Ohio: Basic Facts and State Overview

Ohio is the seventh most populous state with 11.8 million residents and 44,826 square miles — a mid-sized state of enormous historical and industrial significance in the American Midwest.

Capital and Major Cities
Columbus is the capital and largest city (910,000; metro 2.1 million). Other major cities: Cleveland (370,000; metro 2.0 million), Cincinnati (310,000; metro 2.3 million), Toledo (270,000), Akron (190,000), and Dayton (138,000).

Nickname and Motto
Ohio is "The Buckeye State" — named for the Ohio buckeye tree (Aesculus glabra), whose nut resembles the eye of a deer. The state motto is "With God, All Things Are Possible." Ohio has produced more US presidents than any other state (8): Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, McKinley, Taft, Harding, and the first native-born Ohioan was William Henry Harrison. Neil Armstrong (born Wapakoneta) was also from Ohio.

Geography
Ohio sits at the geographic intersection of multiple American regions — it borders the Midwest's agricultural heartland, the Great Lakes, the Appalachian foothills, and the Ohio River valley. The state is divided between the glaciated northwest and central plains (flat, agricultural) and the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau of eastern and southeastern Ohio (rolling to hilly, with Hocking Hills).

Economy
Ohio's economy combines advanced manufacturing (automotive — Honda in Marysville, the world's first Japanese auto plant in the US; Jeep/Stellantis in Toledo), healthcare (Cleveland Clinic, nationally the #1 cardiac care hospital; Ohio State Wexner Medical Center), financial services, and agriculture. Ohio is a major producer of soybeans, corn, dairy, and eggs.

Notable Facts
Ohio has produced more astronauts than any other state (25, including John Glenn and Neil Armstrong). The Wright Brothers (Wilbur and Orville) built and tested their aircraft in Dayton, Ohio, though the first powered flight was in Kitty Hawk, NC.