Ohio, US (Population: 11,478,006)
State Capitol: Columbus
Major Cities: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Parma, Youngstown, Canton, Lorain
State Nickname/Motto: Buckeye State – With God, All Things Are Possible
Statehood Granted: March 1, 1803
History:After the Beaver Wars, the powerful Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenasaunee) 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 Algonquian-speaking descendants of its ancient inhabitants, that is, descendants of the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian cultures. Many of these Ohio-country nations were multi-ethnic and sometimes multi-linguistic societies born out of the earlier devastation brought about by disease, subsequent social instability, Iroquois. They subsisted on crops of corn, sunflowers, beans, etc., supplemented by seasonal hunts. The indigenous nations to inhabit Ohio in the historical period 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 (also pushed west, although they may be descended from the Fort Ancient people of Ohio), Ottawas (more commonly associated with the upper Great Lakes region), Mingos (like the Wyandot, a recently-formed composite of refugees from Iroquois and other societies), and Eries gradually absorbed into the new, multi-ethnic "republics," namely the Wyandot.
Geography: Highest point: Campbell Hill 1, 550 feet. 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 non-glaciated Allegheny Plateau. Most of Ohio is of low relief, but the non-glaciated 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
Ethnic Diversity: One Race (98.5%), White (84.3%), Black or African American (11.5%), American Indian and Alaska Native (0.2%), Asian (1.5%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (0.0%), Some other race (1.0%), Two or more races (1.5%), Hispanic or Latino (2.3%)*
Famous State People:
Neil Armstrong (1930 - ) The first astronaut to walk on the moon; born in Wapakoneta.
Daniel Beard (1850 - 1941) Founded the Boy Scouts of America; born in Cincinnati.
Halle Berry (1966 - ) Famous Actress; born in Cleveland.
Drew Carey - (1958 - ) Actor, Writer, Comedian; born in Cleveland.
Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931) Only American inventor with more than 1,000 patents; born in Milan.
Bob Hope (1903 - 2003) Actor/Dancer/Singer/Comedian/Entertainer; Grew up in Cleveland.
Clark Gable (1901-1960) Actor known for his role in Gone with the Wind; from Cadiz.
James A. Garfield (1831 - 1881) The 20th President of the United States; born in Cuyahoga County.
John Glenn (1921 - ) The first American to orbit the Earth; born in Cambridge.
Ulysses S. Grant (1822 - 1885) The 18th President of the United States; born in Point Pleasant.
Arsenio Hall (1958- ) Actor and former late-night talk show host; born in Cleveland.
Warren G. Harding (1865 - 1923) The 29th President of the United States; born near Marion.
Benjamin Harrison (1833 - 1901) The 23rd President of the United States; born near Cincinnati.
Rutherford B. Hayes (1822 - 1893) The 19th President of the United States; born in Delaware, Ohio.
Annie Oakley (1860 - 1926) Sharpshooter and entertainer. She performed in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
William McKinley (1843 - 1901) The 25th President of the United States; born in Niles.
Jesse Owens (1913 - 1980) Winner of four gold medals in the 1936 Summer Olympic Games; lived in Cleveland.
Pete Rose (1941 - ) Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds that broke the all-time hitting record in 1985; born in Cincinnati.
William Sherman (1820 - 1891) General of the Civil War that led “Sherman’s March” through Georgia destroying Southern hope; born in Lancaster.
Steven Spielberg (1947 - ) Director of E.T., Schindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and many other famous movies; born in Cincinnati.
R.L. Stine (1943 - ) Author of the popular Goosebumps series; native of Bexley.
William Howard Taft (1857 - 1930) The 27th President of the United States; born in Cincinnati.
Wilbur Wright (1867 - 1912) & Orville Wright (1871-1948) Brothers who invented the first airplane; born in Indiana and Dayton respectively.
Zane Grey (1872 - 1939) Western novel author; born in Zanesville.
Major Colleges/Universities: University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, Central State University, University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Miami University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, Shawnee State University, University of Toledo, Wright State University, Youngstown State University, Cleveland State University, Marietta College, Mercy College of Northwest Ohio, Notre Dame College, Oberlin College, Muskingum College, North Central State College, Youngstown State University, Zane State College
State Parks: Catawba Island, Harrison Lake, Independence Dam, Van Buren, Findley, West Branch, Tinker’s Creek, Nelson Kennedy, Headlands Beach, Cleveland Lakefront, Geneva, Marblehead Lighthouse, Kelley’s Island, Island/Oak Point, South Bass, Grand Lake, Lake Loramie, Kiser Lake, Wolf Run, Sycamore, John Bryan, Deer Creek, Blue Rock, Buckeye Lake, Cowan Lake, Rocky Fork, Pike Lake, Lake White, Jackson Lake, Shawnee, Adams Lake, Forked Run, Lake Hope, Scioto Trail, Tar Hollow
Misc: Ohio is recognized for its health care, due to several flagship hospitals that operate in the northeast region of the state. The Cleveland Clinic, ranked among the three leading hospitals in the U.S., has its world headquarters and main campus in Cleveland. Its rival, the University Hospitals of Cleveland health system, includes the Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, ranked among the top ten children's hospitals in the country.
*U.S. Census - 2005