Fun facts about Ohio is an intriguing issue for residents, students and visitors at home and abroad. Ohio is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the west, and Michigan to the northwest. Of the 50 U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area. With a population of nearly 11.9 million, Ohio is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated state. Its capital and most populous city is Columbus, with the two other major metropolitan centers being Cleveland and Cincinnati, alongside Dayton, Akron, and Toledo. Ohio is nicknamed the “Buckeye State” after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as “Buckeyes”.
The state was home to several ancient indigenous civilizations, with humans present as early as 10,000 BCE. It arose from the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains that were contested by various native tribes and European colonists from the 17th century through the Northwest Indian Wars of the late 18th century. Ohio was partitioned from the Northwest Territory, the first frontier of the new United States, becoming the 17th state admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803, and the first under the Northwest Ordinance. It was the first post-colonial free state admitted to the union and became one of the earliest and most influential industrial powerhouses during the 20th century.
Although it has transitioned to a more information and service-based economy in the 21st century, it remains an industrial state, ranking seventh in GDP as of 2019, with the third-largest manufacturing sector and second-largest automobile production. Seven presidents of the United States have come from Ohio, earning it the moniker “the Mother of Presidents”.
This blog selects and analyzes fun facts about Ohio detailedly serving as a comprehensive guide, helping you have a better command of Ohio. If you want choose Ohio as your tourist spot or educational destination, you ought to read this blog carefully.
Fast Facts
- Nickname: The Buckeye State
- Statehood: 1803; 17th state
- Population: 11,614,373
- Capital: Columbus
- Biggest City: Columbus
- Abbreviation: OH
- State Bird:cardinal
- State Flower: red carnation
Fun Facts about Ohio: History
- Archeological evidence of spear points of both the Folsom and Clovis types indicate that the Ohio Valley was inhabited by nomadic people as early as 13,000 BC.These early nomads disappeared from Ohio by 1,000 BC.
- Between 1,000 and 800 BC, the sedentary Adena culture emerged. The Adena established “semi-permanent” villages because they domesticated plants, including sunflowers, and “grew squash and possibly corn”; with hunting and gathering, this cultivation supported more settled, complex villages.
- The most notable remnant of the Adena culture is the Great Serpent Mound, located in Adams County, Ohio.
- During the 18th century, the French set up a system of trading posts to control the fur trade in the region. Beginning in 1754, the Kingdom of France and Kingdom of Great Britain fought in the French and Indian War, with various Native American tribes on each side. As a result of the Treaty of Paris, the French ceded control of Ohio and the remainder of the Old Northwest to Great Britain in 1763.
- The United States created the Northwest Territory under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Slavery was not permitted in the new territory.
- Rufus Putnam served in important military capacities in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. He was one of the most highly respected men in the early years of the United States.
- Ohio has had three capital cities: Chillicothe, Zanesville, and Columbus. Chillicothe was the capital from 1803 to 1810. The capital was then moved to Zanesville for two years as part of a state legislative compromise to get a bill passed. The capital was then moved back to Chillicothe from 1812 to 1816. Finally, the capital was moved to Columbus, to be near the state’s geographic center.
- Ohio’s central position and its population gave it an important place in the Civil War. The Ohio River was a vital artery for troop and supply movements, as were Ohio’s railroads. Ohio’s industry made it one of the most important states in the Union during the war.
- The state legislature officially adopted the flag of Ohio on May 9, 1902.
- Ohio’s economy has undergone significant change in the 21st century, as the trend of deindustrialization has greatly impacted the American Midwest and the Rust Belt.
Fun Facts about Ohio: Geography
- 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.
- Ohio is bounded by the Ohio River, but nearly all of the river belongs to Kentucky and West Virginia.
- Much of Ohio features glaciated till plains, with an exceptionally flat area in the northwest being known as the Great Black Swamp.
- Significant Ohio rivers include the Cuyahoga River, Great Miami River, Maumee River, Muskingum River, and Scioto River.
- Ohio has wide variety of unique animal species. Rare and endangered species include the Eastern Hellbender, which is found in the Southeastern Appalachian region of Ohio and is classified as state endangered.
- The climate of Ohio is a humid continental climate throughout most of the state.
- Although few have registered as noticeable to the average resident, more than 200 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or higher have occurred in Ohio since 1776.
- There are 13 metropolitan statistical areas in Ohio, anchored by 16 cities, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
Fun Facts about Ohio: Demographics
- About 6.7% of the population age 5 years and older reported speaking a language other than English, with 2.2% of the population speaking Spanish, 2.6% speaking other Indo-European languages, 1.1% speaking Asian and Austronesian languages, and 0.8% speaking other languages.
- 64% of Ohioans identified as Christian. Specifically, 19% of Ohio’s population identified as Mainline Protestant, 17% as Evangelical Protestant, 7% as Historically Black Protestant, and 18% as Catholic.
Fun Facts about Ohio: Economy
- This ranks Ohio’s economy as the seventh-largest among all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
- The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council ranked the state No. 10 for best business-friendly tax systems.
- The manufacturing and financial activities sectors each compose 18.3% of Ohio’s GDP, making them Ohio’s largest industries by percentage of GDP.
Fun Facts about Ohio: Government and Politics
- The executive branch is headed by the governor of Ohio.
