Newton Falls is a village in southwestern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,557 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. The city takes its name from the two sets of waterfalls within the village, each on different branches of the Mahoning River. The city is known for its notable ZIP code (44444) and for its covered bridge, which is the second oldest in the state of Ohio.[6]
History
It is believed that early property owners of Newton Township spent time in Newtown, Connecticut before departing for the Ohio Country and that the name Newton may be a corruption of Newtown.[7] The village's name stems from its location on the falls on the Mahoning River. It grew in to a home of the steel manufacturing industry, as did much of the region, aided by its location along the river and the proximity of the nearby Ravenna Training and Logistics Site.[8]
On May 31, 1985, an F5 tornado struck the city as part of the 1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak, a deadly series of tornadoes that swept through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario. The tornado that hit Newton Falls was the only F5 in Ohio that day, and damaged most of the downtown, destroying many homes and businesses,[9] and damaging the senior and junior high schools (it destroyed the gymnasium and rendered the junior high unusable). There were between 70 and 80 injuries, and 400 families were left homeless.[10][11] The Ohio Army National Guard credited warning sirens for the lack of fatalities.[10][12] A monument was erected in 2022 memorializing the devastation. It is situated at the corner of Broad and Center Streets.
On July 6, 2012, the city was shaken by a shooting rampage in the East River Gardens apartment complex. Robert Brazzon murdered four people, including a 15-year-old boy, before taking his own life in a city cemetery.[13]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.39 square miles (6.19 km2), of which 2.31 square miles (5.98 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2) is water.[2]
The Mahoning River flows through Newton Falls.
Demographics
Historical population
Census Pop. Note %±
1880 575 —
1890 698 21.4%
1900 732 4.9%
1910 757 3.4%
1920 1,100 45.3%
1930 3,458 214.4%
1940 3,120 −9.8%
1950 4,451 42.7%
1960 5,038 13.2%
1970 5,378 6.7%
1980 4,960 −7.8%
1990 4,866 −1.9%
2000 5,002 2.8%
2010 4,795 −4.1%
2020 4,557 −5.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
2010 census
As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 4,795 people, 2,064 households, and 1,236 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,075.8 inhabitants per square mile (801.5/km2). There were 2,395 housing units at an average density of 1,036.8 per square mile (400.3/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.6% White, 0.8% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.
There were 2,064 households, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.1% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.98.
The median age in the village was 40 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.
2000 census
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 5,002 people, 2,171 households, and 1,346 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,193.1 inhabitants per square mile (846.8/km2). There were 2,376 housing units at an average density of 1,041.7 per square mile (402.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.10% White, 0.38% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.
There were 2,171 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $32,827, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $34,067 versus $21,992 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,039. About 8.1% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Covered Bridge
Newton Falls Covered Bridge.
Newton Falls is home to the early 19th-century Newton Falls covered bridge, which was constructed over the Mahoning River in 1831. A walkway was added to the side of the bridge in 1921–1922. In 1985 the bridge was repaired after being damaged by the Niles/Wheatland tornado.[15] In December 2007 the bridge was reopened after a two-year restoration funded by government grants. In July 2009 a delivery truck damaged the bridge and rendered it out of service until repairs could be made. It reopened in 2010.[16] The Newton Falls bridge is considered the second oldest existing covered bridge in Ohio, the oldest covered bridge in use on its original site, the only covered bridge in the state with a covered crosswalk, and the last surviving covered bridge in Trumbull County. Built on the Town Lattice truss plan, the bridge is 123 feet long and twenty-four feet wide. It has a clear span of 101 1/2 feet and a sixteen-foot-wide roadway.[6]
Fourth of July festivities
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The village last celebrated Dicker Days in 2021. It holds the largest Fourth of July Festivities in the county, which have been annual since 1946. The normally sleepy little town brings in up to 40,000 spectators to view the Parade and Fireworks, as well as a week-long carnival with entertainment provided by the Newton Falls Fourth of July Festivities Committee which is made up entirely of volunteers. The committee raises money for the fireworks through a Car Show, Bike Show, and 10,000 Dollar Raffle, in addition to donations.
Government
The village post office, bearing the notable ZIP code 44444.
The village government consists of five elected city councilmen (each representing different wards), an elected mayor (who serves on the council and votes in the event of a tie), and a village manager. The council meets on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm in the Council Chambers of the administration building.[17]
Mayor: Ken Kline (term expires December 31, 2023)[17]
Ward 1: Gideon "Bud" Fetterolf (term expires December 31, 2023)[17]
Ward 2: John Baryak (term expires December 31, 2023)[17]
Ward 3: Tesa Spletzer (term expires July 11, 2023)[17]
Ward 4: Christopher Granchie (term expires December 31, 2023)[17]
At-Large: Julie Stimpert (term expires December 31, 2025)[17]
Village Manager: Pamela Priddy (interim, term expires end of 2023)[18]
Law Director: Bradric Bryan [18]
Finance Director: Sean Housley (interim) [18]
Village Clerk: Michael Acomb [18]
Education
Newton Falls High School
Newton Falls is served by the Newton Falls Exempted Village Schools district. The current schools serving Newton Falls include:
Newton Falls Elementary/Middle School – grades K-5
Newton Falls Junior/Senior High School – grades 6-12
Media
Newspapers
The Bridge (defunct)
The Newton Falls Herald (defunct)
The Review
The Weekly Villager
Transportation
Major highways that pass through the village include:
Interstate 80
State Route 5
State Route 534
The Baltimore & Ohio's Pittsburgh to Chicago main line ran through the town.[19] "The Tower", a historic train station, was demolished in 2011 after suffering extensive damage in a train derailment.[20]
Notable people
Clara Louise Bell, artist[21]
Patricia Cooksey, horse jockey
Edward H. Ives, Wisconsin State Senator
Jack Kucek, major league baseball player
Earnie Shavers, heavyweight boxing contender
Trumbull County is a county in the far northeast portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 201,977.[2] Its county seat and largest city is Warren, which developed industry along the Mahoning River.[3] Trumbull County is part of the Youngstown–Warren, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
In the early years of the European discovery and exploration of the New World, the land that became Trumbull County was originally claimed by French explorers as part of the French colony of Canada (New France). Their settlements had some fur traders who interacted with Native American tribes in this area. After losing the Seven Years' War to Great Britain, France was forced to cede its territories east of the Mississippi River in 1763. Great Britain renamed New France as the Province of Quebec.
Following the United States' victory in its Revolutionary War, the British were forced to cede this land to the new nation. The federal government convinced Connecticut to give up its claim to the land, but it was known as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve in the Northwest Territory. Connecticut retained sovereignty over some of the eastern portion of what became Ohio, selling this area in 1795 to the Connecticut Land Company, a speculative private development firm. As first organized, Trumbull County consisted of the entire area of the Connecticut Western Reserve before population increased, and it was divided into smaller counties. The county's main city, Warren, was originally founded as the capitol of the Western Reserve territory.[4] No Native American settlements have ever formally been identified in Trumbull County, however artifacts are uncovered often. Before 1600, the area was ambiguously between the territories of the Erie people to the east and the Whittlesey Culture to the west. It is currently unknown precisely where one tribe's territory ended and the other began. After the Beaver Wars, the area was frequented by travelling Lenape, Wyandot, Shawnee and Seneca, who all had settlements nearby for a time and shared the valley's animal, food and medicinal resources. They also regularly panned for salt in the marshes.
The county is named for Jonathan Trumbull, Governor of Connecticut, who once owned the land in this region.[5] Early settlements were made along the Mahoning River and other waterways, which provided transportation access and water power to the industries that developed later in the 19th century.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 637 square miles (1,650 km2), of which 618 square miles (1,600 km2) is land and 18 square miles (47 km2) (2.9%) is water.[6] It is approximately a square with sides of 25 miles; it is the only square county in Ohio.[7]
Adjacent counties
Ashtabula County (north)
Crawford County, Pennsylvania (northeast)
Mercer County, Pennsylvania (east)
Mahoning County (south)
Portage County (southwest)
Geauga County (northwest)
Major highways
US 62
US 422
SR 5
SR 7
SR 11
SR 45
SR 46
SR 82
SR 87
SR 88
SR 169
SR 193
SR 304
SR 305
Demographics
Historical population
Census Pop. Note %±
1800 1,302 —
1810 8,671 566.0%
1820 15,546 79.3%
1830 26,153 68.2%
1840 38,107 45.7%
1850 30,490 −20.0%
1860 30,656 0.5%
1870 38,659 26.1%
1880 44,880 16.1%
1890 42,373 −5.6%
1900 46,591 10.0%
1910 52,766 13.3%
1920 83,920 59.0%
1930 123,063 46.6%
1940 132,315 7.5%
1950 158,915 20.1%
1960 208,526 31.2%
1970 232,579 11.5%
1980 241,863 4.0%
1990 227,813 −5.8%
2000 225,116 −1.2%
2010 210,312 −6.6%
2020 201,977 −4.0%
2021 (est.) 201,335 [8] −0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[2]
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 210,312 people, 86,011 households, and 56,874 families living in the county.[13] The population density was 340.1 inhabitants per square mile (131.3/km2). There were 96,163 housing units at an average density of 155.5 units per square mile (60.0 units/km2).[14] The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% white, 8.3% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population.[13] In terms of ancestry, 21.6% were German, 16.5% were American, 14.3% were Irish, 13.7% were Italian, and 10.6% were English.[15]
Of the 86,011 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.9% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 42.8 years.[13]
The median income for a household in the county was $42,296 and the median income for a family was $52,731. Males had a median income of $43,382 versus $30,859 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,854. About 11.5% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.[16]
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 225,116 people, 89,020 households, and 61,690 families living in the county. The population density was 365 inhabitants per square mile (141/km2). There were 95,117 housing units at an average density of 154 units per square mile (59 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.21% White, 7.90% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 94.6% spoke English and 1.0% German as their first language.
