Location: Midwest

Area and rank: 40,953 square miles (106,067 square kilometers); 44,828 square miles (116,105 square kilometers) including water; thirty-fifth largest state in area

Coastline: none

Population and rank: 11,544,225 (2012); seventh largest state in population

Capital and largest city: Columbus (787,033 people in 2010 census)

Entered Union and rank: March 1, 1803; seventeenth state

Present constitution adopted: 1951

Counties: 88

State name: “Ohio” derives from an Iroquoian word for “great river”

State nickname: Buckeye State

Motto: With God, all things are possible

State flag: Red and white stripes on a double-pointed pennant with a blue triangle at the staff end bearing a red circle bordered by seventeen stars

Highest point: Campbell Hill—1,549 feet (472 meters)

Lowest point: Ohio River—455 feet (139 meters)

Highest recorded temperature: 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius)—near Gallipolis, 1934

Lowest recorded temperature: –39 degrees Fahrenheit (–39.4 degrees Celsius)—Milligan, 1899

State song: “Beautiful Ohio”

State tree: Buckeye

State flower: Scarlet carnation

State bird: Cardinal

National parks: Cuyahoga Valley

Ohio History

Located between previously settled eastern states and newer territories in the Midwest, Ohio was one of the first states to be established after the creation of the United States. Ease of transportation, supplied by Lake Erie along the northern border and the Ohio River along the southern border, quickly made Ohio one of the most populous states in the Union. Ohio’s rich soils and abundant natural resources have made it one of the most important areas of agricultural and industrial activity in the nation.

Early History. About eleven thousand years ago, the earliest humans to reside in the area used stone tools to hunt bison as well as extinct species such as mammoths and mastodons. About 2,500 years ago, the people of the Adena culture, located in southern Ohio, built mounds, lived in villages, made pottery, and subsisted by hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plant foods. About five hundred years later, the people of the Hopewell culture, living in the same area, established agriculture with the growing of corn. They also produced the most advanced metal artifacts, mostly made from copper, found in North America until the Europeans arrived. About fifteen hundred years ago, the Hopewell culture began to decline. By the time Europeans first arrived in the region during the late seventeenth century, Ohio was mostly uninhabited.

Before Europeans were established in the area, however, Native Americans returned to Ohio during the early eighteenth century. The Wyandot, originally residing in Ontario, were driven south into northern Ohio by the devastation caused by newly introduced European diseases and by their enemies, the Iroquois League, a powerful confederation of eastern Native Americans. The Delaware, originally residing along the Atlantic coast, were driven west into northern Ohio by the Iroquois League and European settlers. The Miami, originally residing in eastern Wisconsin, expanded south and east into many areas, including southern Ohio. The Shawnee, who had originally resided along the Ohio River, were driven out by the Iroquois League but returned to southern Ohio in 1725.

Exploration and Settlement. The first European known to have visited the area was the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, who journeyed southwest from Canada along the Saint Lawrence River, past Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and into Ohio in 1670. During the first half of the eighteenth century, French traders from Canada and British traders from eastern colonies provided manufactured goods to the Native Americans in the area in exchange for deer and beaver skins. The lucrative fur trade led both sides to attempt to win control of the area. In 1749, the French sent an expedition led by Celeron de Bienville from Canada into Ohio, in order to make trade agreements with the inhabitants. The next year, the British sent a similar expedition, led by Christopher Gist, from Virginia to Ohio.

The conflict between France and England for control of North America led to the French and Indian War (1754–1763), which ended with the British in control of the area. During the American Revolution, American forces led by George Rogers Clark seized British outposts in Ohio. Clark also destroyed villages of the Shawnee, who were allied with the British. The war ended with the United States in control of the region. It became part of the newly created Northwest Territory in 1787.