- The Ohio General Assembly is a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives.
- In order to be enacted into law, a bill must be adopted by both houses of the General Assembly and signed by the governor.
- There are three levels of the Ohio state judiciary. The lowest is the court of common pleas: each county maintains its own constitutionally mandated court of common pleas, which maintain jurisdiction over “all justiciable matters”. The intermediate-level court system is the district court system.
- The state’s highest-ranking court is the Ohio Supreme Court.
- There are also several levels of local government in Ohio: counties, municipalities (cities and villages), townships, special districts, and school districts.
- Historian R. Douglas Hurt asserts that not since Virginia “had a state made such a mark on national political affairs”as Ohio.
- Six U.S. presidents hailed from Ohio at the time of their elections, giving rise to its nickname “mother of presidents”, a sobriquet it shares with Virginia. It is also termed “modern mother of presidents”, in contrast to Virginia’s status as the origin of presidents earlier in American history.
Fun Facts about Ohio: Culture
- Ohio is home to 30 art institutions, including the Columbus Museum of Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, and other entities.
- The Cincinnati Art Museum holds over 100,000 works spanning 6,000 years of human history, being among the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.
- The Cleveland Museum of Art is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, and has a permanent collection of more than 61,000 works from around the world.
- The Columbus Museum of Art holds nineteenth and early twentieth-century American and European art, including early Cubist paintings by Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris, works by François Boucher, Paul Cézanne, Mary Cassatt, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Edward Hopper, and Norman Rockwell, and installations by Mel Chin, Josiah McElheny, Susan Philipsz, and Allan Sekula.
- Buckeyes are a variation of standard peanut butter cups popular in Ohio.
- Cincinnati-style chili is a Greek-inspired meat sauce used as a topping for spaghetti or hot dogs.
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame are both located in Cleveland. Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed is credited with coining the term and promoting rock and roll in the early 1950s.
- Cincinnati is home to the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
- The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the historic Big Five orchestras in the U.S. and considered among the best worldwide.
- Ohio is home to eight professional sports teams across the five different major leagues in the United States.
- Ohio played a central role in the development of both Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
- The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has hosted several auto racing championships, including CART World Series, IndyCar Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Can-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA GT Championship, American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series.
- Ohio has eight NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams, divided among three different conferences.
- In the Group of Five conferences, six teams are represented in the Mid-American Conference: the Akron Zips, Bowling Green Falcons, Kent State Golden Flashes, Miami RedHawks, Ohio Bobcats and the Toledo Rockets.
Fun Facts about Ohio: Education
- Ohio’s system of public education is outlined in Article VI of the state constitution, and in Title XXXIII of the Ohio Revised Code. Substantively, Ohio’s system is similar to those found in other states.
- Ohio is home to several public and private institutions of higher learning.
- Kenyon College is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college, established in 1824 by an Episcopal bishop to train clergy on the Ohio frontier. Oberlin College, established in 1833, was among the earliest colleges in the US to admit African Americans in 1835, and became the first to admit women in 1837.
Fun Facts about Ohio: Transportation
- Many major east–west transportation corridors go through Ohio.
- Ohio is home to 228 miles (367 km) of the National Road, now U.S. Route 40.
- Ohio has a highly developed network of signed state bicycle routes. Many of them follow rail trails, with conversion ongoing.
- Ohio has an extensive rail network, though today most lines carry only freight traffic.
- Amtrak, the national passenger railroad, operates three long-distance rail routes through Ohio.
- Mass transit exists in many forms in Ohio cities, primarily through bus systems.
- Ohio has four international airports, four commercial, and two military. The four international include Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, John Glenn Columbus International Airport, Dayton International Airport, and Rickenbacker International Airport (one of two military airfields).
Conclusion
Fun facts about Ohio are selected and analyzed detailedly in this blog serving as a comprehensive guide with various aspects, helping you have a better command of Ohio. If you want choose Ohio as your tourist spot or educational destination, you ought to read this blog carefully.
After you have decided to pay a visit to Ohio or go to Ohio for further education, accommodation is the first and foremost thing. uhomes.com is a platform providing affordable, reliable and comfortable student accommodation in Ohio.
FAQ
It ranks 34th in state size. Columbus is the state capital and Ohio’s largest city. 50% of the United States population lives within a 500 mile radius of Columbus. Dresden is the home of the world’s largest basket.
- A crocidile can’t stick its tongue out.
- A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
- Almonds are a member of the peach family.
- A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
- In many advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10.
- Most people fall asleep in 7 minutes.
Ohio is most famous for Buckeyes (a small, shiny brown nut produced by the buckeye tree), Cedar Pointe, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Wright Brothers, and the Ohio River.
The Northwest Territory originally included areas previously called Ohio Country and Illinois Country.
Besides Ohio’s fertile soil, the state is also known for coal, natural gas, and rock salt called halite. Mined from beneath Lake Erie, the state produces about five million tons of the salt a year.
- A cloud weighs around a million tonnes.
- Giraffes are 30 times more likely to get hit by lightning than people.
- Identical twins don’t have the same fingerprints.
- Earth’s rotation is changing speed.
- Your brain is constantly eating itself.
Maine is the only state that has a one-syllable name. There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