There were 89,020 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.90% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,298, and the median income for a family was $46,203. Males had a median income of $36,823 versus $24,443 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,188. About 7.90% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Trumbull County was historically a Democratic stronghold; in 2016, however, Donald Trump won the county by a reasonably comfortable margin of 6.22%, being the first Republican to win the county since Richard Nixon in 1972.[17] Trump expanded his margin in the county to 10.6 points in 2020.[18]
United States presidential election results for Trumbull County, Ohio[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. % No. % No. %
2020 55,194 54.57% 44,519 44.01% 1,439 1.42%
2016 49,024 50.71% 43,014 44.49% 4,638 4.80%
2012 38,279 37.54% 61,672 60.48% 2,012 1.97%
2008 40,164 37.44% 64,145 59.80% 2,962 2.76%
2004 40,977 37.89% 66,673 61.65% 495 0.46%
2000 34,654 36.01% 57,643 59.90% 3,942 4.10%
1996 24,811 26.19% 55,604 58.69% 14,330 15.12%
1992 25,831 24.01% 54,591 50.73% 27,184 25.26%
1988 38,815 39.51% 58,674 59.72% 761 0.77%
1984 45,623 44.18% 56,902 55.11% 734 0.71%
1980 41,056 44.15% 44,366 47.70% 7,580 8.15%
1976 36,469 39.41% 53,828 58.16% 2,247 2.43%
1972 47,680 55.92% 35,278 41.37% 2,308 2.71%
1968 33,076 39.97% 40,365 48.77% 9,319 11.26%
1964 27,059 33.24% 54,342 66.76% 0 0.00%
1960 40,724 46.46% 46,928 53.54% 0 0.00%
1956 43,936 57.17% 32,913 42.83% 0 0.00%
1952 37,793 49.17% 39,062 50.83% 0 0.00%
1948 25,297 39.91% 37,097 58.52% 998 1.57%
1944 25,150 42.30% 34,312 57.70% 0 0.00%
1940 25,026 41.96% 34,615 58.04% 0 0.00%
1936 16,887 33.55% 32,384 64.34% 1,058 2.10%
1932 23,029 53.66% 17,871 41.64% 2,013 4.69%
1928 29,710 75.80% 9,110 23.24% 374 0.95%
1924 22,341 74.35% 4,007 13.33% 3,701 12.32%
1920 17,343 68.66% 6,815 26.98% 1,101 4.36%
1916 6,167 47.15% 6,091 46.57% 822 6.28%
1912 2,633 23.15% 3,347 29.42% 5,395 47.43%
1908 6,978 58.00% 4,476 37.20% 577 4.80%
1904 7,383 68.37% 2,110 19.54% 1,306 12.09%
1900 7,723 65.71% 3,686 31.36% 344 2.93%
1896 7,867 66.23% 3,829 32.24% 182 1.53%
1892 5,819 59.45% 3,217 32.87% 752 7.68%
1888 6,299 62.47% 3,177 31.51% 607 6.02%
1884 6,521 65.35% 3,000 30.07% 457 4.58%
1880 6,796 66.39% 3,148 30.75% 293 2.86%
1876 6,133 63.77% 3,030 31.51% 454 4.72%
1872 5,869 70.68% 2,321 27.95% 114 1.37%
1868 5,338 69.77% 2,313 30.23% 0 0.00%
1864 5,093 72.83% 1,900 27.17% 0 0.00%
1860 4,349 69.22% 1,672 26.61% 262 4.17%
1856 4,049 67.63% 1,920 32.07% 18 0.30%
Government
County officials
County officials
Party Name Position
D Mauro Cantalamessa Commissioner
R Niki Frenchko Commissioner
R Denny Malloy Commissioner
R Martha Yoder Auditor
D Karen Infante Allen Clerk of Courts
D Lawrence M. D'Amico Coroner
D Randy L. Smith Engineer
D Dennis Watkins Prosecuting Attorney
D Tod Latell Recorder
D Paul S. Monroe Sheriff
D Sam Lamancusa Treasurer
Judicial representation
Judgeships
Party Name Position
D Andrew D. Logan Court of Common Pleas
D Ronald J. Rice Court of Common Pleas
D Cynthia Wescott Rice Court of Common Pleas
D Sean J. O'Brien Court of Common Pleas
D Sandra Stabile Harwood Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division
D Samuel F. Bluedorn Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division
D James A. Fredericka Court of Common Pleas Probate Court
R Thomas A. Campbell County Municipal Court, Central District
I Marty D. Nosich County Municipal Court, Eastern District
D Jeffrey D. Adler Girard Municipal Court
D Philip M. Vigorito Newton Falls Municipal Court
D Christopher J. Shaker Niles Municipal Court
D Thomas P. Gysegem Warren Municipal Court
R Terry F. Ivanchak Warren Municipal Court
D Mary Jane Trapp 11th District Court of Appeals
R Matt Lynch 11th District Court of Appeals
R John J. Eklund 11th District Court of Appeals
R Eugene A. Lucci 11th District Court of Appeals
Legislative representation
Legislators
Party Name District Body
R Nick Santucci 64 Ohio House of Representatives
R Mike Loychik 65 Ohio House of Representatives
R Sandra O'Brien 32 Ohio Senate
R David Joyce 14 U.S. House of Representatives
D Sherrod Brown Statewide U.S. Senate
R J. D. Vance Statewide U.S. Senate
Higher learning
Kent State University Trumbull is a regional campus of Kent State University, offering several associate degrees and a few bachelor's degrees.[20]
Trumbull County Career and Technical Center is a vocational school, offering different learning and career advancement opportunities for both high school and adult learners.[21]
Communities
Map of Trumbull County, Ohio with municipal and township labels
Cities
Cortland
Girard
Hubbard
Niles
Warren (county seat)
Youngstown (part)
Villages
Lordstown
McDonald
Newton Falls
Orangeville
West Farmington
Yankee Lake
Townships
Bazetta
Bloomfield
Braceville
Bristol
Brookfield
Champion
Farmington
Fowler
Greene
Gustavus
Hartford
Howland
Hubbard
Johnston
Kinsman
Liberty
Mecca
Mesopotamia
Newton
Southington
Vernon
Vienna
Warren
Weathersfield
Defunct township
Lordstown Township
Census-designated places
Bolindale
Brookfield Center
Champion Heights
Churchill
Hilltop
Howland Center
Kinsman Center
Leavittsburg
Maplewood Park
Masury
McKinley Heights
Mineral Ridge
Morgandale
South Canal
Vienna Center
West Hill
Unincorporated communities
Bristolville
Burghill
Center of the World
Farmdale
Fowler
Hartford
North Bloomfield
Southington
Ghost towns
Antietam (in Hartford)
Bentley (in Brookfield)
Brockway (in Hartford)
Chestnut Ridge (in Hubbard)
Dewey (in Kinsman)
Doughton (in Hubbard)
Germantown (in Hubbard)
Kingsbury (in Mecca)
Longsville (in Hubbard)
Mosier (in Liberty)
Oil Diggings (in Mecca)
Old Burg Hill (in Hartford)
Penza (Liberty/ Hubbard border)
Superior (in Vernon)
Walnut Hill (in Brookfield)
Wassie (Bristolville/ Champion border)
York (in Gustavus)
Ohltown (in Weathersfield)
[22]
The Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center, formally known as the Ravenna Training and Logistics Site and commonly known as the Ravenna Arsenal, occupies a small part of Braceville Township.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Trumbull County, Ohio
Ohio (/oʊˈhaɪoʊ/ i) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area. With a population of nearly 11.8 million, Ohio is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated state. Its capital and largest city is Columbus, with other large population centers including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo. Ohio is bordered by Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Ohio is nicknamed the "Buckeye State" after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as "Buckeyes".[10] Its state flag is the only non-rectangular flag of all the U.S. states.
Ohio takes its name from the Ohio River, which, in turn, originated from the Seneca word ohiːyo', meaning "good river", "great river", or "large creek".[13][14] The state arose from the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains that were contested from colonial times through the Northwest Indian Wars of the late 18th century. It was partitioned from the resulting Northwest Territory, which was the first frontier of the new United States, becoming the 17th state admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, and the first under the Northwest Ordinance.[3][15] Ohio was the first post-colonial free state admitted to the union and became one of the earliest and most influential industrial powerhouses during the 20th century. Although it has transitioned to a more information- and service-based economy in the 21st century, it remains an industrial state, ranking seventh in GDP as of 2019,[16] with the third-largest manufacturing sector and second-largest automobile production.[17]
The government of Ohio is composed of the executive branch, led by the governor; the legislative branch, consisting of the bicameral Ohio General Assembly; and the judicial branch, led by the state Supreme Court. Ohio occupies 15 seats in the United States House of Representatives.[18] The state is known for its status as both a swing state and a bellwether in national elections.[19] Seven presidents of the United States have come from Ohio. This has led to it receiving the moniker "the Mother of Presidents".[20]
History
Main articles: Prehistory of Ohio and History of Ohio
Indigenous settlement
Artists conception of the Fort Ancient SunWatch Indian Village in Dayton.
