Geography and Climate of Ohio
Ohio borders Michigan and the Canadian province Ontario to the north, Kentucky and West Virginia to the south, Pennsylvania to the east and Indiana to the west. The Ohio River bounds the state in the south, even though most of the river flows through Kentucky and West Virginia.
The state is located between the Northeast and the Midwest. Lake Erie offers 312 miles of shoreline and seaports to the north. Most of Ohio has glaciated plains, such as lowlands with forests and rocky hills.
The Great Black Swamp, which spans across the northwest into Indiana, has flat land and marshes. In the extreme south where Ohio meets Kentucky is the Interior Low Plateau, or the Bluegrass Region.
To the southeast, the state stretches out in an arc shape along the Ohio River. This part of Appalachia is the Allegheny Plateau, with similar geographical features to West Virginia.
Created as a source of water for canals during the mid-1800s, Grand Lake St. Marys lies in the western central region of Ohio. It's one of the largest artificial lakes in the world at the time.
The Cuyahoga River, the Maumee River, the Great Miami River and the Scioto River are all major waterways in the state. They drain into the northern Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence River and Lake Erie or to the Gulf of Mexico through the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The Great Miami River flooded the town of Dayton in 1913, leading to the first major flood plain engineering project in the country.
Ohio has a humid continental climate except in the extreme southern part of the state that borders Kentucky, which is more of a humid subtropical climate. Summers are hot and humid, while winters can get very cold.
There are not as many tornadoes in Ohio as there are in other states in the Tornado Alley region. However, severe lake effect snowstorms occur frequently in the winter months, especially on the southeast shore of Lake Erie.
Snowstorms, blizzards and hail are also common winter weather patterns. Precipitation and snow falls fairly evenly throughout the state. Surprisingly, earthquakes are a rare, yet reoccurring phenomenon in Ohio, with over 30 small earthquakes between 2002 and 2007.
History of Ohio
The Native American Iroquois confederation from the New York area seized Ohio after the Beaver Wars in the mid-1600s for hunting and beaver trapping. Warfare and disease wiped out much of the Ohio country of its native people. However, by the mid to late 1600s, Algonquian-speaking tribes from the east were repopulating the area. The Shawnees, Delawares, Miamis, Wyandots, Ottowas and Eries banded together to form an amalgamation of Ohioan tribes.
French fur traders from Canada set up several posts in Ohio during the 1700s and assumed European control of the area. After the French and Indian War, Ohio ceded to the British, who in turn ceded it to the U.S. in 1783 after the American Revolutionary War.
Despite opposition from Native Americans, the area became part of the Northwest Territory in 1787, whereby several land companies established Ohio’s first settlements. In 1803, Ohio gained official admittance to the Union.
The Erie Canal spurred growth in Ohio, as settlers continued to pour in from New England. Ohio and Michigan fought against each other in 1835 in the Toledo War, a boundary dispute over the Toledo Strip. In exchange for the Strip, Michigan received the Upper Peninsula.
As a Union state in the Civil War, Ohio’s geographical location was important, since the Ohio River and the state’s railroads were lifelines for supplies and troop movements. Ohio contributed a large number of soldiers to the war effort, as several Union leaders, including Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, were Ohioan natives.
Ohio also played a part in the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves. However, there was an active Copperhead movement during the war. Afterwards, immigrant settlers flooded the state and industrial development expanded, as petroleum and iron ore shipments stimulated economic growth.
The Great Depression had an intense effect on Ohio. Sit-down strikes and labor disputes further damaged the economy. Although World War II helped Ohio recover, the same strikes resumed in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Political upheaval reached a peak when national guardsmen at Kent State University shot four students protesting the Vietnam War. In the 1980s, Ohio experienced a huge loss of jobs from coal and steel. Since then, the state has largely developed its finance and service sectors to prevent economic collapse.
Demographics of Ohio
Ohio’s estimated population as of 2006 is 11,478,006.
About one quarter of the population is of German ancestry. Other European ancestry groups include Irish, English and Italian. African-Americans make up over 11 percent of the population and are largely concentrated in the major metro areas of Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton.
Cleveland and Columbus have growing Asian-American populations, particularly in recent years from Thai, Indian and Laotian immigrants. Cincinnati has a sizeable Hungarian population.
