Ohio

Native Americans

After the so-called Beaver Wars, the powerful Iroquois confederation of the New York-area claimed much of the Ohio country as a hunting and, probably most importantly, a beaver-trapping ground. After the devastation of epidemics and war in the mid-1600s, which had largely emptied the Ohio country of indigenous people by the mid-to-late seventeenth century, the land gradually became repopulated by the mostly Algonquin-speaking descendants of its ancient inhabitants, that is, descendants of the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian cultures. Numerous of these Ohio-country nations were multi-ethnic and sometimes mulit-linguistic societies born out of the earlier devastation brought about by disease, subsequent social instability, and the powerful Iroquois. They subsisted on agriculture (corn, sunflowers, beans, etc.) supplemented by seasonal hunts. By the 1650s they were very much part of a larger global economy brought about by fur trade.

The indigenous nations to inhabit Ohio in the historical period (most clearly after 1700), included the Miamis (a large confederation), Wyandots (made up of refugees, especially from the fractured Huron confederacy), Delawares (pushed west from their historic homeland in New Jersey), Shawnees (desendents of the Fort Ancient society, a Missisippian culture in the Midwest), Ottawa (more commonly associated with the upper Great Lakes region), Mingo (like the Wyandot, clearly a recently-formed composite of refugees from Iroquois and other societies) and Eries (gradually absorbed into the new, multi-ethnic "republics," namely the Wyandot).

Colonial and Revolutionary Eras

During the 18th century, the French set up a system of trading posts to control the fur trade in the region.

In 1754, France and Great Britain fought a war known in the United States as the French and Indian War. As a result of the Treaty of Paris, the French ceded control of Ohio and the old Northwest to Great Britain. Pontiac's Rebellion in the 1760s challenged British military control, which ended with the American victory in the American Revolution. In the Treaty of Paris in 1783 Britain ceded all claims to Ohio to the United States.

Northwest Territory: 1787-1803

The United States created the Northwest Territory under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Slavery was not permitted. 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. The old Northwest Territory originally included areas that had previously been known as Ohio Country and Illinois Country. As Ohio prepared for statehood, Indiana Territory was created, reducing the Northwest Territory to 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.

Under the Northwest Ordinance, any of the states to be formed out of the Northwest Territory would be admitted as a state once the population exceeded 60,000. Although Ohio's population numbered only 45,000 in December 1801, Congress determined that the population was growing rapidly and Ohio could begin the path to statehood with the assumption that it would exceed 60,000 residents by the time it would become a state. On February 19, 1803, President Jefferson signed an act of U.S. Congress that approved Ohio's boundaries and constitution. However, Congress never passed a resolution formally admitting Ohio as the 17th state. The current custom of Congress declaring an official date of statehood did not begin until 1812, with Louisiana's admission as the 18th state. Although no formal resolution of admission was required, when the oversight was discovered in 1953, Ohio congressman George H. Bender introduced a bill in Congress to admit Ohio to the Union retroactive to March 1, 1803. At a special session at the old state capital in Chillicothe, the Ohio state legislature approved a new petition for statehood that was delivered to Washington on horseback. On August 7, 1953 (the year of Ohio's 150th anniversary), President Eisenhower signed an act that officially declared March 1, 1803 the date of Ohio's admittance into the Union.

Statehood: 1803 - present

Known as the "Mother of Presidents", eight U.S. presidents hailed from Ohio at the time of their elections. In comparison, the State of Virginia is similarly known as the "Birthplace of Presidents" with eight U.S. presidents born there. While Ohio is only second as the birthplace of U.S. presidents (with seven), William Henry Harrison (born in Virginia) and his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, (who also lived part of his adult life in Indiana) settled in, led their political careers from and/or were buried in North Bend, Ohio on the family compound, founded by William's father-in-law John Cleves Symmes.

In 1835, Ohio fought a mostly bloodless boundary war with Michigan over the Toledo Strip known as the Toledo War. Congress intervened and, as a condition for admittance as a state of the Union, Michigan was forced to accept the western two-thirds of the Upper Peninsula in exchange for giving up its claim to the Toledo Strip.

