of metropolitan areas. Ohio's three largest cities areColumbus,Cleveland, andCincinnati.
Columbus is the capital of the state, near its geographic center, and is well known forOhio State University. In 2019, the city had six corporations named to the U.S. Fortune 500 list:Alliance Data,Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company,American Electric Power,L Brands,Huntington Bancshares, andCardinal Healthin suburbanDublin.Other major employers include hospitals (among others,Wexner Medical CenterandNationwide Children's Hospital), high tech research and development including theBattelle Memorial Institute, information-based companies such asOCLCandChemical Abstracts Service, manufacturerWorthington Industries, and financial institutions such asJPMorgan ChaseandHuntington Bancshares. Fast food chainsWendy'sandWhite Castleare also headquartered in Columbus.
Located inNortheast Ohioalong the Lake Erie shore, Cleveland is characterized by itsNew Englandheritage, ethnic immigrant cultures, and history as a major American manufacturing and healthcare center. It anchors the Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, of which the industrial cities ofAkronandCantonare constituent parts.Mansfield,SanduskyandYoungstownare also major cities in the region. Northeast Ohio is known for major industrial companiesGoodyear Tire and RubberandTimken, top-ranked collegesCase Western Reserve University,Oberlin College, andKent State University, theCleveland Clinic, and cultural attractions including theCleveland Museum of Art, Big Five memberCleveland Orchestra,Cuyahoga Valley National Park,Playhouse Square, thePro Football Hall of Fame, and theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Cincinnatianchors Southwest Ohio and theCincinnati metropolitan area, which also encompasses counties in Kentucky and Indiana. The metropolitan area is home toMiami Universityand theUniversity of Cincinnati,Cincinnati Union Terminal,Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and various Fortune 500 companies, includingProcter & Gamble,Kroger,Macy's, Inc., andFifth Third Bank.DaytonandSpringfieldare in the Miami Valley, which is home to theUniversity of Dayton, theDayton Ballet, and the extensiveWright-Patterson Air Force Base.
ToledoandLimaare the major cities in Northwest Ohio, an area known for its glass-making industry. It is home toOwens CorningandOwens-Illinois, twoFortune 500corporations.
Steubenvilleis the only metropolitan city inAppalachian Ohio, a region known for itsmixed mesophytic forests. Other metropolitan areas that contain cities in Ohio but are primarily in other states include theHuntington, West VirginiaandWheeling, West Virginiaareas. Ohio is the US state with the highest number of cities with the same name as UK cities.
From just over 45,000 residents in 1800, Ohio's population grew faster than 10% per decade (except for the1940 census) until the1970 census, which recorded just over 10.65 million Ohioans.Growth then slowed for the next four decades.TheUnited States Census Bureaucounted 11,808,848 in the2020 census, a 2.4% increase since the2010 United States census.Ohio's population growth lags that of the entire United States, andwhitesare found in a greater density than the U.S. average. As of 2000, Ohio'scenter of populationis located inMorrow County,in thecounty seatofMount Gilead.This is approximately 6,346 feet (1,934 m) south and west of Ohio's population center in 1990.
As of 2011, 27.6% of Ohio's children under the age of 1 belonged to minority groups.Approximately 6.2% of Ohio's population was under five years of age, 23.7% under 18 years of age, and 14.1% were 65 or older; females made up an estimated 51.2% of the population.
According toHUD's 2022Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 10,654homelesspeople in Ohio.
Note: Births in table do not add up because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.
In 2010, there were 469,700 foreign-born residents in Ohio, corresponding to 4.1% of the total population. Of these, 229,049 (2.0%) were naturalizedU.S. citizensand 240,699 (2.1%) were not.The largest groups were:Mexico (54,166), India (50,256), China (34,901), Germany (19,219), Philippines (16,410), United Kingdom (15,917), Canada (14,223), Russia (11,763), South Korea (11,307), and Ukraine (10,681). Though predominantly white, Ohio has large black populations in all major metropolitan areas throughout the state, Ohio has a significant Hispanic population made up of Mexicans in Toledo and Columbus, and Puerto Ricans in Cleveland and Columbus, and also has a significant and diverse Asian population in Columbus.