The first permanent settlement in Ohio was founded in 1788 at Marietta by veterans of the Revolutionary War. The next year, settlers from New Jersey led by John Cleves Symes established a settlement at the future site of Cincinnati. These and other early settlements, located along the Ohio River, caused conflicts with the Native Americans inhabiting the region. On August 20, 1794, American forces led by Anthony Wayne defeated an alliance of Native Americans under Shawnee leader Bluejacket at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The next year Wayne negotiated a treaty that resulted in Native Americans ceding much of their land in Ohio to the United States.

Statehood. Settlements continued to be located almost entirely in the southern part of Ohio until 1796, when settlers from Connecticut arrived in northeast Ohio. By 1802 Ohio had the sixty thousand white adult male residents required for statehood, and it became the seventeenth state the next year. The capital was located at Chillicothe until 1810, when it was briefly moved to Zanesville. After returning to Chillicothe in 1812, the capital was moved to the newly founded city of Columbus in 1816.

During the early years of statehood, Shawnee leader Tecumseh organized an alliance of Native Americans that attempted to win back control of the region from the United States. During the War of 1812 Tecumseh was allied with the British against the Americans. Tecumseh and British general Henry A. Proctor led an invasion of Ohio in 1812 but were driven back into Canada the next year.

After the war, the population of Ohio grew rapidly. In addition to settlers from eastern and southern states, emigrants from England, Ireland, and Germany arrived in large numbers after 1830. Advances in transportation contributed to this growth. Steamboats appeared on the Ohio River as early as 1811. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, linking the Hudson River with Lake Erie, improved transportation to Ohio and the territories beyond it. From 1825 to 1841, a series of canals linked the Ohio River and Lake Erie. The first railroad in the state was established in 1832. Between 1825 and 1838, the federal government extended the National Road across Ohio, linking the state to Pennsylvania and Maryland. By 1850, Ohio was the third most populous state in the Union.

At this time, agriculture was the most important part of the state’s economy. In 1850, Ohio had a larger agricultural output than any other state. Coal was discovered in Ohio in 1808 and was later of great importance to the iron and steel industry. Other important mineral resources developed at this time included limestone, sandstone, clay, shale, and rock salt.

The Civil War. During the Civil War, Ohio was divided in loyalty. The strongest support for the Union was found in northern Ohio. Southern Ohio, bordering on Kentucky and Virginia, was more sympathetic to the Confederacy. Ohio supplied 320,000 volunteers for the Union. Three of the Union’s most important generals, Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and Philip H. Sheridan, were from Ohio.

Ohio was an important center of the Peace Democrats, known to their opponents as Copperheads. The Peace Democrats advocated an end to the war through negotiation with the Confederacy. Clement L. Vallandigham, a leader of the Peace Democrats, was nominated for governor of Ohio in 1863 but was defeated by Union supporter John Brough. The same year, Confederate soldiers led by John Hunt Morgan raided southern Ohio, reaching farther north than any other Confederate forces.

Industry and Immigration. The demand for manufactured goods during the war led to the growth of industry in Ohio, particularly in the northern part of the state. Iron ore from states to the northwest was transported via the Great Lakes to the steelmaking cities of Toldeo, Cleveland, and Youngstown. During the 1870’s, Akron became a center of the rubber industry. Oil and natural gas were discovered in 1860. The Standard Oil Company, founded in Cleveland in 1870, soon controlled almost all oil production in the United States.

Immigrants from Italy, Poland, Hungary, and Russia arrived in large numbers after 1880. Cleveland was particularly diverse in the ethnic origins of its new residents, with immigrants arriving from Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece, China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico. A large number of African Americans moved into the state at this time also, increasing the black population from about twenty-five thousand in 1850 to more than sixty-three thousand in 1870.

The Twentieth Century. Ohio was dominant in national politics during the turn of the century. Of the twelve U.S. presidents who held office from 1869 to 1923, seven were born in Ohio. Ohio was also the birthplace of Victoria Woodhull, who became the first woman to run for president, in 1872.

The state’s economy expanded during World War I. The increase in automobile manufacturing after the war strengthened Ohio’s oil, rubber, and glass industries. The Great Depression of the 1930’s led to widespread unemployment, and the economy did not recover until World War II. Although economic conditions were generally favorable until the late 1970’s, Ohio faced serious problems, including pollution in Lake Erie, race riots in Cleveland, poverty in the cities, and a decline in the quality of education.