Ohio's central position and its population gave it an important place during the Civil War, and the Ohio River was a vital artery for troop and supply movements, as were Ohio's railroads.

In 1912 a Constitutional Convention was held with Charles B. Galbreath as Secretary. The result reflected the concerns of the Progressive Era. It introduced the initiative and the referendum, allowed the General Assembly to put questions on the ballot for the people to ratify laws and constitutional amendments originating in the Legislature as well. Under the Jeffersonian principle that laws should be reviewed once a generation, the constituation provided for a recurring question to appear on Ohio's general election ballots every 20 years. The question asks whether a new convention is required. Although the question has appeared in 1932, 1952, 1972, and 1992, it has never been approved. Instead constitutional amendments have been proposed by petition and the legislature hundreds of times and adopted in a majority of cases.

Law and government

Ohio's capital is Columbus, located close to the center of the state. The Governor is Bob Taft. Ohio has 18 seats in the United States House of Representatives.

Geography

The Ohio coast of Lake Erie

Map of Ohio

Ohio's geographic location has proved 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 on 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."Transportation delivers for Ohio", Ohio Department of Transportation, retrieved December 22, 2005 To the North, Lake Erie gives Ohio 312 miles (502 km) of coastline,"Ohio Coastal Atlas" Page 1 of "County Profiles" subsection, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, retrieved December 22, 2005. which allows for numerous seaports. Ohio's southern border is defined by the Ohio River (with the border being at the 1793 low-water mark on the north side of the river), and much of the northern border is defined by Lake Erie. It borders Pennsylvania on the east, Michigan in the northwest near Toledo, Ontario, Canada across Lake Erie to the north, Indiana to the west, Kentucky on the south, and West Virginia on the southeast.

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.

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

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. Known somewhat erroneously as Ohio's "Appalachian Counties" (they are actually in the Allegheny Plateau), this area's coal mining legacy, dependence on small pockets of old manufacturing establishments, and even distinctive regional dialect set this section off from the rest of the state and, unfortunately, create a limited opportunity to participate in the generally high economic standards of Ohio.

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 and then the Mississippi.

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. For many years this body of water, over 20 square miles (52 km²), was the largest artificial lake in the world. It should be noted that 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 location on canals, and as late as 1910 interior canals carried much of the bulk freight of the state.

Important cities

View of downtown Cleveland from Lake Erie.

View of downtown Cincinnati.

View of Columbus, Ohio's capital city.

The largest cities in Ohio are listed below in alphabetical order. In some cases the associated metro areas are several times larger.
* Akron population 217,074
* Canton population 80,806
* Cincinnati population 308,728
* Cleveland population 478,403, largest metropolitan population
* Columbus population 730,657, state capital and largest municipal population
* Dayton population 166,179
* Springfield population 65,358
* Toledo population 304,973
* Youngstown population 77,713

Economy

Ohio is a major producer of machines, tires and rubber products, steel, processed foods, tools, and other manufactured goods. This is not immediately obvious because Ohio specializes in producers goods (goods used to make other goods, such as machine tools, industrial chemicals, and plastic moldings). Nevertheless, there are well known Ohio consumer items including some Procter & Gamble products, Smuckers jams and jellies, and Day-Glo paints.

Ohio is the site of the invention of the airplane, resulting from the experiments of the Wright brothers in Dayton. Production of aircraft in the USA is now centered elsewhere, but a large experimental and design facility, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has been located near Dayton and serves in the co-ordination of production of US military aircraft. On the base are located Wright Hill and Huffman Prairie, where many of the earliest aerodynamic experiments of the Wright brothers were performed. Ohio today also has many aerospace, defense, and NASA parts and systems suppliers scattered throughout the state.

