Ohio Summary

Because its north-central location makes it a strategic crossroads of the nation, Ohio attracted settlers from all parts of the country, and has developed a culture significant for its diversity. It is known as “The Buckeye State” because of the buckeye trees in the forests that once covered the land. Ohio is important agriculturally; it sits between two principal waterways — Lake Erie in the north and the Ohio River in the south — and is close to natural resources, power, transportation, and markets. Glacier-smooth in the north and hilly in the south, Ohio’s green meadows and valleys are dotted by the smokestacks of industry.

With more than 11 million residents, it is the seventh most populous state. It is 44,828 square miles in area, making it the 35th-largest state in size. Ohio’s name is taken from the Iroquois word meaning “great river,” and the state has produced many great men, including inventor Thomas Edison, astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, and eight presidents — William Harrison, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, McKinley,Taft, and Harding.

The earliest inhabitants built more than 10,000 mounds, many of them striking looking effigy mounds. More recent architecture is eclectic. Ohio ranks third in the country for the number of sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ohio’s industries carry across the eight major cities in the state, and include the construction of motor vehicles and equipment, steel and metal products, and tires and other rubber goods. Ohio is also a leader in the manufacture of business machines, business tools, and road-building and ear thmoving equipment.

Potteries are important to eastern Ohio. Lime, sand, gravel, and coal have figured prominently in Ohio’s industrial history. There are plenty of cows, too, as well as soybeans, wheat, corn, vegetables, fruit, and greenhouse and nursery products.