Historically, Ohio was a mix of dissident religious sects such as the Amish, Quakers and Shakers. While there are still large Amish and Mennonite communities in central Ohio, Catholics and Protestants, especially Methodists and Lutherans, comprise the largest portion of the state’s religious makeup.
Ohio is home to a notable population of Jews and Muslims, most located in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Those without religious affiliation make up 17 percent of the population.
Economy of Ohio
In 2006, Ohio’s gross state product was $461 billion. In 2003, per capita income was $30,129.
Ohio is the number one producer of tire and rubber products in the nation. Steel, automobile parts, machine tools and plastic moldings are other major manufacturing industries.
In fact, Ohio produces around 15 percent of the country’s raw steel. Other industries include processed foods, industrial chemicals, fabricated metals and transportation equipment.
Agriculture outputs include cattle, hogs, eggs, soybeans, tomatoes, grapes, apples, corn and dairy products. Insurance is another established industry, as well as tourism, finance, telecommunications and health care.
The state lies in the Rust Belt region, which is home to many automobile plants, including Jeep. Jeep has been manufacturing vehicles in Toledo since World War II. The Wright Brothers, known for inventing the first airplane, experimented in Ohio first, leading the way for a substantial aerospace industry producing U.S. military aircraft and NASA parts.
Ohio Law and Government
Democrat Ted Strickland is the current governor of Ohio. The Ohio General Assembly has 33 Senate members and 99 House of Representative members. In the U.S. federal government, Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican George V. Voinovich represent Ohio in the Senate.
Ohio also has 18 congressional representatives in the House. Columbus is the state capital.
Ohio has always been politically active. Seven Ohioans have gone on to serve in the White House -- eight if you count William Henry Harrison, who lived in Ohio for most of life.
Both conservative and liberal, Ohio is one of the nation’s largest swing states. The state is often considered a microcosm of the nation overall. It is an important state during presidential elections, having narrowly defined the winner on more than one occasion.
Ohio Transportation
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a major hub for Continental Airlines. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport serves both states and is a hub for Delta Air Lines. Dayton, Columbus, Akron-Canton and Toledo also have major airports.
Ohio has a massive road network in part because of its centralized location between east and west. Lincoln Highway, or U.S. Highway 30, passes through Lima, Mansfield, Canton and Van Wert. I-76 travels from Akron to Pennsylvania, while I-70 connects Columbus and Dayton. I-32 goes from Cincinnati to West Virginia.
I-75 passes through Dayton and Cincinnati, while I-71 goes through the middle of Ohio from Cleveland to Kentucky. Other numerous highways run through all major cities and into neighboring states.
Major Cities and Towns of Ohio
Columbus, Ohio’s most populous city, features the Art Deco Wexner Center, designed by Peter Eisenman, and Inniswood Metro Gardens, a group of public gardens. Peruse fine works at the Columbus Museum of Art or majestic animals at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Cleveland has deep ties to the world of rock and roll, from its first usage by DJ Alan Freed at WJW Radio to the location of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Playhouse Square Center is a huge performing arts center complete with opera, ballet, symphonies and plays, in addition to being the center of the Great Lakes Theater Festival.
Other major metropolitan areas in Ohio include Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton and Toledo.
Ohio Educational System
The University System of Ohio encompasses 13 four-year state schools, 23 community and technical colleges and a public medical college. The University of Akron and Ohio University are just some of the notable universities within the state system. There are an additional 46 private colleges, including Oberlin College, one of the top schools in the country.
Learn more from the Ohio Department of Education.
Ohio Sports Teams and Recreational Activities
Ohio is home to several major sports franchises and many minor leagues teams in baseball, arena football, ice hockey and soccer. The Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns play in the NFL, while the Cincinnati Red and the Cleveland Indians play in the MLB. The Cleveland Cavalier play for the NBA, the Columbus Blue Jackets play in the NHL and the Columbus Crew play major league soccer.
While many of the Ohio universities have NCAA Division I football teams, Ohio State has won seven national championships in football and has seven Heisman Trophy winners to its name. High school football is also very popular in Ohio, especially in the Cincinnati Greater Catholic League, one of the most competitive in the country.
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