Archeological evidence of spear points of both the Folsom and Clovis types indicate that the Ohio Valley was inhabited by nomadic people as early as 13,000 BC.[21] These early nomads disappeared from Ohio by 1,000 BC.[21] Between 1,000 and 800 BC, the sedentary Adena culture emerged. The Adena were able to establish "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.[22] The most notable remnant of the Adena culture is the Great Serpent Mound, located in Adams County, Ohio.[22]
Around 100 BC, the Adena evolved into the Hopewell people who were also mound builders. Their complex, large and technologically sophisticated earthworks can be found in modern-day Marietta, Newark, and Circleville.[23] They were also a prolific trading society, their trading network spanning a third of the continent.[24] The Hopewell disappeared from the Ohio Valley about 600 AD. The Mississippian culture rose 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.[25]
There were three other cultures contemporaneous with the Mississippians: the Fort Ancient people, the Whittlesey Culture[25] and the Monongahela Culture.[26] All three cultures disappeared in the 17th century. Their origins are unknown. The Shawnees may have absorbed the Fort Ancient people.[25] 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.
Iroquois conquests during the Beaver Wars (mid-1600s), which largely depopulated the upper and mid-Ohio River valley.
Indians in the Ohio Valley were greatly affected by the aggressive tactics of the Iroquois Confederation, based in central and western New York.[27] After the Beaver Wars in 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 people[dubious – discuss] by the mid-to-late 17th century, the land gradually became repopulated by the mostly Algonquian. Many of these Ohio-country nations were multi-ethnic (sometimes multi-linguistic) societies born out of the earlier devastation brought about by disease,[clarification needed] 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 the fur trade.[28]
Some of the indigenous nations which historically inhabited Ohio included the Iroquoian,[c] the Algonquian[d] and the Siouan.[e][29][30] Ohio country was also the site of Indian massacres, such as the Yellow Creek massacre and the Gnadenhutten massacre.[31] After the War of 1812, when Natives suffered serious losses such as at Tippecanoe, 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.[32]
Colonial and Revolutionary eras
Main articles: New France, Canada (New France), Ohio Country, French and Indian War, Treaty of Paris (1763), Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Indian Reserve (1763), American Revolutionary War, Western theater of the American Revolutionary War, and Treaty of Paris (1783)
During the 18th century, the French set up a system of trading posts to control the fur trade in the region. Beginning in 1754, the Kingdom of France and Kingdom of Great Britain fought in the French and Indian War, with various Native American tribes on each side. As a result of the Treaty of Paris, the French ceded control of Ohio and the remainder of the Old Northwest to Great Britain in 1763.[33]
Prior to the American Revolution, Britain thinly exercised sovereignty over Ohio Country by lackadaisical garrisoning of the French forts.[f] Just beyond Ohio Country was the great Miami capital of Kekionga which became the center of British trade and influence in Ohio Country and throughout the future Northwest Territory. By the Royal Proclamation of 1763, British lands west of Appalachia were forbidden to settlement by colonists.[34] The Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768 explicitly reserved lands north and west of the Ohio as Native lands.[35] British military occupation in the region contributed to the outbreak of Pontiac's War in 1763.[36] Ohio tribes participated in the war until an armed expedition in Ohio led by Colonel Henry Bouquet brought about a truce. Another colonial military expedition into the Ohio Country in 1774 brought Lord Dunmore's War, kicked off by the Yellow Creek massacre in Ohio, to a conclusion. In 1774, Britain passed the Quebec Act that formally annexed Ohio and other western lands to the Province of Quebec in order to provide a civil government and to centralize British administration of the Montreal-based fur trade.[37] The prohibition of settlement west of the Appalachians remained, contributing to the American Revolution.[38]
By the start of the American Revolutionary War, the movement of Natives and Americans between the Ohio Country and Thirteen Colonies had resulted in tension. Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania had become the main fort where expeditions into Ohio started. Intrusions into the area included General Edward Hand's 1778 movement of 500 Pennsylvania militiamen from Fort Pitt towards Mingo towns on the Cuyahoga River, where the British stored military supplies which they distributed to Indian raiding parties;[39] Colonel Daniel Brodhead's invasion in 1780 and destruction of the Lenape Indian capital of Coshocton;[40] a detachment of one hundred of George Rogers Clark's troops that were ambushed near the Ohio River by Indians led by Joseph Brant in the same year; a British and Native American attack on the U.S.' Fort Laurens;[41] and the 1782 detainment and murder of 96 Moravian Lenape pacifists by Pennsylvania militiamen in the Gnadenhutten massacre.[42][43]
The western theatre never had a decisive victor. In the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Britain ceded all claims to Ohio Country to the new United States after its victory in the American Revolutionary War.[44][45]
Northwest Territory
Main articles: Northwest Ordinance and Northwest Territory
The Ohio Country indicating battle sites between American settlers and indigenous tribes, 1775–1794.
The United States created the Northwest Territory under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.[46] Slavery was not permitted in the new territory. Settlement began with the founding of Marietta by the Ohio Company of Associates, which had been formed by a group of American Revolutionary War veterans. Following the Ohio Company, the Miami Company (also referred to as the "Symmes Purchase") claimed the southwestern section, and the Connecticut Land Company surveyed and settled the Connecticut Western Reserve in present-day Northeast Ohio. Territorial surveyors from Fort Steuben began surveying an area of eastern Ohio called the Seven Ranges at about the same time.
The old Northwest Territory originally included areas previously known as Ohio Country and Illinois Country. As Ohio prepared for statehood, the Indiana Territory was created, reducing the Northwest Territory to approximately the size of present-day Ohio plus the eastern half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula and a sliver of southeastern Indiana called "The Gore".
The coalition of Native American tribes, known as the Western Confederacy, was forced to cede extensive territory, including much of present-day Ohio, in the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.
Under the Northwest 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, Congress determined that it was growing rapidly enough and accelerated the process via the Enabling Act of 1802. In regards to the Leni Lenape natives, Congress decided that 10,000 acres on the Muskingum River in the present state of Ohio would "be set apart and the property thereof be vested in the Moravian Brethren ... or a society of the said Brethren for civilizing the Indians and promoting Christianity".[47]
Rufus Putnam, the "Father of Ohio"
Rufus Putnam by James Sharples, Jr., 1797
Rufus Putnam served in important military capacities in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. He was one of the most highly respected men in the early years of the United States.[48]
In 1776, Putnam created a method of building portable fortifications, which enabled the Continental Army to drive the British from Boston. George Washington was so impressed that he made Putnam his chief engineer. After the war, Putnam and Manasseh Cutler were instrumental in creating the Northwest Ordinance, which opened up the Northwest Territory for settlement. This land was used to serve as compensation for what was owed to Revolutionary War veterans. Putnam organized and led the Ohio Company of Associates, who settled at Marietta, Ohio, where they built a large fort called Campus Martius.[49][50][51] He set substantial amounts of land aside for schools. In 1798, he created the plan for the construction of the Muskingum Academy (now Marietta 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, he was commissioned by President George Washington 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.[52][53][54]
Statehood and early years
Main articles: Admission to the Union and List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union
On February 19, 1803, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson signed an act of Congress that approved Ohio's boundaries and constitution.[55] However, Congress had never 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 congressman George H. Bender introduced a bill in Congress to admit Ohio to the Union retroactive to March 1, 1803, the date on which the Ohio General Assembly first convened.[56] At a special session at the old state capital in Chillicothe, the Ohio state legislature approved a new petition for statehood which was delivered to Washington, D.C., on horseback, and approved that August.[56][57][58]
Ohio has had three capital cities: Chillicothe, Zanesville, and Columbus. 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, which was the capital from 1812 to 1816. Finally, the capital was moved to Columbus, to have it near the geographic center of the state.
Battle of Lake Erie by William Henry Powell.
Although many Native Americans had migrated west to evade American encroachment, others remained settled in the state, sometimes assimilating in part. Starting around 1809, the Shawnee pressed resistance to encroachment again. Under Chief Tecumseh, Tecumseh's War officially began in Ohio in 1811. When the War of 1812 began, the British decided to attack from Upper Canada into Ohio and merge their forces with the Shawnee. This continued until Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of the Thames in 1813. Most of the Shawnee, excluding the Pekowi in Southwest Ohio, were forcibly relocated west.[59] Ohio played a key role in 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 in Lake Erie. On September 10, 1813, the Battle of Lake Erie, one of the major battles, took place near Put-in-Bay, Ohio. The British eventually surrendered to Oliver Hazard Perry.
Ultimately, after the United States government used the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to force countless Native American tribes on the Trail of Tears, where all the southern states except for Florida were successfully emptied of Native peoples, the US government panicked because a majority of 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 own will, including all remaining tribes in Ohio.[60][61]
In 1835, Ohio fought with the Michigan Territory in the Toledo War, a mostly bloodless boundary war over the Toledo Strip. Only one person was injured in the conflict. Congress intervened, making Michigan'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 the Upper Peninsula, in addition to the eastern third which was already considered part of the territory.
Civil War and industrialization
The route of Morgan's Raid during the American Civil War.
Ohio's central position and its population gave it an important place during the Civil War. The Ohio River was a vital artery for troop and supply movements, as were Ohio's railroads. The industry of Ohio made the state one of the most important states in the Union during the Civil War. Ohio 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 the Battle of Shiloh, a costly victory in which Ohio forces suffered 2,000 casualties.[62] Later that year, when Confederate troops under the leadership of Stonewall Jackson threatened Washington, D.C., Ohio governor David Tod still could recruit 5,000 volunteers to provide three months of service.[63] From July 13 to 26, 1863, towns along the Ohio River were attacked and ransacked in Morgan's Raid, starting in Harrison in the west and culminating in the Battle of Salineville near West Point in the far east. While this raid was overall insignificant to the Confederacy, it aroused fear among people in Ohio and Indiana as it was the furthest advancement of troops from the South in the war.[64] Almost 35,000 Ohioans died in the conflict, and 30,000 were physically wounded.[65] By the end of the Civil War, the Union's top three generals – Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Philip Sheridan – were all from Ohio.[66]
The first Standard Oil refinery was opened in Cleveland by businessman John D. Rockefeller.
