About Ohio, the Buckeye State

Capital: Columbus

Governor: Bob Taft, R (to Jan. 2003)

Lieut. Governor: Maureen O'Connor, R (to Jan. 2003)

Senators: Mike DeWine, R (to Jan. 2007); George V. Voinovich, R (to Jan. 2005)

Secy. of State: J. Kenneth Blackwell, R (to Jan. 2003)

Auditor: Jim Petro, R (to Jan. 2003)

Treasurer: Joseph T. Deters, R (to Jan. 2003)

Atty. General: Betty D. Montgomery, R (to Jan. 2003)

Entered Union (rank): March 1, 1803 (17)

Present constitution adopted: 1851

Motto: With God all things are possible

State Symbols: flower scarlet carnation (1904)

tree buckeye (1953)

bird cardinal (1933)

insect ladybug (1975)

gemstone flint (1965)

song "Beautiful Ohio" (1969)

beverage tomato juice (1965)

fossil trilobite (1985)

animal white-tailed deer (1988)

wildflower large white trillium (1987)

Nickname: Buckeye State

Origin of name: From an Iroquoian word meaning "great river"

10 largest cities (2000): Columbus, 711,470; Cleveland, 478,403; Cincinnati, 331,285; Toledo, 313,619; Akron, 217,074; Dayton, 166,179; Parma, 85,655; Youngstown, 82,026; Canton, 80,806; Lorain, 68,652

Land area: 40,953 sq mi. (106,067 sq km)

Geographic center: In Delaware Co., 25 mi. NNE of Columbus

Number of counties: 88

Largest county by population and area: Cuyahoga, 1,393,978 (2000); Ashtabula, 703 sq mi.

State forests: 20 (more than 183,000 ac.)

State parks: 73 (more than 204,000 ac.)

Residents: Ohioan or slang: Buckeyes

2000 resident census population (rank): 11,353,140 (7). Male: 5,512,262 (48.6%); Female: 5,840,878 (51.4%). White: 9,645,453 (85.0%); Black: 1,301,307 (11.5%); American Indian: 24,486 (0.2%); Asian: 132,633 (1.2%); Other race: 88,627 (0.8%); Two or more races: 157,885 (1.4%); Hispanic/Latino: 217,123 (1.9%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 74.6; 65 and over: 13.3; median age: 36.2.

A short summary of Ohio's History:

First explored for France by sieur de la Salle in 1669, the Ohio region became British property after the French and Indian Wars. Ohio was acquired by the U.S. after the Revolutionary War in 1783. In 1788, the first permanent settlement was established at Marietta, capital of the Northwest Territory.

The 1790s saw severe fighting with the Indians in Ohio; a major battle was won by Maj. Gen. Anthony Wayne at Fallen Timbers in 1794. In the War of 1812, Commodore Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie on Sept. 10, 1813.

Ohio is one of the nation's industrial leaders, ranking third in the value of manufactured products. Important manufacturing centers are located in or near Ohio's major cities. Akron is known for rubber; Canton for roller bearings; Cincinnati for jet engines and machine tools; Cleveland for auto assembly, auto parts, and steel; Dayton for office machines, refrigeration, and heating and auto equipment; Youngstown and Steubenville for steel; and Toledo for glass and auto parts.

The state's fertile soil produces soybeans, corn, oats, grapes, and clover. More than half of Ohio's farm receipts come from dairy farming and sheep and hog raising. Ohio is the top state in lime production and among the leaders in coal, clay, salt, sand, and gravel. Petroleum, gypsum, cement, and natural gas are also important.

Tourism is a valuable revenue producer, bringing in $27 billion in 1999. (In 1999 Ohio ranked 7th among the 50 states as a destination for U.S. travelers.) Attractions include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Indian burial grounds at Mound City Group National Monument, Perry's Victory International Peace Memorial, the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Canton, and the homes of presidents Grant, Taft, Hayes, Harding, and Garfield.

Famous natives and residents:

Neil Armstrong astronaut;

George Bellows painter and lithographer;

Erma Bombeck columnist;

Bill Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy) actor;

Milton Caniff cartoonist;

Hart Crane poet;

George Armstrong Custer army officer;

Doris Day singer and actress;

Ruby Dee actress;

Rita Dove former U.S. poet laureate;

Hugh Downs TV broadcaster;

Thomas A. Edison inventor;

Clark Gable actor;

James A. Garfield former president;

Lillian Gish actress;

John Glenn astronaut and senator;

Ulysses S. Grant former president;

Warren G. Harding former president;

Rutherford Hayes former president;

Benjamin Harrison former president;

William Dean Howells novelist and critic;

Zane Grey author;

Kenisaw Mountain Landis first baseball commissioner;

Dean Martin singer and actor;

William McKinley former president;

Paul Newman actor;

Jack Nicklaus golfer;

Annie Oakley markswoman;

Norman Vincent Peale clergyman;

Judith Resnik astronaut;

Eddie Rickenbacker aviator;

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. historian;

William Tecumseh Sherman army general;

Gloria Steinem feminist;

William H. Taft former president;

Tecumseh Shawnee Indian chief;

Lowell Thomas explorer and commentator;

James Thurber author and cartoonist;

Orville Wright inventor;

Cy Young baseball player;

and ME!

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Sassafras

By Samuel Minturn Peck

FRINGING cypress forests dim

Where the owl makes weird abode,

Bending down with spicy limb

O'er the old plantation road,

Through the swamp and up the hill, 5

Where the dappled byways run,

Round the gin-house, by the mill,

Floats its incense to the sun.

Swift to catch the voice of spring,

Soon its tasselled blooms appear; 10

Modest is their blossoming,

Breathing balm and waving cheer;

Rare the greeting that they send

To the fragrant wildwood blooms,

Bidding every blossom blend 15

In a chorus of perfumes.

On it leans the blackberry vine,

With white sprays caressingly;

Round its knees the wild peas twine,

Beckoning to the yellow bee; 20

Through its boughs the red-bird flits

Like a living flake of fire,

And with love-enlightened wits

Weaves his nest and tunes his lyre.

Oh, where skies are summer-kissed, 25

And the drowsy days are long,

'Neath the sassafras to list

To the field-hand's mellow song!

Or, more sweet than chimes that hang

In some old cathedral dome, 30

Catch the distant klingle-klang

Of the cow-bells tinkling home!

This poem reminds me of my home state, OHIO.