Ancestry groups (which the census defines as not including racial terms) in the state were:26.5%German, 14.1%Irish, 9.0%English, 6.4%Italian, 3.8%Polish, 2.5%French, 1.9%Scottish, 1.7%Hungarian, 1.6%Dutch, 1.5%Mexican, 1.2%Slovak, 1.1%Welsh, and 1.1%Scotch-Irish. Ancestries claimed by less than 1% of the population includeSub-Saharan African,Puerto Rican,Swiss,Swedish,Arab,Greek,Norwegian,Romanian,Austrian,Lithuanian,Finnish,West Indian,PortugueseandSlovene.
About 6.7% of the population age 5 years and older reported speaking a language other than English, with 2.2% of the population speaking Spanish, 2.6% speaking other Indo-European languages, 1.1% speaking Asian and Austronesian languages, and 0.8% speaking other languages.Numerically: 10,100,586 spokeEnglish, 239,229Spanish, 55,970German, 38,990Chinese, 33,125Arabic, and 32,019French. In addition, 59,881 spoke aSlavic languageand 42,673 spoke anotherWest Germanic languageaccording to the 2010 census.Ohio also had the nation's largest population ofSlovene speakers, second largest ofSlovak speakers, second largest ofPennsylvania Dutch (German) speakers, and the third largest ofSerbian speakers.
According toPublic Religion Research Institute's 2021American Values Survey, 64% of Ohioans identified asChristian. Specifically, 19% of Ohio's population identified asMainline Protestant, 17% asEvangelical Protestant, 7% asHistorically Black Protestant, and 18% asCatholic. Roughly 30% of the population were unaffiliated with any religious body. Small minorities ofJews(2%),Hindus(1%),Jehovah's Witnesses(<1%),Muslims(<1%),Buddhists(<1%),Mormons(<1%), and other faiths exist according to this study.Altogether, those identifying with a religion or spiritual tradition were 70% of the state's population.
Per theAssociation of Religion Data Archives's (ARDA) 2020 study, Christianity remained the predominant religion.Non-denominational Christianity, numbering 1,411,863, were the largest Protestant cohort, although Catholicism remained the single-largest denomination with 1,820,233 adherents.According to the ARDA, in 2010 the largest Christian denominations by adherents were theCatholic Churchwith 1,992,567; theUnited Methodist Churchwith 496,232; theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Americawith 223,253, theSouthern Baptist Conventionwith 171,000, the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ with 141,311, theUnited Church of Christwith 118,000, and thePresbyterian Church (USA)with 110,000.With about 80,000 adherents in 2020, Ohio had thesecond largest Amish populationof all U.S. states, only behind neighboringPennsylvania.
According to aPew Forumpoll in 2014, a majority of Ohioans, 56%, felt religion was "very important", 25% that it was "somewhat important", and 19% that religion was "not too important/not important at all". Among them, 38% of Ohioans indicate that they attend religious services at least once weekly, 32% occasionally, and 30% seldom or never.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the total number of people employed in 2016 was 4,790,178. The total number of unique employer establishments was 252,201, while the total number of non-employer establishments was 785,833.In 2010, Ohio was ranked second in the country for best business climate by Site Selection magazine, based on a business-activity database.The state has also won three consecutive Governor's Cup awards from the magazine, based on business growth and developments.As of 2016, Ohio's gross domestic product (GDP) was $626 billion.This ranks Ohio's economy as the seventh-largest among all 50 states andWashington, D.C.
The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council ranked the state No. 10 for best business-friendly tax systems in their Business Tax Index 2009, including a top corporate tax and capital gains rate that were both ranked No. 6 at 1.9%.Ohio was ranked No. 11 by the council for best friendly-policy states according to their Small Business Survival Index 2009.The Directorship's Boardroom Guide ranked the state No. 13 overall for best business climate, including No. 7 for best litigation climate.Forbes ranked the state No. 8 for best regulatory environment in 2009.Ohio has five of the top 115 colleges in the nation, according toU.S. News & World Report's 2010 rankings,and was ranked No. 8 by the same magazine in 2008 for best high schools.