Throughout much of the 19th century, industry was rapidly introduced to complement an existing agricultural economy. One of the first iron manufacturing plants opened near Youngstown in 1804, called Hopewell Furnace. By the mid-19th century, 48 blast furnaces were operating in the state, most in the southern portions of the state.[67] Discovery of coal deposits aided the further development of the steel industry in the state, and by 1853 Cleveland was the third largest iron and steel producer in the country. The first Bessemer converter was purchased by the Cleveland Rolling Mill Company, which eventually became part of the U.S. Steel Corporation following the merger of Federal Steel Company and Carnegie Steel, the first billion-dollar American corporation.[67] The first open-hearth furnace used for steel production was constructed by the Otis Steel Company in Cleveland, and by 1892, Ohio ranked as the second-largest steel-producing state behind Pennsylvania.[67] Republic Steel was founded in Youngstown in 1899 and was at one point the nation's third-largest producer. Armco, now AK Steel, was founded in Middletown also in 1899.
See also: Petroleum industry in Ohio
20th century
The state legislature officially adopted the flag of Ohio on May 9, 1902.[68] Dayton natives Orville and Wilbur Wright made four brief flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903, inventing the first successful airplane.[69] Ohio was hit by its greatest natural disaster in the Great Flood of 1913, resulting in at least 428 fatalities and hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage, particularly around the Great Miami River basin.[70]
The National Football League was originally founded in Canton, Ohio in 1920 as the American Professional Football Conference.[71] It included Ohio League teams in five Ohio cities (Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton), although none of these teams still exist. The first official game occurred on October 3, 1920, when the Dayton Triangles beat the Columbus Panhandles 14-0 in Dayton.[72] Canton would later be enshrined as the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.[73]
Iron being converted to steel for wartime efforts at Youngstown's Republic Steel in 1941.
During the 1930s, the Great Depression struck the state hard. By 1933, more than 40% of factory workers and 67% of construction workers were unemployed in Ohio.[74] Approximately 50% of industrial workers in Cleveland and 80% in Toledo became unemployed, with the state unemployment rate reaching a high of 37.3%.[74] American Jews watched the rise of Nazi Germany with apprehension. Cleveland residents Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the Superman comic character in the spirit of the Jewish golem. Many of their comics portrayed Superman fighting and defeating the Nazis.[75][76] Approximately 839,000 Ohioans served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, of which over 23,000 died or were missing in action.[77]
Artists, writers, musicians and actors developed in the state throughout the 20th century and often moved to other cities which were larger centers for their work. They included Zane Grey, Milton Caniff, George Bellows, Art Tatum, Roy Lichtenstein, and Roy 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 include Steven Spielberg, Chris Columbus and the original Warner Brothers, who set up their first movie theatre in Youngstown before that company later relocated to California. The state produced many popular musicians, including Dean Martin, Doris Day, The O'Jays, Marilyn Manson, Dave Grohl, Devo, Macy Gray and The Isley Brothers.
Two Ohio astronauts completed significant milestones in the space race in the 1960s: John Glenn becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, and Neil Armstrong becoming the first human to walk on the Moon. In 1967, Carl Stokes was elected mayor of Cleveland and became the first African American mayor of one of the nation's 10 most populous cities.[78]
In 1970, an Ohio Army National Guard unit fired at students during an anti-war protest at Kent State University, killing four and wounding nine. The Guard had been called onto campus after several protests in and around campus had become violent, including a riot in downtown Kent and the burning of an ROTC building. The main cause of the protests was the United States' invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.[79]
Beginning in the 1980s, the state entered into international economic and resource cooperation treaties and organizations with other Midwestern states, as well as New York, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and Quebec, including the Great Lakes Charter, Great Lakes Compact, and the Council of Great Lakes Governors.
21st century
Ohio's economy has undergone significant change in the 21st century, as the trend of deindustrialization has greatly impacted the American Midwest and the Rust Belt. Manufacturing in the Midwest experienced a stark decline during the early 21st century,[80] a trend which greatly impacted Ohio. From 1990 to 2019, Ohio lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs, but added over 1,000,000 non-manufacturing jobs during that same time.[80] 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.[81]
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 of solar energy and electric vehicles.[82] One major program launched by the state's government was the "Third Frontier" program, created during the governorship of Bob Taft, which aims to increase investment in Ohio, and boost the state's technology sector.[83] As of 2010, the Ohio Department of Development attributes the creation of 9,500 jobs to this program, with an average of salary of $65,000,[84] while having a $6.6 billion economic impact with a return on investment of 9:1.[84] In 2010 the state won the International Economic Development Council's Excellence in Economic Development Award, celebrated as a national model of success.[citation needed]
Many of the state's former industrial centers turned to new industries, including Akron as a center for polymer and biomedical research, Cincinnati as the state's largest mercantile hub,[85][better source needed] Columbus as a center for technological research and development, education, and insurance,[85][better source needed] Cleveland in regenerative medicine research and manufacturing, Dayton as an aerospace and defense hub, and Toledo as a national center for solar technology.[86][87]
Ohio's economy was also heavily afflicted by the Great Recession, as the state's unemployment rate rose from 5.6% in the first two months of 2008 up to a peak of 11.1% in December 2009 and January 2010.[88] It took until August 2014 for the unemployment rate to return to 5.6%.[88] From December 2007 to September 2010, Ohio lost 376,500 jobs.[89] In 2009, Ohio had 89,053 foreclosures filings, a then-record for the state.[90] The median household income dropped 7% from 2006-2007 to 2008-200, and the poverty rate ballooned to 13.5% by 2009.[91]
In 2015, Ohio gross domestic product was $608.1 billion, the seventh-largest economy among the 50 states.[92] In 2015, Ohio's total GDP accounted for 3.4% of U.S. GDP and 0.8% of world GDP.[92]
Politically, Ohio has been long regarded as a swing state,[93] however, the success of many Republican Party candidates in Ohio since the late 2000s has led many to question whether Ohio remains an electoral battleground.[93][94][95]
On March 9, 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic was confirmed to reach Ohio, with three cases being reported.[96] As of February 2023, over 41,600 Ohioans have died from Covid-19.[96][97] 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 subsequent stimulus spending.[98]
Geography
Further information: List of Ohio counties, List of cities in Ohio, List of villages in Ohio, List of Ohio townships, Ohio public lands, and List of lakes in Ohio
View of the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Ohio
Ohio's geographic location has proven to be an asset for economic growth and expansion. Because Ohio 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.[99] To the north, Ohio has 312 miles (502 km) of coastline with Lake Erie,[100] which allows for numerous cargo ports such as Cleveland and Toledo. Ohio's southern border is defined by the Ohio River. Ohio's neighbors are Pennsylvania to the east, Michigan to the northwest, Lake Erie to the north, Indiana to the west, Kentucky on the south, and West Virginia on the southeast. Ohio's borders were defined by metes and bounds in the Enabling Act of 1802 as follows:
Bounded on the east by the Pennsylvania line, on the south by the Ohio River, to the mouth of the Great Miami River, on the west by the line drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami aforesaid, and on the north by an east and west line drawn through the southerly extreme of Lake Michigan, running east after intersecting the due north line aforesaid, from the mouth of the Great Miami until it shall intersect Lake Erie or the territorial line, and thence with the same through Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania line aforesaid.
Ohio is bounded by the Ohio River, but nearly all of the river itself belongs to Kentucky and West Virginia. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court held that, based on the wording of the cessation of territory by Virginia (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.[101] 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 the Toledo War, to angle slightly northeast to the north shore of the mouth of the Maumee River.
Geographic regions of Ohio.
Much of Ohio features glaciated till 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.
The rugged southeastern quadrant of Ohio, stretching in an outward bow-like arc along the Ohio River from the West Virginia Panhandle to the outskirts of Cincinnati, forms a distinct socio-economic unit. 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 the United States Congress passed the Appalachian Regional Development Act, an attempt to "address the persistent poverty and growing economic despair of the Appalachian Region".[102] This act defines 29 Ohio counties as part of Appalachia.[103] 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.)[104]
Map of Ohio cities and rivers.
Significant rivers within the state include the Cuyahoga River, Great Miami River, Maumee 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 River and then the Mississippi.
The worst weather disaster in Ohio history occurred along the Great Miami River in 1913. Known as the Great Dayton Flood, the entire Miami River watershed flooded, including the downtown business district of Dayton. As a result, the Miami Conservancy District was created as the first major floodplain engineering project in Ohio and the United States.[105]
Grand Lake St. Marys in the west-central part of the state was constructed as a supply of water for canals in the canal-building era of 1820–1850. This body of water, over 20 square miles (52 km2), was the largest artificial lake in the world when completed in 1845.[106] Ohio's canal-building projects were 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.
Climate
See also: Climate change in Ohio
Köppen climate types of Ohio, using 1991–2020 climate normals.
The climate of Ohio is a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa/Dfb) throughout most of the state, except in the extreme southern counties of Ohio's Bluegrass region section, which are located on the northern periphery of the humid subtropical climate (Cfa) and Upland South region 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 fewer tornado reports in Ohio than in states located in what is known as the Tornado Alley. Severe lake effect snowstorms are also not uncommon on the southeast shore of Lake Erie, which is located in an area designated as the Snowbelt.