A recession during the late 1970’s and 1980’s led to Ohio having 14 percent unemployment in 1982. During the 1980’s and 1990’s, Ohio shifted much of its economy away from manufacturing to the service and technology industries. The state also took steps to encourage new businesses, provide vocational training, and protect the environment.

Riots and Scandal. Public life in Ohio was marked in the opening years of the new millennium by public disturbances in one city and criminal accusations against a sitting member of Congress. In 2001, serious rioting erupted in Cincinnati’s African American community after an incident on April 7, when a police officer killed nineteen-year-old Timothy Thomas. The city had recently been through a number of police killings and alleged abuse of black residents. During the prior six years, fifteen black males had been killed by police; the black community was simmering with resentment.

The death of Thomas ignited the black community. The result was the worst rioting in Cincinnati since the 1960’s, lasting the three nights of April 10–12 and ending only with a curfew and heavy rain. A federal lawsuit over the death ensued, resulting in an agreement directed at changing police-community relations. In September, 2001, a judge found the police officer who killed Thomas innocent of all charges. Thomas’s mother subsequently filed a separate wrongful death suit; it was settled after the trial began. Following the riots, Cincinnati set new records for murder rates. The city’s police began a “work slowdown” to protest new measures to scrutinize their behavior and a perceived lack of support from city hall.

Scandal involved a well-known congressman, James Traficant, Jr. In 2002, Traficant, a Democrat, was indicted on federal charges of bribery, tax evasion, and racketeering, accused of misappropriating campaign funds for his own use. In April, 2002, he was convicted of ten felony counts. On July 25, by a vote of 420-1, he became the first person expelled from the House of Representatives since 1980. Sentenced to eight years in federal prison, he continued his political activities from prison, running for Congress in 2002. He received more than 27,000 votes, about 15 percent of the votes cast.

Blackout of 2003. On August 14, 2003, a massive power outage swept across eight eastern states and Ontario, Canada, including Ohio. While most states regained power on August 15, power was not restored in the northern part of Ohio until August 16. An investigation showed that the outage was caused by the overloaded lines of troubled Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp., the nation’s fourth largest utility holding company. Shortly after the restoration of power, a class action lawsuit was filed against the company; the suit was later settled for $90 million, with no admission of wrongdoing by the company.

Electoral Politics. In 2000, Ohio gave its twenty-one electoral votes to George W. Bush, who won the state by a narrow margin of 177,000 votes among more than 4.3 million votes cast. Mike DeWine was reelected U.S. senator, and all congressional incumbents were returned to Washington. The state’s congressional delegation was composed of eleven Republicans and eight Democrats. Two years later, matters were slightly different. The state had lost a congressional seat after the 2000 census, and after the 2002 election there were twelve Republicans and six Democrats in Congress.

Two years later, in 2004, Ohio determined the cliffhanger election between President Bush and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. On the morning after the election, the two candidates were virtually tied, with Ohio undetermined. If Iowa, Nevada, and New Mexico, which were still undecided, went to Kerry, then there would be a tie in the electoral college. In that case, the presidency would be decided in the House of Representatives, each state having one vote, resulting in a Bush victory.

Thus, Ohio was the key to either candidate’s victory. Because Ohio was a “battleground” (hotly contested and evenly divided) state in a close national election, there were hundreds of observers from both parties watching the polling process and looking for legal infractions. The eligibility to vote of certain voters was disputed, and federal courts were brought into the fray. Contested voters cast “provisional” ballots, but standards for counting these contested votes were vigorously disputed. In the end, on the morning of November 3, Democrats’ hopes lay in provisional ballots that had not been counted. Later that morning, however, Ohio’s secretary of state announced that it was statistically impossible for Kerry to win, no matter how contested votes were counted. At that, Senator Kerry conceded the election.

