All About Ohio
Ohio is a constituent state of the United States of America. Lake Erie lies on the north, Pennsylvania on the east, West Virginia and Kentucky on the southeast and south, and Michigan on the northwest. Its area of 41,330 square miles (107,044 square kilometres), excluding 3,457 square miles in Lake Erie, ranks only 35th in size among the states, and it is one of the smallest states west of the Appalachian Mountains. The state ranks near the top, however, in population. Ohio's capital, after being located in Chillicothe and Zanesville during the early years of statehood, was finally established in newly founded and centrally located Columbus in 1816. The state takes its name from that of the river, an Iroquoian word meaning ''great water.''
The first state to be carved from the Northwest Territory when it became the 17th member of the Union on March 1, 1803, Ohio has come to reflect the urbanized, industrialized, and ethnically mixed United States that developed from an earlier agrarian period. The pattern of its life is so representative of the nation as a whole that it is often used to test attitudes, ideas, and programs in education, politics, and industry. Significantly, Ohio has supplied by birth or residence eight U.S. presidents - William H. Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding.
The state's accessibility has been perhaps the key factor in its growth. Its location between the Eastern Seaboard and the growing Midwest and its lack of natural barriers to movement made it a corridor for east–west travel. In addition, the state lies in the heart of the nation's old industrial belt, close to major resources of raw material and labour and to the markets of the East, Midwest, and South.
Ohio straddles two major subregions of the Interior Lowlands physiographic region of the United States: the Appalachian Plateau on the east and the Central Lowlands on the west. These two subregions divide the state almost in half. The Appalachian Plateau reaches westward from Pennsylvania and West Virginia into the counties along Ohio's eastern border, from near Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The northeast is only partially glaciated, while the southeast is unglaciated terrain. Throughout the plateau the land is dissected by rivers winding among steep hills, and many elevations reach 1,300 feet (395 metres).
A good location, a rich store of natural resources, productive soils, cheap energy, and ample transportation facilities have made Ohio one of the great industrial states. More than half of the nation's population is within 500 miles (800 kilometres) of its borders; and coal, oil, natural gas, clay, salt, limestone, sandstone, shales, and gypsum help supply local industries. About two-thirds of the raw materials processed in Ohio's factories come from its own resources. More than one-fourth of the labour force is employed in manufacturing, although heavy basic industrial production has declined since the 1970s. Ohio's continuing activity in agriculture and mineral production provides economic balance and diversity.
Recreational facilities include extensive state park facilities in addition to numerous municipal recreational areas. The Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area lies between Cleveland and Akron. Public gardens, zoos, caves and caverns, and privately run amusement parks add to Ohio's recreational repertory. More than 100 lakes and reservoirs supply recreational water. Attempts to abate pollution in Lake Erie have begun to show signs of success. Fish have returned to previously uninhabitable waters, and a revival of sport fishing and recreational activity has stimulated economic growth along the shoreline.
Ohio's chief transportation system in the first years of statehood, as in the territorial period, was its water routes. Lake Erie and the Ohio River provided east–west passage for Indian traders, pioneers, and settlers, and many rivers provided access to the interior. Shortly after statehood the development of transportation facilities began. Between 1825 and 1838 the federal government extended the Cumberland (National) Road across Ohio. In 1811 the first steamboats appeared on the Ohio River, and in the 1820s the era of canal building began and lasted for some 30 years. The first railroad was constructed in 1832, and in the 1850s the first great east–west rail lines were constructed across Ohio. Ohio's transportation facilities play a major role in moving passengers and goods by highway, railroad, river, lake, and air. The shipping to and from its lake ports is worldwide, and the Ohio River carries more tonnage than the Panama Canal. The railroad mileage is among the nation's largest. The pioneering experiments of Dayton's Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, led to the first successful aircraft flight, at Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 1903, and Ohio is now both a testing and a commercial aviation centre.
