ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Ohio The Buckeye State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 OHIO INTRODUCTION Ohio is a remarkable state with rich farmland beautiful scenery exciting cities and a well preserved history Ohio’s geographic location makes the state an important crossroads between the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest Early settlers developed transportation routes across and between Lake Erie in the north and the Ohio River in the south and east Ohio is known for its fertile plains and rolling hills but the state is also famous for a tall triangular building in Cleveland The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum showcases exhibits about rock and roll’s great artists and influences such as Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin Many people visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to learn about the A mile-long boardwalk guides visitors through Ohio’s Cedar Bog Nature Preserve which has many rare plants and animals legendary musicians who have made rock and roll one of the world’s most popular forms of music Ohio even has an official rock song Hang on Sloopy which was a hit in 1965 for the McCoys Cincinnati is the third largest city in Ohio The city has been a major port on the Ohio River since the early 1800s Ohio became the 17th state on March 1 1803 The state motto With God All Things Are Possible was not adopted until 1959 well after most other states had chosen their mottoes Ohio’s official nickname is the Buckeye State in honor of the buckeye tree which grows throughout the area People who live in Ohio are called Ohioans or Buckeyes The name Ohio comes from an Iroquois word that means beautiful river or large river
INTRODUCTION 5 Ohio borders Michigan and Lake Erie to the north Kentucky and West Virginia are across the Ohio River to the south and southeast Indiana is to the west and Pennsylvania is to the east Throughout the state’s history the Ohio River and Lake Erie have been important transportation routes Toledo and Cleveland are major shipping ports on Lake Erie Cincinnati grew up around its busy river port At several points along the Ohio River ferries transport cargo and passengers between Ohio and neighboring states There are many other ways to reach Ohio Air travelers can land in many Cleveland Hopkins International Airport serves more than 10 million passengers a year The state stone is Ohio flint a type of quartz found in many colors Native Americans made spear points and arrowheads out of this stone Beautiful Ohio the state song was originally written about the Ohio River not the whole state Lawmakers later adopted a new chorus with lines about Ohio’s farms cities and industries The state flower is the scarlet carnation Ohio also has an official wildflower the grand trillium which is found in every county in the state Ohio cities including Akron Dayton and Toledo The busiest airports are in Cleveland and Columbus Some of the country’s oldest railroad lines cross Ohio and Amtrak has several passenger routes through the state For those who prefer to travel by bus or automobile state and federal highways cross the state in all directions Ohio Location Map Capital Columbus Interstate highways 0 0 30 48 60 96 Mi Km Scale Population 11,353,140 Size 44,828 square miles Highest peak Campbell Hill 1,550 feet
