Ohio | History, Capital, Population, Map, & Facts (2024)

state, United States

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Also known as: Buckeye State

Written by

George W. Knepper Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, University of Akron, Ohio. Author of Ohio and Its People and others.

George W. Knepper,

Francis R. Aumann Professor of Political Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, 1940–71. Coauthor of The Government and Administration of Ohio.

Francis R. AumannAll

Fact-checked by

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Last Updated: Article History

Ohio, constituent state of the United States of America, on the northeastern edge of the Midwest region. Lake Erie lies on the north, Pennsylvania on the east, West Virginia and Kentucky on the southeast and south, Indiana on the west, and Michigan on the northwest. Ohio ranks 34th in terms of total area among the 50 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 the Ohio River, which in turn traces its name to an Iroquoian word meaning “great water.”

Ohio | History, Capital, Population, Map, & Facts (2)

Facts & Stats

Capital, Population, Government...

Facts & Stats

See article: flag of Ohio

Seal of Ohio

The cardinal is the state bird of Ohio.

Ohio's state flower is the scarlet carnation.

See all media

Capital:
Columbus
Population:
(2020) 11,799,448; (2023 est.) 11,785,935
Governor:
Mike DeWine (Republican)
Date Of Admission:
March 1, 1803
U.S. Senators:
Sherrod Brown (Democrat)
J.D. Vance (Republican)

The first state to be carved from the Northwest Territory, Ohio became the 17th member of the union on March 1, 1803. In many respects, 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 country as a whole that it is often used to test attitudes, ideas, and commercial products. 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.

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The state’s accessibility has been perhaps the key factor in its growth. Its location between the Eastern Seaboard and the heart of the 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 country’s old industrial belt, close to major resources of raw materials and labour and to the markets of the East, Midwest, and South.

Area 44,826 square miles (116,098 square km). Population (2020) 11,799,448; (2023 est.) 11,785,935.

Land

Britannica QuizU.S. State Capitals Quiz

The physiographic features of Ohio have strongly influenced its patterns of human settlement and land use. In most of the state, the topography, river systems, groundwater, and soils are the products of glacial activity.

Relief

Ohio straddles two major subregions of the Interior Lowlands physiographic region of the United States: the Appalachian Plateau on the east and the Central Lowland on the west. These two subregions divide the state almost in half. The Appalachian Plateau, reaching westward from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, stretches along Ohio’s eastern border, roughly from Lake Erie in the north to the Ohio River in the south. 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 areas reach elevations of some 1,300 feet (395 metres).

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The Central Lowland reaches westward from the Appalachian Plateau. The Lake Plains section of the lowland extends along Lake Erie and across the northwestern segment of the state to the Michigan border, before stretching irregularly to the south. It then levels to become slightly rolling terrain that was once under water; the swampiness of the northwest, around Toledo, posed obstacles to settlement before drainage made the land more arable. The Central (or Till) Plains, which extend westward toward the Mississippi River, include parts of western and southwestern Ohio and provide a deep soil. That region contains the state’s highest and lowest points: Campbell Hill, the highest point, at 1,549 feet (472 metres), is located near Bellefontaine; the lowest point, at 433 feet (132 metres), lies at the confluence of the Miami and Ohio rivers, near Cincinnati.

Drainage

The principal water sources are rain-fed streams, lakes, and reservoirs. Floods, once prevalent, have generally been brought under control by state and federal dams and other conservation measures. Groundwater is used widely for public supplies, though the industrial and population centres have limited access to these resources. Huge stores of these waters are buried in preglacial valleys in central and south-central Ohio.

Lake Erie, with an average depth of only 62 feet (19 metres), is the shallowest of the Great Lakes. It is also the most tempestuous, with frontal storms often roaring across it from Canada, and the most liable to shoreline erosion, harbour silting, and filling of its bed. Its shallowness, coupled with the concentration of population, farms, and industrial plants in its watersheds, led to severe pollution by the mid-20th century. Subsequent attempts to abate pollution in Lake Erie have shown signs of success, however. Fish returned to previously uninhabitable waters, a revival of sport fishing and recreational activity stimulated economic growth along the shoreline, and urban water supplies were protected.