Ohio'sunemployment ratestands at 4.5% as of February 2018,down from 10.7% in May 2010.The state still lacks 45,000 jobs compared to the pre-recessionnumbers of 2007.The labor force participation as of April 2015 is 63%, slightly above the national average.As of 2023, Ohio's per capita income was $60,402, ranking 38th in the U.S., and the state'smedian household incomewas $65,720.Also in 2023, 13.4% of the population was living below the poverty line.
Themanufacturingandfinancial activitiessectors each compose 18.3% of Ohio's GDP, making them Ohio's largest industries by percentage of GDP.Ohio has the third largest manufacturing workforce behind California and Texas.Ohio has the largest bioscience sector in the Midwest, and is a national leader in the "green" economy. Ohio is the largest producer in the country of plastics, rubber, fabricated metals, electrical equipment, and appliances.5,212,000 Ohioans are currently employed by wage or salary.
By employment, Ohio's largest sector is trade/transportation/utilities, which employs 1,010,000 Ohioans, or 19.4% of Ohio's workforce, while thehealth careand education sector employs 825,000 Ohioans (15.8%).Government employs 787,000 Ohioans (15.1%), manufacturing employs 669,000 Ohioans (12.9%), and professional and technical services employs 638,000 Ohioans (12.2%).Ohio's manufacturing sector is the third-largest of all fifty United States states in terms of gross domestic product.Fifty-nine of the United States' top 1,000 publicly traded companies (by revenue in 2008) are headquartered in Ohio, includingProcter & Gamble,Goodyear Tire & Rubber,AK Steel,Timken,Abercrombie & Fitch, andWendy's.
Ohio is also one of 41 states with its own lottery,theOhio Lottery.As of 2020, the Ohio Lottery has contributed more than $26 billion to education beginning in 1974.
Income inequalityin Ohio, both before and after taxes, has risen significantly since the 1970s.Ohio's overall income grew in Ohio from 2009 to 2012, with an overall 7.1% increase in income growth. The top 1% had a 37.0% in income growth, while the bottom 99% grew their income by only 2.3%. The top 1% accounted for 71.9% of the overall shared income during this period.The burden ofincome taxfalls disproportionately on lower-incometax brackets. In 2018, the bottom 20% of earners contributed 12.3% of their income towards various taxes, while the top 1% only paid 6.5%.
Ohio is home to 30 art institutions, including the Columbus Museum of Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, and other entities. The full list includes:
TheCincinnati Art Museumholds over 100,000 works spanning 6,000 years of human history, being among the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest. Among its notable collections are works by Master of San Baudelio, Jorge Ingles,Sandro Botticelli(Judith with Head of Holofernes),Matteo di Giovanni,Domenico Tintoretto(Portrait of Venetian dux Marino Grimani),Mattia Preti,Bernardo Strozzi,Frans Hals,Bartolomé Esteban Murillo(St. Thomas of Villanueva),Peter Paul Rubens(Samson and Delilah) andAert van der Neer. The collection also includes works byJean-Baptiste-Camille Corot,Pierre-Auguste Renoir,Camille Pissarro,Claude Monet(Rocks At Belle Isle), andPablo Picasso. The museum also has a large collection of paintings by American painterFrank Duveneck(Elizabeth B. Duveneck).
TheCleveland Museum of Artis internationally renowned for its substantial holdings ofAsianandEgyptian art, and has a permanent collection of more than 61,000 works from around the world.It is the fourth-wealthiest art museum in the United States.
TheColumbus Museum of Artholds nineteenth and early twentieth-century American and European art, including earlyCubistpaintings byPablo PicassoandJuan Gris, works byFrançois Boucher,Paul Cézanne,Mary Cassatt,Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres,Edgar Degas,Henri Matisse,Claude Monet,Edward Hopper, andNorman Rockwell, and installations byMel Chin,Josiah McElheny,Susan Philipsz, andAllan Sekula. Also in Columbus, theBilly Ireland Cartoon Library & Museumcollection includes 450,000 original cartoons, 36,000 books, 51,000 serial titles, and 3,000 feet (910 m) of manuscript materials, plus 2.5 million comic strip clippings and tear sheets, making it the largest research library for cartoon art.