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 the blackjack 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 occasional Needle Palm are hardy landscape materials regularly used as street, yard, and garden plantings in the Bluegrass region of 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 on Interstate 75 from Cincinnati to Toledo; the observant traveler of this diverse state may even catch a glimpse of Cincinnati's common wall lizard, one of the few examples of permanent "subtropical" fauna in Ohio.
Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Ohio[107]
Location Region July (°F) July (°C) January (°F) January (°C)
Athens Appalachian 85/61 29/16 40/21 4/−6
Cincinnati Southwest 86/66 30/19 39/23 3/−5
Cleveland Northeast 82/64 28/18 34/21 1/−5
Columbus Central 85/65 29/18 36/22 2/−5
Dayton Miami Valley 87/67 31/19 36/22 2/−5
Toledo Northwest 84/62 29/17 32/18 0/−7
Youngstown Northeast 81/60 27/15 32/19 0/−7
Records
The highest recorded temperature was 113 °F (45 °C), near Gallipolis on July 21, 1934.[108] The lowest recorded temperature was −39 °F (−39 °C), at Milligan on February 10, 1899,[109] during the Great Blizzard of 1899.[110]
Earthquakes
Although few have registered as noticeable to the average resident, more than 200 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or higher have occurred in Ohio since 1776.[111] The Western Ohio Seismic Zone and a portion of the Southern Great Lakes Seismic Zone are located in the state, and numerous faults lie under the surface.[111][112]
The most substantial known earthquake in Ohio history was the Anna (Shelby County) earthquake,[113] which occurred on March 9, 1937. It was centered in western Ohio, with a magnitude of 5.4, and was of intensity VIII.[114]
Other significant earthquakes in Ohio include:[115] one of magnitude 4.8 near Lima on September 19, 1884;[116] one of magnitude 4.2 near Portsmouth on May 17, 1901;[117] and one of 5.0 in LeRoy Township in Lake County on January 31, 1986, which continued to trigger 13 aftershocks of magnitude 0.5 to 2.4 for two months.[118][119]
Notable Ohio earthquakes in the 21st century include one occurring on December 31, 2011, approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) northwest of Youngstown,[120] and one occurring on June 10, 2019, approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) north-northwest of Eastlake under Lake Erie;[121] both registered a 4.0 magnitude.
Major cities
See also: List of cities in Ohio
Largest cities or towns in Ohio
Source: 2020 U.S. Census[122]
Rank Name County Pop. Rank Name County Pop.
Columbus
Columbus
Cleveland
Cleveland 1 Columbus Franklin 905,748 11 Youngstown Mahoning 60,068 Cincinnati
Cincinnati
Toledo
Toledo
2 Cleveland Cuyahoga 372,624 12 Springfield Clark 58,662
3 Cincinnati Hamilton 309,317 13 Kettering Montgomery 57,862
4 Toledo Lucas 270,871 14 Elyria Lorain 52,656
5 Akron Summit 190,469 15 Cuyahoga Falls Summit 51,114
6 Dayton Montgomery 137,644 16 Middletown Butler 50,987
7 Parma Cuyahoga 81,146 17 Lakewood Cuyahoga 50,942
8 Canton Stark 70,872 18 Newark Licking 49,934
9 Lorain Lorain 65,211 19 Euclid Cuyahoga 49,692
10 Hamilton Butler 62,082 20 Dublin Franklin 49,328
Ohio population density map.
Ohio's three largest cities are Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, all three of which anchor major metropolitan areas. Columbus is the capital of the state, located near its geographic center and is well known for Ohio 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, and Cardinal Health in suburban Dublin.[123][124] Other major employers include hospitals (among others, Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital), high tech research and development including the Battelle Memorial Institute, information-based companies such as OCLC and Chemical Abstracts Service, manufacturer Worthington Industries, and financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase and Huntington Bancshares. Fast food chains Wendy's and White Castle are also headquartered in Columbus.
Located in Northeast Ohio along the Lake Erie shore, Cleveland is characterized by its New England heritage, 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 cities of Akron and Canton are constituent parts. Mansfield and Youngstown are also major cities in the region. Northeast Ohio is known for major industrial companies Goodyear Tire and Rubber and Timken, top-ranked colleges Case Western Reserve University, Oberlin College, and Kent State University, the Cleveland Clinic, and cultural attractions including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Big Five member Cleveland Orchestra, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Playhouse Square, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Cincinnati anchors Southwest Ohio and the Cincinnati Tri-State area, which also encompasses counties in the neighboring states of Kentucky and Indiana. The metropolitan area is home to Miami University and the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Union Terminal, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and various Fortune 500 companies including Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Macy's, Inc., and Fifth Third Bank. Dayton and Springfield are located in the Miami Valley, which is home to the University of Dayton, the Dayton Ballet, and the extensive Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Toledo and Lima are the major cities in Northwest Ohio, an area known for its glass-making industry. It is home to Owens Corning and Owens-Illinois, two Fortune 500 corporations. Steubenville is the only metropolitan city in Appalachian Ohio, a region known for its mixed mesophytic forests.
Ohio is the US state with the highest number of cities with the same name as UK cities.[125]
Metropolitan areas
Largest metropolitan statistical areas in Ohio
Ohio rank U.S. rank Metropolitan statistical area[126] 2022 estimate[127] 2020 census[127] Change Counties[128]
1 30 Cincinnati, OH–KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area 2,258,099 2,249,797 +0.37% Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, Warren
2 32 Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 2,161,511 2,138,926 +1.06% Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Hocking, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Perry, Pickaway, Union
3 33 Cleveland, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 2,160,146 2,185,825 −1.17% Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina
4 74 Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 812,595 814,049 −0.18% Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble
5 85 Akron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 697,627 702,219 −0.65% Portage, Summit
6 96 Toledo, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 600,406 606,240 −0.96% Fulton, Lucas, Wood
7 127 Youngstown–Warren, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 426,279 430,591 −1.00% Mahoning, Trumbull
8 136 Canton–Massillon, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 399,316 401,574 −0.56% Stark, Carroll
9 307 Springfield, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 134,831 136,001 −0.86% Clark
10 324 Mansfield, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 125,319 124,936 +0.31% Richland
11 338 Sandusky, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 114,479 115,986 −1.30% Erie, Ottawa
12 340 Weirton–Steubenville, WV–OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 114,235 116,903 −2.28% Jefferson
13 361 Lima, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area 101,115 102,206 −1.07% Allen
The Cincinnati metropolitan area extends into Kentucky and Indiana, and the Steubenville metropolitan area extends into West Virginia. Other metropolitan areas that contain cities in Ohio, but are primarily in other states include:
Huntington–Ashland, WV–KY–OH Metropolitan Statistical Area (Lawrence County)
Wheeling, WV–OH Metropolitan Statistical Area (Belmont County)
Largest combined statistical areas in Ohio
Ohio rank U.S. rank Combined statistical areas 2020 census[129] 2010 census[129] Change Subdivisions
1 18 Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area 3,577,606 3,515,646 +1.76% Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area
Akron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area
Canton-Massillon, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area
Ashtabula, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
New Philadelphia-Dover, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Sandusky, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Norwalk, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
2 26 Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area 2,541,313 2,308,509 +10.08% Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area
Zanesville, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Chillicothe, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Marion, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Mount Vernon, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Bellefontaine, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Cambridge, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Washington Court House, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
3 30 Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN Combined Statistical Area 2,291,863 2,174,110 +5.42% Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
Wilmington, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Maysville, KY Micropolitan Statistical Area
4 56 Dayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH Combined Statistical Area 1,081,343 1,080,044 +0.12% Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area
Springfield, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greenville, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Sidney, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Urbana, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
5 67 Toledo-Findlay-Tiffin, OH Combined Statistical Area 830,245 843,900 −1.62% Toledo, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area
Findlay, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Fremont, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Tiffin, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
6 74 Youngstown-Warren, OH-PA Combined Statistical Area 632,538 673,614 −6.10% Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Salem, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area
Additionally, 30 Ohio cities function as centers of micropolitan areas, urban clusters smaller than that of metropolitan areas. Many of these are included as part of larger combined statistical areas, as shown in the table above.
Demographics
Historical population
Census Pop. Note %±
1800 45,365 —
1810 230,760 408.7%
1820 581,434 152.0%
1830 937,903 61.3%
1840 1,519,467 62.0%
1850 1,980,329 30.3%
1860 2,339,511 18.1%
1870 2,665,260 13.9%
1880 3,198,062 20.0%
1890 3,672,329 14.8%
1900 4,157,545 13.2%
1910 4,767,121 14.7%
1920 5,759,394 20.8%
1930 6,646,697 15.4%
1940 6,907,612 3.9%
1950 7,946,627 15.0%
1960 9,706,397 22.1%
1970 10,652,017 9.7%
1980 10,797,630 1.4%
1990 10,847,115 0.5%
2000 11,353,140 4.7%
2010 11,536,504 1.6%
2020 11,799,448 2.3%
2022 (est.) 11,756,058 −0.4%
Source: 1910–2020[130]
Population
From just over 45,000 residents in 1800, Ohio's population grew faster than 10% per decade (except for the 1940 census) until the 1970 census, which recorded just over 10.65 million Ohioans.[131] Growth then slowed for the next four decades.[132] The United States Census Bureau counted 11,808,848 in the 2020 census, a 2.4% increase since the 2010 United States census.[8] Ohio's population growth lags that of the entire United States, and whites are found in a greater density than the U.S. average. As of 2000, Ohio's center of population is located in Morrow County,[133] in the county seat of Mount Gilead.[134] This is approximately 6,346 feet (1,934 m) south and west of Ohio's population center in 1990.[133]
Graphs are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues.