As part of the Corn Belt, agriculture also plays an important role in the state's economy. There is also a small commercial fishing sector on Lake Erie, and the principal catch is yellow perch. In addition, Ohio's historical attractions, varying landscapes, and recreational opportunities are the basis for a thriving tourist industry. Over 2,500 lakes and 43,000 miles (70,000 km) of river landscapes are a paradise for boaters, fishermen, and swimmers. Three major amusement parks, Cedar Point, Geauga Lake, and Paramount's Kings Island, are also important to the tourism industry. Of special historical interest are the Native American archaeological sites—including grave mounds and other sites.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Ohio's gross state product in 2004 was $419 billion[1]. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $30,129, 25th in the nation. Ohio's agricultural outputs are soybeans, dairy products, corn, tomatoes, hogs, cattle, poultry and eggs. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, fabricated metal products, machinery, food processing, and electric equipment.

Demographics

Historical populationsThe Ohio Politics Almanac, Michael F. Curtin, Kent State University Press, 1996, Page 173 (Except Year 2000 Census Data.) ISBN 0-87338-540-3.
Census year	Population	State Rank
1800	45,365	18
1810	230,760	13
1820	581,434	5
1830	937,903	4
1840	1,519,467	3
1850 ¦¦ align="center"| 1,980,329	3
1860	2,339,511	3
1870	2,665,260	3
1880	3,198,062	3
1890	3,672,329	4
1900	4,157,545	4
1910	4,767,121	4
1920	5,759,394	4
1930	6,646,697	4
1940	6,907,612	4
1950	7,946,627	5
1960	9,706,397	5
1970	10,652,017	6
1980	10,797,630	6
1990	10,847,115	7
2000	11,353,140	7

As of 2005, Ohio has an estimated population of 11,464,042, which is an increase of 13,899, or 0.1%, from the prior year and an increase of 110,897 since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 217,877 people (that is 789,312 births minus 571,435 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 102,008 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 75,142 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 177,150 people.

As of 2004, Ohio's population included about 390,000 foreign-born (3.4%).

The racial makeup of the state is: *85.0% White *11.5% Black *1.2% Asian *0.2% Native American *1.4% Mixed race 1.9% of the population is Hispanic, of any race. The five largest ancestry groups in Ohio are German (25.2%), Irish (12.7%), African American (11.5%), English (9.2%), and American (8.5%). German is the largest reported ancestry in most of the counties in Ohio, especially in the northwest. Ohioans who cited American and British ancestry are present throughout the state as well, particularly in the south-central part of the state. The cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati contain large black communities. The cities of Cleveland and Toledo have sizeable Hispanic populations, while the Cleveland and Columbus areas have the largest Asian populations. 6.6% of Ohio's population were reported as under 5, 25.4% under 18, and 13.3% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population.

Ohio Population Density Map Population Growth in Ohio

Religion

Most Ohioans are Christian, belonging primarily to Protestant denominations. There are large numbers of Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Pentecostals. Other notable Protestant groups include the nation's largest Amish population, and the headquarters of the United Church of Christ, which is in Cleveland. Cincinnati and Cleveland both have large populations of Roman Catholics. There are sizeable Jewish communities in Cleveland's eastern suburbs, and in Cincinnati.

The religious affiliations of the people of Ohio are:
*Christianity – 82%
**Protestant – 62%
***Baptist – 15%
***Methodist – 11%
***Lutheran – 5%
***Presbyterian – 4%
***Pentecostal – 4%
***United Church of Christ – 2%
***Amish/Pietist – 1%
***Other Protestant – 20%
**Roman Catholic – 19%
**Other Christian – 1%
*Judaism – 1.3%
*Other Religions – less than 1%
*Non-Religious – 16%

Political demographics and history

Politically, Ohio is considered a swing state, although state politics are dominated by Republicans. The mixture of urban and rural areas, and the presence of both large blue-collar industries and significant white-collar commercial districts leads to a balance of conservative and liberal population that (together with the state's 20 electoral votes, more than most swing states) makes the state very important to the outcome of national elections. Ohio was a deciding state in the 2004 presidential election between George W. Bush and John Kerry. Bush narrowly won the state's 20 electoral votes by a margin of 2 percentage points and 50.8% of the vote. The state supported Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but supported Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Ohio was also a deciding factor in the 1948 presidential election when Democrat Harry S. Truman defeated Republican Thomas Dewey (who had won the state four years earlier) and in the 1976 presidential election when Democrat Jimmy Carter defeated Republican Gerald Ford by a slim margin in Ohio and took the election.