Youngstown'sButler Institute of American Artwas the first museum dedicated exclusively toAmerican art.
Playhouse Squarein downtown Cleveland is the nation's second-largest performing arts center, home to ten theaters.TheColumbus Association for the Performing Artsmanages seven historic Columbus area theaters.
Buckeyesare a variation of standardpeanut butter cupspopular in Ohio. Coated in chocolate with a partially exposed center of peanut butter fudge, the candy resembles the appearance of the nut that grows on thestate tree, commonly known as the buckeye. TheKlondike baroriginated in Mansfield in 1922.Dum Dums lollipopswere originally produced inBellevue, Ohioin 1924, and have been made bySpangler Candy CompanyinBryan, Ohiosince 1953.
Cincinnati-style chiliis a Greek-inspired meat sauce used as a topping for spaghetti or hot dogs. Additionally, red beans, chopped onions, and shredded cheese are offered as extra toppings referred to as "ways."German immigrants in Cincinnati inventedgoetta, a breakfast sausage made of meat scraps, spices, and oats. It is typically eaten fried.
ThePolish Boy, “the signature sandwich of Cleveland”,is akielbasasausage topped with coleslaw, French fries, and barbecue sauce and served on a bun.
Johnny Marzettiis acasseroledish thought to have originated from Columbus and consisting of some variation of noodles, ground beef, tomatoes, and cheese.
Ohio has hosted nationwidefast foodcompanies, including the firstArby's,Buffalo Wild Wings,Stewart's,andWendy's;the latter is headquartered inDublin, Ohio. The hamburger chainWhite Castleis also based in Columbus.
TheRock and Roll Hall of Fameand theRhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fameare both located in Cleveland. Clevelanddisc jockeyAlan Freedis credited with coining the term and promotingrock and rollin the early 1950s. Cincinnati is home to theAmerican Classical Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Six Ohio musicians are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members,Dave Grohl(NirvanaandFoo Fighters),the Isley Brothers,Nine Inch Nails,Bobby Womack,Benjamin Orr(The Cars), andChrissie Hynde(The Pretenders), in addition to Alan Freed.
Other popular musicians from Ohio includeMamie Smith,Dean Martin,Tyler JosephandJosh DunofTwenty One Pilots,Frankie Yankovic,Doris Day,the McGuire Sisters,Howard Hewett,Shirley Murdock,Boz Scaggs,John Legend,Marilyn Manson,Starset,Dan AuerbachandPatrick Carneyofthe Black Keys,Griffin Layne,Joe Dolce,Kid Cudi,William "Bootsy" Collins, Stephanie Eulinberg ofKid Rock'sTwisted Brown TruckerBand, andDevo.
TheCleveland Orchestrais one of the historicBig Five orchestrasin the U.S. and considered among the best worldwide.Many other Ohio cities are home to their own orchestras, includingAkron,Blue Ash,Canton,Cincinnati,Columbus,Dayton,Toledo, andYoungstown. Cincinnati is home to its ownballet,symphony orchestra,pops orchestra, andopera, all housed at theCincinnati Music Hall. Dayton is also home to a ballet, orchestra, and opera, collectively known as theDayton Performing Arts Alliance.
Within the marching arts,Winter Guard Internationalhas hosted national championships in performing arts at theUniversity of Dayton18 times between 1983 and 2003, and has permanently since 2005. TheBluecoats Drum and Bugle Corpsare Ohio's highest fieldingdrum corps, competing in theDrum Corps InternationalWorld Class circuit out of Canton.
Ohio is home to eight professional sports teams across the five differentmajor leaguesin the United States. Current teams include theCincinnati RedsandCleveland GuardiansofMajor League Baseball,theColumbus CrewandFC CincinnatiofMajor League Soccer,theCleveland Cavaliersof theNational Basketball Association,theCincinnati BengalsandCleveland Brownsof theNational Football League,and theColumbus Blue Jacketsof theNational Hockey League.