Graph of Ohio's population from 1800 to 2020 census.
Population growth by county in Ohio between the 2010 and 2020 censuses.
-10 to -5 percent
-5 to -2 percent
-2 to 0 percent
0 to 2 percent
2 to 5 percent
5 to 10 percent
10 to 20 percent
More than 20 percent
As of 2011, 27.6% of Ohio's children under the age of 1 belonged to minority groups.[135] 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 to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 10,654 homeless people in Ohio.[136][137]
Birth data
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.
Live births by single race/ethnicity of mother
Race 2013[138] 2014[139] 2015[140] 2016[141] 2017[142] 2018[143] 2019[144] 2020[145] 2021[146]
White 109,749 (79.0%) 110,003 (78.9%) 109,566 (78.7%) ... ... ... ... ... ...
> non-Hispanic White 104,059 (74.9%) 104,102 (74.6%) 103,586 (74.4%) 100,225 (72.6%) 98,762 (72.1%) 97,423 (72.1%) 95,621 (71.1%) 92,033 (71.2%) 92,761 (71.5%)
Black 24,952 (18.0%) 24,931 (17.9%) 25,078 (18.0%) 22,337 (16.2%) 22,431 (16.4%) 22,201 (16.4%) 22,555 (16.8%) 21,447 (16.6%) 20,748 (16.0%)
Asian 3,915 (2.8%) 4,232 (3.0%) 4,367 (3.1%) 4,311 (3.1%) 4,380 (3.2%) 4,285 (3.2%) 4,374 (3.3%) 3,995 (3.1%) 3,862 (3.0%)
American Indian 320 (0.2%) 301 (0.2%) 253 (0.2%) 128 (0.1%) 177 (0.1%) 169 (0.1%) 204 (0.2%) 102 (>0.1%) 107 (>0.1%)
Hispanic (of any race) 6,504 (4.7%) 6,884 (4.9%) 6,974 (5.0%) 7,420 (5.4%) 7,468 (5.5%) 7,432 (5.5%) 7,725 (5.7%) 7,669 (5.9%) 8,228 (6.3%)
Total Ohio 138,936 (100%) 139,467 (100%) 139,264 (100%) 138,085 (100%) 136,832 (100%) 135,134 (100%) 134,461 (100%) 129,191 (100%) 129,791 (100%)
Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Ancestry
Ethnic origins in Ohio
Ethnic composition as of the 2020 census
Race and ethnicity[147] Alone Total
White (non-Hispanic) 75.9%
79.9%
African American (non-Hispanic) 12.3%
14.0%
Hispanic or Latino[g] — 4.4%
Asian 2.5%
3.1%
Native American 0.2%
1.7%
Pacific Islander 0.04%
0.1%
Other 0.4%
1.2%
Ohio historic racial breakdown of population
Racial and ethnic composition 1990[148] 2000[149] 2010[150]
White 87.8% 85.0% 82.7%
African American 10.6% 11.5% 12.2%
Asian 0.8% 1.2% 1.7%
Native 0.2% 0.2% 0.2%
Native Hawaiian and
other Pacific Islander – – –
Other race 0.5% 0.8% 1.1%
Two or more races – 1.4% 2.1%
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 naturalized U.S. citizens and 240,699 (2.1%) were not.[11] The largest groups were:[151] 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.
Map of counties in Ohio by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
Non-Hispanic White
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90%+
Ancestry groups (which the census defines as not including racial terms) in the state were:[11][152] 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 include Sub-Saharan African, Puerto Rican, Swiss, Swedish, Arab, Greek, Norwegian, Romanian, Austrian, Lithuanian, Finnish, West Indian, Portuguese and Slovene.
Languages
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.[11] Numerically: 10,100,586 spoke English, 239,229 Spanish, 55,970 German, 38,990 Chinese, 33,125 Arabic, and 32,019 French. In addition, 59,881 spoke a Slavic language and 42,673 spoke another West Germanic language according to the 2010 census.[153] Ohio also had the nation's largest population of Slovene speakers, second largest of Slovak speakers, second largest of Pennsylvania Dutch (German) speakers, and the third largest of Serbian speakers.[154]
Religion
Religious self-identification, per Public Religion Research Institute's 2021 American Values Survey[155]
Protestantism (46%)
Catholicism (18%)
Unaffilated (30%)
Judaism (2%)
Hinduism (1%)
Other (3%)
Amish children on their way to school
According to a Pew Forum poll in 2014, 73% of Ohioans identified as Christian.[156] Specifically, 29% of Ohio's population identified as Evangelical Protestant, 17% as Mainline Protestant, 7% as Historically Black Protestant, and 18% as Catholic.[156] Roughly 22% of the population were unaffiliated with any religious body.[156] Small minorities of Jews (1%), Jehovah's Witnesses (1%), Muslims (1%), Hindus (<1%), Buddhists (1%), Mormons (1%), and other faiths (1-1.5%) exist according to this study.[156]
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), in 2010 the largest Christian denominations by adherents were the Catholic Church with 1,992,567; the United Methodist Church with 496,232; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with 223,253, the Southern Baptist Convention with 171,000, the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ with 141,311, the United Church of Christ with 118,000, and the Presbyterian Church (USA) with 110,000.[157] With about 80,000 adherents in 2020, Ohio had the second largest Amish population of all U.S. states, only behind neighboring Pennsylvania.[158]
According to the same data from 2014's study, 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".[156] Among them, 38% of Ohioans indicate that they attend religious services at least once weekly, 32% occasionally, and 30% seldom or never.[156]
Per ARDA's 2020 study,[159] 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 Public Religion Research Institute in 2021, overall, Christianity was 64% of the total population; the unaffiliated made up 30% of the population; altogether, those identifying with a religion or spiritual tradition were 70% of the state's population.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Ohio
See also: Ohio locations by per capita income
Cincinnati's Procter & Gamble is one of Ohio's largest companies in terms of revenue.
According to the U.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.[160] In 2010, Ohio was ranked second in the country for best business climate by Site Selection magazine, based on a business-activity database.[161] The state has also won three consecutive Governor's Cup awards from the magazine, based on business growth and developments.[162] As of 2016, Ohio's gross domestic product (GDP) was $626 billion.[163] This ranks Ohio's economy as the seventh-largest among all 50 states and Washington, D.C.[164]
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%.[165] Ohio was ranked No. 11 by the council for best friendly-policy states according to their Small Business Survival Index 2009.[166] The Directorship's Boardroom Guide ranked the state No. 13 overall for best business climate, including No. 7 for best litigation climate.[167] Forbes ranked the state No. 8 for best regulatory environment in 2009.[168] Ohio has five of the top 115 colleges in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2010 rankings,[169] and was ranked No. 8 by the same magazine in 2008 for best high schools.[170]
Ohio's unemployment rate stands at 4.5% as of February 2018,[171] down from 10.7% in May 2010.[172][173] The state still lacks 45,000 jobs compared to the pre-recession numbers of 2007.[174] The labor force participation as of April 2015 is 63%, slightly above the national average.[174] Ohio's per capita income stands at $34,874.[164][175] As of 2019, Ohio's median household income is $58,642,[176] and 13.1% of the population is below the poverty line.[177]
The manufacturing and financial activities sectors each compose 18.3% of Ohio's GDP, making them Ohio's largest industries by percentage of GDP.[164] Ohio has the third largest manufacturing workforce behind California and Texas.[178][179] 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.[180] 5,212,000 Ohioans are currently employed by wage or salary.[164]
By employment, Ohio's largest sector is trade/transportation/utilities, which employs 1,010,000 Ohioans, or 19.4% of Ohio's workforce, while the health care and education sector employs 825,000 Ohioans (15.8%).[164] 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%).[164] Ohio's manufacturing sector is the third-largest of all fifty United States states in terms of gross domestic product.[164] Fifty-nine of the United States' top 1,000 publicly traded companies (by revenue in 2008) are headquartered in Ohio, including Procter & Gamble, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, AK Steel, Timken, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Wendy's.[181]
Ohio is also one of 41 states with its own lottery,[182] the Ohio Lottery.[183] As of 2020, the Ohio Lottery has contributed more than $26 billion to education beginning in 1974.[184]
Transportation
Map of Ohio showing Interurban Railways c. 1907
Ohio welcome sign in 2018
Roads
See also: List of Interstate Highways in Ohio, List of U.S. Routes in Ohio, and List of state routes in 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 historic Lincoln Highway which was the first road across America, connecting New York City to San Francisco. In Ohio, the Lincoln Highway linked many towns and cities together, including Canton, Mansfield, Wooster, Lima, and Van Wert. The arrival of the Lincoln Highway to Ohio was a major influence on the development of the state. Upon the advent of the federal numbered highway system in 1926, the Lincoln Highway through Ohio became U.S. Route 30.
Ohio is home to 228 miles (367 km) of the historic National Road, now U.S. Route 40.
Ohio has a highly developed network of roads and interstate highways. Major east-west through routes include the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/I-90) in the north, I-76 through Akron to Pennsylvania, I-70 through Columbus and Dayton, and the Appalachian Highway (State Route 32) running from West Virginia to Cincinnati. Major north–south routes include I-75 in the west through Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati, I-71 through the middle of the state from Cleveland through Columbus and Cincinnati into Kentucky, and I-77 in the eastern part of the state from Cleveland through Akron, Canton, New Philadelphia and Marietta south into West Virginia. Interstate 75 between Cincinnati and Dayton is one of the heaviest traveled sections of interstate in Ohio.
