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Ohio
Nicknamed the Buckeye State, Ohio became the 17th U.S. state on March 1, 1803. Located in the far-eastern Midwest, the state has a fairly varied topographical makeup, ranging from the glacial flatlands of the state's west, to the Lake Erie shoreline in the north, to the Allegheny Plateau in the northeast and the Appalachian foothills and Ohio River valley in the south. The state's three largest cities are Cincinnati, state capital Columbus, and Cleveland. Other decently-sized cities in the state are Youngstown, Akron, Canton, Toledo, Lima, Dayton and Springfield. With just under 12 million residents in 2024, Ohio ranks 6th of 50 in poopulation rankings of U.S. states. Clockwise from northeast to northwest, states bordering it are Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. The Canadian province of Ontario also lies opposite Lake Erie to the north.
Attractions in Ohio include the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky beside Lake Erie, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Greater Cleveland Aquarium in Cleveland, Cuyahoga Valley National Park across the state's northeast, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Goodyear Theater in Akron, the Wayne National Forest across the state's south, Ohio State University and the statehouse in Columbus, the country clubs and Wright Brothers' first flight site in Dayton, and the University of Toledo. Ohio State is renowned for its football program, considered one of the best in the Big Ten Conference and the entire NCAA. Among notable people from Ohio are astronaut Neil Armstrong, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, football coach Don Shula, actor Doris Day, racing driver Dave Blaney, and musicians Chrissie Hynde and members of the bands Devo and the Black Keys.
Three of America's major east-west mainline Interstate highways make their way across Ohio. Interstate 70 runs straight through the state's center, going through Dayton, Springfield, Columbus and Cambridge as it transitions from the Midwestern flatlands into the Appalachians. Interstates 80 and 90 share pavement along the Ohio Turnpike from the Indiana border to the western Cleveland suburb of Elyria, passing through Toledo in the process. After they split, I-90 continues to parallel Lake Erie through downtown Cleveland before heading into northwestern Pennsylvania, while I-80 remains on the Ohio Turnpike, which it leaves west of Youngstown, becoming a free highway the rest of the way into Pennsylvania. Ohio's other major east-west Interstate is Interstate 76, whose western terminus is in Westfield Center; it goes through downtown Akron before joining the Turnpike where I-80 leaves it west of Youngstown, then makes its way southeast into Pennsylvania and becomes the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
The state's three major north-south Interstates are Interstate 75 in the west, running through Cincinnati and Dayton before crossing into Michigan north of Toledo; Interstate 71, which links the three "C" cities with each other from southwest to northeast; and Interstate 77, running along the east side of the state from Marietta on the Ohio River at the West Virginia line, through Canton and Akron, and to its northern terminus in downtown Cleveland. I-75 and I-71 are in incorrect positions in the Interstate system numbering grid within Ohio, as the former is west of the latter despite having a higher number.
Three-digit Interstates in Ohio include: Interstates 270 and 275, the respective beltways encircling Columbus and Cincinnati; Interstates 280 and 475 in the Toledo area; Interstate 675 in Dayton; Interstates 271 and 480 in Greater Cleveland; Interstate 277 in Akron; and Interstate 680 in the Youngstown area.
Four major east-west U.S. Highways run through Ohio. U.S. Route 20 follows I-80 and I-90 and Lake Erie through the far north of the state, from Montpelier to Ashtabula. U.S. Route 30 is a relatively northern corridor from Indiana to West Virginia through Van Wert, Mansfield and Canton. U.S. Route 40 parallels and occasionally overlaps with I-70 through the middle of the state. U.S. Route 50 passes south and east of Cincinnati and goes through Chillicothe and Athens, then crosses the Ohio River into Parkersburg, West Virginia. These four highways are joined by U.S. Route 52, which winds its way along the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati to Ironton, and U.S. Route 62 southwest-northeast from Aberdeen to Hubbard, by way of Columbus, Canton and Youngstown.