Ohio has brought home sevenWorld Seriestitles (Reds 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990; Indians 1920, 1948), threeMLS Cups(Crew2008,2020,2023), oneNBA Championship(Cavaliers 2016), and nineNFL Championships(Pros 1920;Bulldogs 1922,1923,1924;Rams 1945; Browns1950,1954,1955,1964). Despite this success in theNFLin the first half of the 20th century, no Ohio team has won theSuper Bowlsince its inception in1967. No Ohio team has made an appearance in theStanley Cup Finals.
Ohio played a central role in the development of both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Baseball's first fully professional team, theCincinnati Red Stockingsof 1869, were organized in Ohio.An informal early-20th-century American football association, theOhio League, was the direct predecessor of the modern NFL, although neither of Ohio's modern NFL franchises trace their roots to an Ohio League club. The NFL itself was founded inCantonin 1920 as the American Professional Football Conference.The first official game occurred on October 3, 1920, when theDayton Trianglesbeat theColumbus Panhandles14–0 in Dayton.Canton was enshrined as the home of thePro Football Hall of Famein 1963.
On a smaller scale, Ohio hostsminor league baseball,arena football,indoor football, mid-level hockey, and lower division soccer.
TheMid-Ohio Sports Car Coursehas hosted several auto racing championships, includingCART World Series,IndyCar Series, NASCARNationwide Series,Can-Am,Formula 5000,IMSA GT Championship,American Le Mans SeriesandRolex Sports Car Series. TheGrand Prix of Clevelandalso hosted CART races from 1982 to 2007. TheEldora Speedwayis a major dirt oval that hosts NASCARCamping World Truck Series,World of OutlawsSprint Cars andUSAC Silver Crown Seriesraces.
Ohio hosts twoPGA Tourevents, theWGC-Bridgestone InvitationalandMemorial Tournament. TheCincinnati Openis anATP World Tour Masters 1000andWTA 1000tennis tournament.
Ohio has eightNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivisioncollege football teams, divided among three differentconferences. It has also experienced considerable success in the secondary and tertiary tiers of college football divisions.
There are two programs in thePower Five conferences; theOhio State Buckeyesof theBig Ten Conferenceand theCincinnati Bearcatsof theBig 12 Conference. TheOhio State Buckeyes footballteam is second in all-time winning percentage, with a 977–335–53 overall record and a 30–29bowl recordas of2024. The program has produced sevenHeisman Trophywinners, forty-one conference titles, and nine undisputed national championships. Themen's basketballprogram has appeared in theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament27 times.
TheCincinnati Bearcats men's basketballteam has over 1,800 wins and 33March Madnessappearances, whilst theBearcats footballteam became the firstso-called "Group of Five"team to qualify to theCollege Football Playoffin 2022.
In the Group of Five conferences, six teams are represented in theMid-American Conference: theAkron Zips,Bowling Green Falcons,Kent State Golden Flashes,Miami RedHawks,Ohio Bobcatsand theToledo Rockets. The MAC headquarters are in Cleveland. TheCincinnati–Miamirivalry game has been played in southwest Ohio every year since 1888 and is the oldest current non-conferenceNCAA footballrivalry. Other Division I schools, either part of theNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivisionor not fielding in football include theCleveland State Vikings,Xavier Musketeers,Wright State Raiders, andYoungstown State Penguins. Xavier'smen's basketballhas performed particularly well, with 27March Madnessappearances. Youngstown State'sfootballhas the third mostNCAA Division I Football Championshipwins, with 3.
There are 12NCAA Division IIuniversities and 22NCAA Division IIIuniversities in Ohio.
The state government of Ohio consists of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
The executive branch is headed by thegovernor of Ohio.The current governor isMike DeWinesince 2019, a member of theRepublican Party.Alieutenant governorsucceeds the governor in the event of any removal from office, and performs any duties assigned by the governor.The current lieutenant governor isJim Tressel. The other elected constitutional offices in the executive branch are thesecretary of state(Frank LaRose),auditor(Keith Faber),treasurer(Robert Sprague), andattorney general(Dave Yost).There are 21 state administrative departments in the executive branch.