In the Ohio gubernatorial election of 2006, incumbent Governor Bob Taft could not run for re-election, as Ohio governors are limited to two consecutive terms in office. In the general election for governor, Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, the Republican nominee, ran against Democratic Member of Congress Ted Strickland of Ohio’s 6th congressional district. Strickland won with about 60 percent of the vote. After serving one term, Strickland was defeated in 2010 by Republican John Kasich. A primary election had been scheduled for May 4, 2010, but both candidates moved on to the general election without primary opposition. In the 2008 Ohio primary elections to select party nominees for the presidency, Hillary Clinton defeated Barack Obama, giving her a crucial win in her campaign.

In both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, Ohio was considered a key battleground state. In 2008, Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the state by 51.38 percent to 48.8 percent; the vote was slightly closer in 2012, with Obama defeating Mitt Romney by 50.67 to 47.69. Some analysts attributed President Obama’s win in the state to the popularity of the auto industry bailout there. Others credited the victory to the strong on-the-ground Democratic arty organization that worked to get out the vote.

Environment. The small town of Camden in the southwest corner of the state suffered a severe interruption in its water supply, after the town’s 2,500 residents began noticing a salty taste in tap water in the summer of 2010. In August 2010, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency tested the water, which came from three local wells, and determined that one of the wells had salt and brine contamination, while a second well showed rising salt levels. All three wells were taken out of service, and by the fall of 2010, the entire well field was ruled completely unfit for drinking. The source of the problem was traced to uncovered salt piles that leached runoff; the problem had first been identified in 2009. Despite the expense involved, the town connected to the Southwest Regional water supply system to resolve the problem.

Same-Sex Marriage. In 2004, Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage by a 62 percent vote. Efforts to overturn the amendment continued into 2013; individual political leaders stepped forward to support repeal of the amendment, and petitions to place the issue on the ballot continued.

Ohio Time Line

Notes for Further Study

Published Sources. An excellent resource for the student new to the subject of Ohio is Eastern Great Lakes: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio (1995) by Thomas G. Aylesworth, which provides basic information on the state and compares it to other states in the region. A similar work, with an emphasis on the culture and society of Ohio, is George W. Knepper’s Ohio and Its People (3d ed., 2003).

The physical geography of the state is presented in a popular style in Natural Wonders of Ohio: Exploring Wild and Scenic Places (1998) by Gordon and Janet Groene. A more scholarly discussion of the same subject is found in A Geography of Ohio (1996), edited by Leonard Peacefull. An entertaining way to learn about many different locations in the state is Larry L. Miller’s Ohio Place Names (1996). Nearly 350 photographs, original artworks, maps, time lines, and graphics help to tell the fascinating story of the region’s Native American history in Ohio Archaeology: An Illustrated Chronicle of Ohio’s Ancient American Indian Cultures (2005) by Bradley Thomas Lepper. Six chronological chapters based on the major archaeological periods are supplemented with twenty-eight feature articles written by top regional scholars.

Of the many different books that discuss Ohio’s history, one of the most dramatic is Allan W. Eckert’s That Dark and Bloody River: Chronicles of the Ohio River Valley (1995). An outstanding discussion of the early history of the state is found in The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720–1830 (1996) by R. Douglas Hurt. The Center of a Great Empire: The Ohio Country in the Early Republic (2005), edited by Andrew R. L. Cayton and Stuart D. Hobbs, takes a sweeping look at the conquest of Native Americans, the emergence of a democratic political culture, the origins of capitalism, and the formation of public culture, among other topics, during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The role that Ohio played in the Civil War is included in Rebel Raider: The Life of General John Hunt Morgan (1986) by James A. Ramage. An excellent review of racial tensions in Ohio is found in Joseph Watras’s Politics, Race, and Schools: Racial Integration, 1954–1994 (1997), which uses the city of Dayton as a case study.

The state’s second-largest city is the topic of Cleveland: A Concise History, 1796–1990 (1997) by Carol Poh Miller. George Zimmermann and Carol Zimmermann’s Ohio Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places (2004) is a good for those interested in the unique locales and history of the state. For young audiences, both Joyce Hart’s Ohio (2006) from the It’s My State series and Ohio History (2003) by Marcia Schonberg provide accessible information about many aspects of the state’s history and culture.