A low watershed separates the roughly one-fifth of Ohio drained by the Maumee, Cuyahoga, and other rivers emptying into Lake Erie from the rest of the state, which is drained by the Miami, Scioto, Muskingum, and others flowing into the combined system of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The Ohio, only a tiny part of which is under state jurisdiction, is canalized and channeled for its entire length, as is the Muskingum River from Zanesville to Marietta. More than 100 lakes and reservoirs supply recreational and industrial water.

Soils

Most of Ohio’s soils are well suited to agriculture. The naturally fertile Central Plains soils contain glacial limestone, and they also are rich in phosphates—one of the principal ingredients in fertilizer. Lake Plains soils also are highly productive. The sandstone-based soils of central and northeastern Ohio are best adapted to pasturelands, while the thin-soiled and heavily eroded hilly areas of the southeast support little productive farming except in river bottomlands.

Ohio | History, Capital, Population, Map, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

What is the population of the capital city in Ohio? ›

Columbus is an American city—the state capital of and largest city in the state of Ohio, USA. It is the 14th largest city in the United States, with a population of 879,170 (2017 estimate). Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County.

What was Ohio called before it was called Ohio? ›

The Northwest Territory originally included areas previously called Ohio Country and Illinois Country.

What were the three capitals of Ohio? ›

Chillicothe remained Ohio's capital until 1810, when it was briefly moved to Zanesville, only to return to Chillicothe two years later. In 1816, however, the capital of Ohio was moved permanently to Columbus in order to be closer to the geographic center of the state.

What is the richest county in Ohio per capita? ›

Delaware

What is the smallest town in Ohio by population? ›

"With several crumbling old buildings and a population of only 36, Rendville might not look like much anymore, but the Rendville Historic Preservation Society is aiming to change that. The smallest incorporated town in Ohio, Rendville actually played a significant part in Black history.

What does Ohio have that no other state has? ›

The burgee-shaped Ohio flag is the only non-rectangular state flag in the U.S. It was adopted in 1902, nearly a century after Ohio was granted statehood in 1803. The Cardinal, the state bird, can be found in all of Ohio's 88 counties.

What is Ohio famously known for? ›

A quintessential Midwestern state, Ohio is known for many things, from the gorgeous Cuyahoga Falls and rock n' roll to its manufacturing history and views of Lake Erie.

What is the oldest town in Ohio? ›

Established in 1788, Marietta is the oldest city in the state of Ohio, and the first official American settlement territory north and west of the Ohio River. Known as the “Riverboat Town,” it is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers.

What is Ohio's motto? ›

During the early 1950s, the Ohio Legislature sponsored a contest to select a state motto. “With God All Things Are Possible” became Ohio's state motto on October 1, 1959. James Mastronardo, a 12-year-old boy, recommended this quotation from the Bible.

What are the two nicknames for Ohio? ›

Ohio is nicknamed the "Buckeye State" after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as "Buckeyes". Its flag is the only non-rectangular flag of all U.S. states. Ohioan; Buckeye (colloq.) O., Oh.

What is the largest city in Ohio? ›

Columbus (/kəˈlʌmbəs/, kə-LUM-bəs) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio.

What are two interesting facts about the capital of Ohio? ›

Basic Facts About Columbus, Ohio
  • Columbus Is the Capital of Ohio. ...
  • Columbus Is the 14th Largest City in the United States. ...
  • Columbus Boasts Several Colleges and Universities. ...
  • College Football Is Enormous. ...
  • Columbus Hosts the Ohio State Fair. ...
  • Many German Immigrants Settled in Columbus.
Mar 19, 2020

Is Cleveland or Cincinnati bigger? ›

The city of Cleveland is larger both geographically and in population. The Cleveland population is home to 380,989 people while Cincinnati has a population of 303,954 residents. Cleveland covers an area of about 82.48 square miles compared to Cincinnati, which is 79.56 square miles in size.

Is Cleveland or Columbus bigger? ›

The biggest 'C. ' Why Columbus is more than twice size of Cleveland and Cincinnati combined. Why is Columbus 14th biggest U.S. city.

What are the 2 largest cities in Ohio? ›

Largest municipalities in Ohio
RankNameChange
1Columbus ††+13.41%
2Cleveland †−3.25%
3Cincinnati †+1.91%
4Toledo †−4.26%
46 more rows

What is the population of Akron Ohio in 2024? ›

Akron has a 2024 population of 188,219. It is also the county seat of Summit County. Akron is currently declining at a rate of -0.26% annually and its population has decreased by -1.01% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 190,146 in 2020.

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