TheOhio General Assemblyis abicamerallegislature consisting of theSenateandHouse of Representatives.The Senate is composed of 33 districts, each of which is represented by one senator. Each senator represents approximately 330,000constituents.The House of Representatives has 99 members.The Republican Party is the majority party in both houses as of the2022 election cycle.
In order to be enacted into law, a bill must be adopted by both houses of the General Assembly and signed by the governor. If the governor vetoes a bill, the General Assembly can override the veto with a three-fifths supermajority of both houses. A bill will also become a law if the governor fails to sign or veto it within 10 days of its being presented. Thesession lawsare published in the officialLaw of Ohio.These in turn have beencodifiedin theOhio Revised Code.The General Assembly, with the approval of the governor, draws the U.S. congressional district lines for Ohio's 16 seats in theUnited States House of Representatives. TheOhio Apportionment Boarddraws state legislative district lines in Ohio.
There are three levels of the Ohio statejudiciary. The lowest is the court of common pleas: each county maintains its own constitutionally mandated court of common pleas, which maintain jurisdiction over "all justiciable matters".The intermediate-level court system is the district court system.Twelve courts of appeals exist, each retaining jurisdiction over appeals from common pleas, municipal, and county courts in a set geographical area.A case heard in this system is decided by a three-judge panel, and each judge is elected.
The state's highest-ranking court is theOhio Supreme Court.A seven-justice panel composes the court, which, by its owndiscretion, hears appeals from the courts of appeals, and retains original jurisdiction over limited matters.
There are also several levels of local government in Ohio:counties, municipalities (citiesandvillages),townships, special districts, and school districts.
Ohio is divided into 88 counties.Ohio law defines a structure for county government, although they may adopt charters for home rule.Summit CountyandCuyahoga Countyhave chosen an alternate form of government. The other counties have a government with a three-member board of county commissioners,a sheriff,coroner,auditor,treasurer,clerk of the court of common pleasprosecutor,engineer,and recorder.
There are two kinds of incorporated municipalities, 251 cities and 681 villages.If a municipality has five thousand or more residents as of the lastUnited States Censusit is a city, otherwise it is a village.Municipalities have full home rule powers, may adopt a charter, ordinances and resolutions for self-government.Each municipality chooses its own form of government, but most have elected mayors and city councils or city commissions. City governments provide much more extensive services than county governments, such as police forces and paid (as opposed to volunteer) fire departments.
The entire area of the state is encompassed by townships.When the boundaries of a township are coterminous with the boundaries of a city or village, the township ceases to exist as a separate government (called apaper township).Townships are governed by a three-member board of township trustees.Townships may have limited home rule powers.
There are more than 600 city, local, and exempted village school districts providing K-12 education in Ohio, as well as about four dozen joint vocation school districts, which are separate from the K-12 districts. Each city school district, local school district, or exempted village school district is governed by an elected board of education.A school district previously under state supervision (municipal school district) may be governed by a board whose members either are elected or appointed by the mayor of the municipality containing the greatest portion of the district's area.
HistorianR. Douglas Hurtasserts that not sinceVirginia"had a state made such a mark on national political affairs" as Ohio.The Economistnotes that "This slice of the mid-west contains a bit of everything American—part north-eastern and part southern, part urban and part rural, part hardscrabble poverty and part booming suburb".
Ohio is considered a moderatelyRepublican-leaning state politically.It had been aswing statein the late 20th and early 21st centuries; this status was called into question after the state voted for RepublicanDonald Trumpat larger margins than the nation as a whole in the2016,2020and2024 presidential elections.It is also considered abellwetherstate.Since1896, Ohio has had only three misses in the general election (1944,1960,2020) and had the longest perfect streak of any state, voting for the winning presidential candidate in each election from1964to2016and in 34 of the 39 held since theAmerican Civil War. No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio.
As of 2024, there are more than 8 million registered Ohioan voters, of which over 70% are not affiliated with any political party. They are disproportionate in age, with a million more over 65 than there are 18- to 24-year-olds.Since the2010 midterm elections, Ohio's voter demographic has leaned towards the Republican Party.