Trails
Ohio also has a highly developed network of signed state bicycle routes. Many of them follow rail trails, with conversion ongoing. The Ohio to Erie Trail (route 1) connects Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. U.S. Bicycle Route 50 traverses Ohio from Steubenville to the Indiana state line outside Richmond.[185]
Ohio has several long-distance hiking trails, the most prominent of which is the Buckeye Trail which extends 1,444 mi (2,324 km) in a loop around the state of Ohio. Part of it is on roads and part is on wooded trail. Additionally, the North Country Trail (the longest of the eleven National Scenic Trails authorized by Congress) and the American Discovery Trail (a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast route across the mid-tier of the United States) pass through Ohio. Much of these two trails coincide with the Buckeye Trail.
Rail
vte
Ohio passenger rail
Legend
Capitol Limited
to Chicago
Lake Shore Limited
to Chicago
Bryan
Cardinal
to Chicago
Toledo
Cincinnati Sandusky
Cardinal
to New York City
Elyria
Cleveland Waterfront Line
Alliance
Lake Shore Limited
to New York, Boston
Capitol Limited
to Washington
See also: List of Ohio railroads and List of Ohio train stations
Ohio has an extensive rail network, though today most lines carry only freight traffic. Three Class I freight railroads operate in Ohio: CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, and Canadian National Railway. Many local freight carriers also exist in the state.
Amtrak, the national passenger railroad, operates three long-distance rail routes through Ohio. The Lake Shore Limited serves Cleveland, Elyria, Toledo, Sandusky, and Bryan. The Capitol Limited stops in those cities as well as in Alliance. The Cardinal serves Cincinnati Union Terminal. From Ohio, passengers can ride directly to Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and dozens of destinations in-between.
Columbus is the largest city in the United States without any form of passenger rail. Its Union Station was last served in 1979 by the National Limited.
Ohio is home to several scenic railways and museums, including the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Age of Steam Roundhouse museum, and the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway near Hocking Hills State Park.
Transit
Cincinnati Connector streetcar
Mass transit exists in many forms in Ohio cities, primarily through bus systems. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) operates the RTA Rapid Transit system, which consists of one heavy rail line, three light rail lines, and three bus rapid transit lines. Cincinnati is served by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) bus network as well as a 3.6-mile (5.8 km) streetcar line, the Cincinnati Bell Connector. Other major transit agencies in Ohio include the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) serving Columbus and the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA) serving Dayton.
Air travel
See also: List of airports in Ohio
Ohio has four international airports, four commercial, and two military. The four international include Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Dayton International Airport, and Rickenbacker International Airport (one of two military airfields). The other military airfield is Wright Patterson Air Force Base which is one of the largest Air Force bases in the United States. Other major airports are located in Toledo and Akron. Cincinnati's primary airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, is in Hebron, Kentucky, and therefore is not included in Ohio airport lists.
Waterways
Main articles: Lake Erie, List of rivers of Ohio, and Historic Ohio Canals
Law and government
Main article: Government of Ohio
Current governor Mike DeWine
The state government of Ohio consists of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.[186][187][188]
Executive branch
The executive branch is headed by the governor of Ohio.[186] The current governor is Mike DeWine since 2019, a member of the Republican Party.[189] A lieutenant governor succeeds the governor in the event of any removal from office, and performs any duties assigned by the governor.[190][191] The current lieutenant governor is Jon Husted. The other elected constitutional offices in the executive branch are the secretary of state (Frank LaRose), auditor (Keith Faber), treasurer (Robert Sprague), and attorney general (Dave Yost).[186] There are 21 state administrative departments in the executive branch.[192][193]
Legislative branch
The Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, home to the Ohio General Assembly.
The Ohio General Assembly is a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives.[194] The Senate is composed of 33 districts, each of which is represented by one senator. Each senator represents approximately 330,000 constituents.[195] The House of Representatives is composed of 99 members.[196] The Republican Party is the controlling party in both houses as of the 2020 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. The session laws are published in the official Law of Ohio.[197] These in turn have been codified in the Ohio Revised Code.[198]
The General Assembly, with the approval of the Governor, draws the U.S. congressional district lines for Ohio's 16 seats in the United States House of Representatives. The Ohio Apportionment Board draws state legislative district lines in Ohio.
Judicial branch
The Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center holds the Supreme Court of Ohio.
There are three levels of the Ohio state judiciary. The lowest level is the court of common pleas: each county maintains its own constitutionally mandated court of common pleas, which maintain jurisdiction over "all justiciable matters".[199] The intermediate-level court system is the district court system.[200] Twelve courts of appeals exist, each retaining jurisdiction over appeals from common pleas, municipal, and county courts in a set geographical area.[199] A case heard in this system is decided by a three-judge panel, and each judge is elected.[199]
The state's highest-ranking court is the Ohio Supreme Court.[201] A seven-justice panel composes the court, which, by its own discretion, hears appeals from the courts of appeals, and retains original jurisdiction over limited matters.[202]
Local government
See also: List of counties in Ohio, List of municipalities in Ohio, and List of townships in Ohio
There are also several levels of local government in Ohio: counties, municipalities (cities and villages), townships, special districts, and school districts.
Ohio is divided into 88 counties.[203] Ohio law defines a structure for county government, although they may adopt charters for home rule.[204][205] Summit County[204] and Cuyahoga County[206] have chosen an alternate form of government. The other counties have a government with a three-member board of county commissioners,[207] a sheriff,[208] coroner,[209] auditor,[210] treasurer,[211] clerk of the court of common pleas[212] prosecutor,[213] engineer,[214] and recorder.[215]
There are two kinds of incorporated municipalities, 251 cities and 681 villages.[204][216][217] If a municipality has five thousand or more residents as of the last United States Census it is a city, otherwise it is a village.[204][218] Municipalities have full home rule powers, may adopt a charter, ordinances and resolutions for self-government.[219] 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.[204] 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 a paper township).[204] Townships are governed by a three-member board of township trustees.[204] Townships may have limited home rule powers.[220]
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.[204] 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.[204]
Politics
Main article: Politics of Ohio
See also: Elections in Ohio and Political party strength in Ohio
Party affiliation as of October 1, 2021[221]
Party Registered voters Percentage
Unaffiliated 6,196,547 77.63%
Democratic 947,027 11.86%
Republican 836,080 10.47%
Libertarian 2,847 0.04%
Total 7,982,501 100%
"Mother of presidents"
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 with Virginia. It is also termed "modern mother of presidents", in contrast to Virginia's status as the origin of presidents earlier in American history. Seven presidents were born in Ohio, making it second to Virginia's eight. Virginia-born William Henry Harrison lived most of his life in Ohio and is also buried there. Harrison conducted his political career while living on the family compound, founded by his father-in-law, John Cleves Symmes, in North Bend, Ohio. The seven presidents born in Ohio were Ulysses S. Grant (elected from Illinois), Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison (grandson of William Henry Harrison & elected from Indiana), William McKinley, William Howard Taft and Warren G. Harding.[222] All seven were Republicans.
Electoral history
Presidential election results by county for 2020
Democratic
Republican
Ohio has been considered a swing state, being won by either the Democratic or Republican candidates reasonably each election. As such, Ohio is usually targeted by both major-party campaigns, especially in competitive elections.[223] Pivotal in the election of 1888, Ohio has been a regular swing state since 1980 and has been considered a bellwether.[224][225] This status, however, was called into question after incumbent Republican Donald Trump won the state by a comfortable eight-point margin in the 2020 presidential election despite losing nationally to Democratic challenger Joe Biden.[226]
Historian R. Douglas Hurt asserts that not since Virginia "had a state made such a mark on national political affairs".[227] The Economist notes 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".[228] Since 1896, Ohio has had only three misses in the general election (Thomas E. Dewey in 1944, Richard Nixon in 1960, and Donald Trump in 2020) and had the longest perfect streak of any state, voting for the winning presidential candidate in each election from 1964 to 2016, and in 33 of the 38 held since the Civil War. No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio.
As of 2019, there are more than 7.8 million registered Ohioan voters, with 1.3 million Democrats and 1.9 million Republicans. They are disproportionate in age, with a million more over 65 than there are 18- to 24-year-olds.[229] Since the 2010 midterm elections, Ohio's voter demographic has leaned towards the Republican Party.[230] The governor, Mike DeWine, is Republican, as are all other non-judicial statewide elected officials, including Lieutenant Governor Jon A. Husted, Attorney General Dave Yost, State Auditor Keith Faber, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Treasurer Robert Sprague. In the Ohio State Senate the Republicans are the majority, 25–8, and in the Ohio House of Representatives the Republicans control the delegation 64–35.
Losing one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2020 census, Ohio has 15 seats for the two presidential elections of the decade in 2024 and 2028.[231] As of the 2022 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.[232] The senior U.S. senator, Sherrod Brown, is a Democrat, while the junior, J. D. Vance, is a Republican.[233][234]
Allegations of voter suppression
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 the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993[235] and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.[236] 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 the Court 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.[235][237]
It was estimated in 2017 that the state has removed up to two million voters since 2011.[238][better source needed]
In a 2020 study, Ohio was ranked as the 17th hardest state for citizens to vote in.[239]
Education
Ohio's system of public education is outlined in Article VI of the state constitution, and in Title XXXIII of the Ohio Revised Code. Ohio University, the first university in the Northwest Territory, was also the first public institution in Ohio. Substantively, Ohio's system is similar to those found in other states. At the State level, the Ohio Department of Education, which is overseen by the Ohio State Board of Education, governs primary and secondary educational institutions. At the municipal level, there are approximately 700 school districts statewide. The Ohio Board of Regents coordinates and assists with Ohio's institutions of higher education which have recently been reorganized into the University System of Ohio under Governor Strickland. The system averages an annual enrollment of more than 400,000 students, making it one of the five largest state university systems in the U.S.