Web Resources. As one of the most heavily populated states in the nation, Ohio provides an enormous variety of Web sites with information on the state. A good place to start is the state of Ohio Government Information and Services (www.state.oh.us), the official site for the state government. Besides the information on government services usually provided by similar Web sites, this site also provides links to a large number of sites with general information about the state. For a concise but clear and accurate overview of Ohio, InfoPlease’s page on Ohio (www.infoplease.com/ipa/a0108258.htm) gives an excellent summary of basic facts. Numerous links are also found at Ohio.com (www.ohio.com), provided by the Akron Beacon Journal. This site emphasizes news events and Ohio businesses.

Statistical information on the state is provided by the U.S. Census Bureau at Ohio QuickFacts (quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/39000.html). A guide to attractions and events within Ohio can be found at Discover Ohio Tourism (www.ohiotourism.com). The flora and fauna of the state are discussed in detail at Ohio Biological Survey (www.ohiobiologicalsurvey.org/), an ambitious project involving ninety-one colleges, universities, museums, and other organizations.

Counties

Cities

With 10,000 or more residents

Survey Says…

This section presents current rankings from dozens of public and private sources. It shows how this state ranks in a number of critical categories, including education, job growth, cost of living, teen drivers, energy efficiency, and business environment. Sources include Forbes, Reuters, U.S. News and World Report, CNN Money, Gallup, and Huffington Post.

Demographics

Resident State and National Population, 1950–2012

Projected State and National Population, 2000–2030

Population by Age, 2012

Population by Race, 2012

Population by Hispanic Origin and Race, 2012

Vital Statistics

Death Rates by Leading Causes, 2010

Death Rates by Selected Causes, 2010

Abortion Rates, 2009

Infant Mortality Rates, 1995–2009

Marriage and Divorce Rates, 2000–2011

Economy

Nominal Gross Domestic Product by Industry, 2012

In millions of current dollars

Real Gross Domestic Product, 2000–2012

In millions of chained 2005 dollars

Personal Income Per Capita, 1930–2012

Non-Farm Employment by Sector, 2012

In thousands

Foreign Exports, 2000–2012

In millions of dollars

Energy Consumption, 2011

In trillions of BTUs, except as noted

Land and Water

Surface Area and Federally-Owned Land, 2007

In thousands of acres

Land Cover/Use of Non-Federal Rural Land, 2007

In thousands of acres

Farms and Crop Acreage, 2012

Health and Medical Care

Medical Professionals, 2012

Health Insurance Coverage, 2011

HIV, STD, and Tuberculosis Cases and Rates, 2011

Cigarette Smoking, 2011

Housing

Home Ownership Rates, 1995–2012

Home Sales, 2000–2010

In thousands of units

Value of Owner-Occupied Homes, 2011

Education

School Enrollment, 2011

Educational Attainment, 2011

Public College Finances, FY 2012

Transportation and Travel

Motor Vehicle Registrations and Drivers Licenses, 2011

Domestic Travel Expenditures, 2009

In millions of dollars

Retail Gasoline Prices, 2013

Public Road Length, 2011

Crime and Law Enforcement

Full-Time Law Enforcement Officers, 2011

Prison Population, 2000–2012

Crime Rate, 2011

Incidents per 100,000 residents

Government and Finance

Local Governments by Type, 2012

State Government Revenue, 2011

In thousands of dollars, except for per capita figures

State Government Expenditures, 2011

In thousands of dollars, except for per capita figures

State Government General Expenditures by Function, 2011

In thousands of dollars

State Government Finances, Cash and Debt, 2011

In thousands of dollars, except for per capita figures

Politics

Composition of the Senate, 1995–2013

Composition of the House of Representatives, 1995–2013

Composition of State Legislature, 2004–2013

Voter Participation in Presidential Elections, 1980–2012

Governors Since Statehood