The governor,Mike DeWine, is Republican, as are all other non-judicial statewide elected officials. In theOhio State Senatethe Republicans are the majority, 25–8, and in theOhio House of Representativesthe Republicans control the delegation 64–35.
Following the 2020 census, Ohio has 15 seats in theU.S. House of Representatives.As of the2024 election cycle, ten federal representatives are Republicans while five are Democrats.Marcy Kaptur(D-09) is the most senior member of the Ohio delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.Thesenior U.S. senatorisBernie Morenoand the junior isJon Husted. Both are Republicans.
Six U.S. presidents hailed from Ohio at the time of their elections, giving rise to its nickname "mother of presidents", a sobriquet it shares withVirginia. It is also termed "modern mother of presidents", in contrast to Virginia's status as the origin of presidents earlier in American history. Virginia-bornWilliam Henry Harrisonlived much of his life inNorth Bend, Ohio, was elected from the state and is also buried there. The other five presidents areRutherford B. Hayes,James A. Garfield,William McKinley,William Howard TaftandWarren G. Harding.Seven presidents were born in Ohio, making it second to Virginia's eight; in addition to the aforementioned five,Ulysses S. Grantwas elected fromIllinoisandBenjamin Harrisonwas elected fromIndiana.
In a 2020 study, Ohio was ranked as the 17th hardest state for citizens to vote in.Since 1994, the state has had a policy of purging infrequent voters from its rolls. In April 2016, a lawsuit was filed, challenging this policy on the grounds that it violated theNational Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993and theHelp America Vote Act of 2002.In June, the federal district court ruled for the plaintiffs and entered a preliminary injunction applicable only to the November 2016 election. The preliminary injunction was upheld in September by theCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Had it not been upheld, thousands of voters would have been purged from the rolls just a few weeks before the election.
Ohio's system ofpublic educationis outlined in Article VI of thestate constitution, and in Title XXXIII of theOhio Revised Code. Substantively, Ohio's system is similar to those found inother states. At the State level, theOhio Department of Educationgoverns primary and secondary educational institutions. At the municipal level, there are approximately 700 school districts statewide. TheOhio Board of Regentscoordinates and assists with Ohio's institutions of higher education.
Ohio is home to several public and private institutions of higher learning. Prior to statehood, theNorthwest Ordinanceof 1787 included a provision to establish an institution of higher education in the region, resulting in the establishment ofOhio Universityin 1804 as Ohio's first college.TheUniversity System of Ohioincludes all of Ohio's public institutions of higher education. It includes 14 four-yearresearch universities, 24 branch and regional campuses, and 23community collegesandtechnical colleges.Ohio State Universityis the largest of the system, with over 60,000 students at its main campus in Columbus.
Kenyon Collegeis the state's oldest privateliberal arts college, established in 1824 by anEpiscopal bishopto train clergy on the Ohio frontier.Oberlin College, established in 1833, was among the earliest colleges in the US to admit African Americans in 1835, and became the first to admit women in 1837.
TheCarnegie Foundationclassifies five of the state's institutions as tier 1research universities:Case Western Reserve University,Kent State University, Ohio State University, Ohio University, and theUniversity of Cincinnati.
Ohio is home to some of the nation's highest-ranked public libraries.Major metropolitan public library systems include theCleveland Public Library, theCuyahoga County Public Library, theCincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, and theColumbus Metropolitan Library. TheOhio Public Library Information Networkprovides Ohio residents with internet access to their 251 public libraries. It also provides Ohioans with free home access to high-quality, subscription research databases.
TheOhioLINKlibrary consortium provides Ohio's college and university libraries with mutual access to their collections. The program allows researchers access to books and other media that might not be otherwise available.CLEVNET, another major library consortium, is based at the Cleveland Public Library and includes 47 public library systems in Northeast Ohio.