Ohio's demographics cause many to consider the state as a microcosm of the nation as a whole. Interestingly, a Republican presidential candidate has never won the White House without winning Ohio, and Ohio has gone to the winner of the election in all but two contests since 1892, backing only losers Thomas E. Dewey in 1944 (Ohio's John Bricker was his running mate) and Richard M. Nixon in 1960. Consequently, the state is very important to the campaigns of both major parties. Ohio had 20 electoral votes in the Electoral College in 2004.

The most solidly Democratic areas of the state are in the northeast, including Cleveland, Youngstown, and other industrial areas. Specifically, the core of this region includes eight counties stretching east along Lake Erie from Erie County to the Pennsylvania border and south to Mahoning County. Southwestern Ohio, especially the suburbs of Cincinnati, Warren County, Butler County, and Clermont County is particularly Republican.

Ohio is known as the "Modern Mother of Presidents," having sent eight of its native sons to the White House. Seven of them were Republicans, and the other was a member of the Whig Party.

"Ohio has excelled as a recruiting-ground for national political leaders. Between the Civil War and 1920, seven Ohioans were elected to the presidency, ending with Harding's election in 1920. At the same time, six Ohioans sat on the US Supreme Court and two served as Chief Justices....'Not since the Virginia dynasty dominated national government during the early years of the Republic' notes historian R. Douglas Hurt, 'had a state made such a mark on national political affairs.'

Ohioans dominated national politics for seventy years, because Ohio was to a large extent a microcosm of the nation. Hurt writes that the elements of that microcosm were 'the diversity of the people, the strength of the industrial and agricultural economy, and the balance between rural and urban populations.' He continues: 'The individuals who played major roles in national affairs appealed to broad national constituencies because they learned their skills in Ohio, where political success required candidates to reconcile wide differences among the voters. Ohioans were northerners and southerners as well as easterners and westerners. Consequently, Ohio's politicians addressed constituencies that were the same as those across the nation.' Finally, the pragmatic and centrist character of Ohio politics, Hurt asserts, has made it 'job-oriented rather than issue oriented.'" The American Mayor, Melvin G. Holli, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999, Page 162. ISBN 0-271-01876-3.

See also

*Ohio Democratic Party
*Libertarian Party of Ohio
*Ohio Republican Party

Education

Ohio's system of public education is outlined in the state constitution's Article VI and Ohio's Revised Code Title XXXIII. Ohio's system is substantially similar to other states. Ohio has a Department of Education, a State Board of Education, and then nearly 700 districts that have their own boards of education and administrations. The Ohio Board of Regents governs and assists with Ohio's system of higher education, especially public colleges and universities.

Colleges and universities

* 13 state universities
**University of Akron, Akron, Ohio
**Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
**Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio
**University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
**Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
**Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
**Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
**Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
**Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
**Shawnee State University, Portsmouth, Ohio
**University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio
**Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio (Fairborn, Ohio)
**Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio:(note: the University of Dayton is not one of Ohio's state universities; it is a private, Roman Catholic university run by the Society of Mary)
* 24 state university branch and regional campuses
* 46 liberal arts colleges and universities
* 6 free-standing state-assisted medical schools
**Medical University of Ohio (formerly Medical College of Ohio)
***(note: the Medical University of Ohio will merge with the University of Toledo, effective July 1, 2006)
**Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
**Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health
**Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine
**University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
**Wright State University Boonschoft School of Medicine
* 2 private medical schools
**Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine
**Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
* 15 community colleges
* 8 technical colleges
* over 24 independent non-profit colleges

Professional sports teams

Ohio is home to many professional sports teams, including six major professional sports league franchises. Ohio is currently the only state to have teams in each of the major leagues where no one city or metro area could lay claim to the "Grand Slam."

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*Major League Baseball
**Cincinnati Reds
**Cleveland Indians
*National Football League
**Cincinnati Bengals
**Cleveland Browns
*National Basketball Association
**Cleveland Cavaliers
*National Hockey League
**Columbus Blue Jackets
*Major League Soccer
**Columbus Crew
*Arena Football League
**Columbus Destroyers