Colleges and universities
Main article: List of colleges and universities in Ohio
University Hall at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio's largest university by enrollment[240]
Ohio schools consistently ranking in the top 50 nationally of the U.S. News & World Report of liberal arts colleges are Ohio Big Three; Denison University, Oberlin College, and Kenyon College. Ranking in the top 100 of national research universities typically includes Case Western Reserve University, Ohio State University and Miami University.[241]
13 state universities
Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green)
Central State University (Wilberforce)
Cleveland State University (Cleveland)
Kent State University (Kent)
Miami University (Oxford)
Ohio State University, (Columbus)
Ohio University (Athens)
Shawnee State University (Portsmouth)
University of Akron (Akron)
University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
University of Toledo (Toledo)
Wright State University (Dayton)
Youngstown State University (Youngstown)
24 state university branch and regional campuses
Bosworth Hall at Oberlin College in northeast Ohio, the first college in the U.S. to admit women[242]
46 private colleges and universities
6 free-standing state-assisted medical schools
Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University
Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University
Northeast Ohio Medical University
The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
University of Toledo College of Medicine (formerly Medical University of Ohio)
15 community colleges
8 technical colleges
24 independent non-profit colleges
Libraries
Ohio is home to some of the nation's highest-ranked public libraries.[243] The 2008 study by Thomas J. Hennen Jr. ranked Ohio as number one in a state-by-state comparison.[244] For 2008, 31 of Ohio's library systems were all ranked in the top ten for American cities of their population category.[243]
500,000 books or more
Columbus Metropolitan Library (First)
Cuyahoga County Public Library (Second)
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (Tenth)
The Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) is an organization that provides Ohio residents with internet access to their 251 public libraries. OPLIN also provides Ohioans with free home access to high-quality, subscription research databases.
Ohio also offers the OhioLINK program, allowing Ohio's libraries (particularly those from colleges and universities) access to materials for the other libraries. The program is largely successful in allowing researchers for access to books and other media that might not be otherwise available.
Culture
Arts
Music
Main article: Music of Ohio
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame are both located in Cleveland. Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed is credited with coining the term and promoting rock and roll in the early 1950s. Cincinnati is home to the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Popular musicians from Ohio include Mamie Smith, Dean Martin, Dave Grohl, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots, Frankie Yankovic, Doris Day, the McGuire Sisters, the Isley Brothers, Bobby Womack, Howard Hewett, Shirley Murdock, Boz Scaggs, John Legend, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of the Black Keys, Griffin Layne, Joe Dolce, Kid Cudi, Benjamin Orr of the Cars, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, William "Bootsy" Collins, Stephanie Eulinberg of Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker Band, and Devo. Five Ohio musicians[who?] are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members.
Performing arts
The Cleveland Orchestra (pictured performing at the Teatro Regio) is one of the historic Big Five orchestras in the U.S.
Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland is the second-largest performing arts center in the United States, home to ten theaters.[245] The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the historic Big Five orchestras in the U.S., and is considered among the best worldwide.[246]
Many other Ohio cities are home to their own orchestras, including Akron, Blue Ash, Canton, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown. Cincinnati is home to its own ballet, symphony orchestra, pops orchestra, and opera, all housed at the Cincinnati Music Hall. Dayton is also home to a ballet, orchestra, and opera, collectively known as the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance.
The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts manages seven historic Columbus area theaters.[247]
Within the marching arts, Winter Guard International has hosted national championships in performing arts at the University of Dayton 18 times between 1983 and 2003, and has permanently since 2005. The Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps are Ohio's highest fielding drum corps, competing in the Drum Corps International World Class circuit out of Canton.
Visual arts
With about 770,000 annual visitors, the Cleveland Museum of Art is among the most visited art museums in the United States.[248]
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:
Akron Art Museum, Akron
Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Ohio State University
Burchfield Homestead, Salem
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown
Canton Museum of Art, Canton
Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland
Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus
Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati
Dayton Art Institute, Dayton
Frank Museum of Art, Otterbein University
National Imperial Glass Museum, Bellaire
Kennedy Museum of Art, Ohio University
Temple Museum of Religious Art, Case Western Reserve University
Mansfield Art Center, Mansfield
McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown State University
Miami University Art Museum, Miami University
Museum of Ceramics, East Liverpool
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, Cleveland
Ohio Glass Museum, Lancaster
Richard Ross Museum of Art, Ohio Wesleyan University
Springfield Center for the Arts at Wittenberg University, Wittenberg University
Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati
Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo
Toy and Plastic Brick Museum, Bellaire
University of Findlay's Mazza Museum, University of Findlay
Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University
Whitby Mansion, Sidney
The Cincinnati Art Museum holds 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) and Aert van der Neer. The collection also includes works by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet (Rocks At Belle Isle), and Pablo Picasso. The museum also has a large collection of paintings by American painter Frank Duveneck (Elizabeth B. Duveneck).
The Cleveland Museum of Art is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, and has a permanent collection of more than 61,000 works from around the world.[249] It is the fourth-wealthiest art museum in the United States.[250]
The Columbus Museum of Art holds nineteenth and early twentieth-century American and European art, including early Cubist paintings by Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris, works by François Boucher, Paul Cézanne, Mary Cassatt, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Edward Hopper, and Norman Rockwell, and installations by Mel Chin, Josiah McElheny, Susan Philipsz, and Allan Sekula. Also in Columbus, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum collection 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's Butler Institute of American Art was the first museum to be dedicated exclusively to American art.[251]
Sports
Main article: Sports in Ohio
Professional sports teams
Great American Ball Park, home to the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.
Ohio is home to eight professional sports teams across the five different major leagues in the United States. Current teams include the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball,[252][253] the Columbus Crew SC and FC Cincinnati of Major League Soccer,[254] the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association,[255] the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns of the National Football League,[256] and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.[257]
Ohio has brought home seven World Series titles (Reds 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990; Indians 1920, 1948), two MLS Cups (Crew 2008, 2020), one NBA Championship (Cavaliers 2016), and nine NFL Championships (Pros 1920; Bulldogs 1922, 1923, 1924; Rams 1945; Browns 1950, 1954, 1955, 1964). Despite this success in the NFL in the first half of the 20th century, no Ohio team has won the Super Bowl since its inception in 1967. No Ohio team has made an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.
Ohio played a central role in the development of both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Baseball's first fully professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869, were organized in Ohio.[258] An informal early-20th-century American football association, the Ohio 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 in Canton, Ohio in 1920 as the American Professional Football Conference.[71] The first official game occurred on October 3, 1920, when the Dayton Triangles beat the Columbus Panhandles 14-0 in Dayton.[72] Canton would later be enshrined as the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.[73]
On a smaller scale, Ohio hosts minor league baseball, arena football, indoor football, mid-level hockey, and lower division soccer.
Individual sports
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has hosted several auto racing championships, including CART World Series, IndyCar Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Can-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA GT Championship, American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series. The Grand Prix of Cleveland also hosted CART races from 1982 to 2007. The Eldora Speedway is a major dirt oval that hosts NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and USAC Silver Crown Series races.
Ohio hosts two PGA Tour events, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and Memorial Tournament. The Cincinnati Masters is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and WTA Premier 5 tennis tournament.
College sports
Main article: List of college athletic programs in Ohio
Ohio Stadium in Columbus, home to the Ohio State Buckeyes football team, is the fifth largest stadium in the world.
Ohio has eight NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams, divided among three different conferences. It has also experienced considerable success in the secondary and tertiary tiers of college football divisions.
There are two programs in the Power Five conferences; the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference and the Cincinnati Bearcats of the Big 12 Conference. The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is second in all-time winning percentage, with a 931–327–53 overall record and a 25–26 bowl record as of 2020. The program has produced seven Heisman Trophy winners, forty conference titles, and eight undisputed national championships. The men's basketball program has appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 27 times.
The Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team has over 1,800 wins and 33 March Madness appearances, whilst the Bearcats football team became the first so-called "Group of Five" team to qualify to the College Football Playoff in 2022.[259]
In the Group of Five conferences, six teams are represented in the Mid-American Conference: the Akron Zips, Bowling Green Falcons, Kent State Golden Flashes, Miami RedHawks, Ohio Bobcats and the Toledo Rockets. The MAC headquarters are in Cleveland. The Cincinnati–Miami rivalry game has been played in southwest Ohio every year since 1888 and is the oldest current non-conference NCAA football rivalry.
Other Division I schools, either part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision or not fielding in football include the Cleveland State Vikings, Xavier Musketeers, Wright State Raiders, and Youngstown State Penguins. Xavier's men's basketball has performed particularly well, with 27 March Madness appearances. Youngstown State's football has the third most NCAA Division I Football Championship wins, with 3.
There are 12 NCAA Division II universities and 22 NCAA Division III universities in Ohio.
See also
flag Ohio portal
flag United States portal
Index of Ohio-related articles
Outline of Ohio
Notes
According to the U.S. Census July 2017 Annual Estimate Archived December 27, 1996, at the Wayback Machine, Greater Columbus is the largest Metropolitan statistical area (MSA) that is entirely within Ohio, with a population of 2,078,725; and Greater Cincinnati is the largest MSA that is at least partially within Ohio, with a population of 2,179,082, approximately 25% of which is in Indiana or Kentucky. Which MSA is the largest in Ohio depends on the context.
Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
Petun, Erie, Chonnonton, Wyandot, the Mingo Seneca and the Iroquois Confederacy