Many major east–west transportation corridors go through Ohio. One of those pioneer routes, known in the early 20th century as "Main Market Route 3", was chosen in 1913 to become part of the historicLincoln Highwaywhich was the first road across America, connecting New York City to San Francisco. In Ohio, the Lincoln Highway linked many towns and cities together, includingCanton,Mansfield,Wooster,Lima, andVan Wert. The Lincoln Highway's arrival in Ohio was a major influence on the state's development. Upon the advent of the federal numbered highway system in 1926, the Lincoln Highway through Ohio becameU.S. Route 30.
Ohio is home to 228 miles (367 km) of theNational Road, nowU.S. Route 40.
Ohio has a highly developed network of roads and interstate highways. Major east-west through routes include theOhio Turnpike(I-80/I-90) in the north,I-76throughAkrontoPennsylvania,I-70throughColumbusandDayton, and theAppalachian Highway(State Route 32) running fromWest VirginiatoCincinnati. Major north–south routes includeI-75in the west throughToledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati,I-71through the middle of the state fromClevelandthrough Columbus and Cincinnati intoKentucky, andI-77in the eastern part of the state from Cleveland through Akron,Canton,New PhiladelphiaandMariettasouth into West Virginia. Interstate 75 between Cincinnati and Dayton is one of Ohio's most heavily traveled sections of interstate.
Ohio has a highly developed network of signed state bicycle routes. Many of them followrail trails, with conversion ongoing. TheOhio to Erie Trail(route 1) connects Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland.U.S. Bicycle Route 50traverses Ohio fromSteubenvilleto the Indiana state line outsideRichmond.
Ohio has several long-distance hiking trails, the most prominent of which is theBuckeye Trail, which extends 1,444 mi (2,324 km) in a loop around the state. Part of it is on roads and part on wooded trail. Additionally, theNorth Country Trail(the longest of the 11National Scenic Trailsauthorized byCongress) and theAmerican Discovery Trail(a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast route across the mid-tier of theUnited States) pass through Ohio. Much of these two trails coincide with the Buckeye Trail.
Ohio has an extensive rail network, though today most lines carry only freight traffic. ThreeClass Ifreight railroads operate in Ohio:CSX Transportation,Norfolk Southern Railway, andCanadian National Railway. Many local freight carriers also exist in the state.
Amtrak, the national passenger railroad, operates three long-distance rail routes through Ohio. TheLake Shore LimitedservesCleveland,Elyria,Toledo,Sandusky, andBryan. TheCapitol Limitedstops in those cities as well as inAlliance. TheCardinalservesCincinnati Union Terminal. From Ohio, passengers can ride directly toChicago,New York,Boston,Washington, D.C.,Indianapolis,Pittsburgh,Buffalo, and dozens of destinations in-between.
Columbus is the largest city in the U.S. with no passenger rail. ItsUnion Stationwas last served in 1979 by theNational Limited.
Ohio is home to severalscenic railwaysand museums, including theCuyahoga Valley Scenic RailroadthroughCuyahoga Valley National Park, theAge of Steam Roundhousemuseum, and theHocking Valley Scenic RailwaynearHocking Hills State Park.
Mass transit exists in many forms in Ohio cities, primarily through bus systems. TheGreater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority(GCRTA) operates theRTA Rapid Transitsystem, which consists of one heavy rail line, threelight raillines, and threebus rapid transitlines. Cincinnati is served by theSouthwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority(SORTA) bus network as well as a 3.6-mile (5.8 km)streetcarline, theCincinnati Bell Connector. Other major transit agencies in Ohio include theCentral Ohio Transit Authority(COTA) serving Columbus and theGreater Dayton Regional Transit Authority(GDRTA) serving Dayton.
Ohio has four international airports, four commercial, and two military. The four international includeCleveland Hopkins International Airport,John Glenn Columbus International Airport,Dayton International Airport, andRickenbacker International Airport(one of two military airfields). The other military airfield isWright Patterson Air Force Basewhich is one of the largest Air Force bases in the United States. Other major airports are inToledoandAkron. Cincinnati's main airport,Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, is inHebron, Kentucky, and therefore is not included in Ohio airport lists.
40°N83°W﻿ / ﻿40°N 83°W﻿ /40; -83﻿ (State of Ohio)