This article is about the city in Ohio. For Toledo, Spain, see that article. For other uses, see Toledo (disambiguation).

City of Toledo
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Glass City
Location in the state of Ohio
Location of Toledo within Lucas County, Ohio.
Coordinates: 41°39'56?N 83°34'31?W? / ?41.66556, -83.57528
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Lucas
Founded	1833
Government
- Mayor	Carty Finkbeiner (D)
Area
- City	84.1 sq mi (217.8 km²)
- Land	80.6 sq mi (208.8 km²)
- Water	3.5 sq mi (8.9 km²)
Elevation	614 ft (187 m)
Population (2006)[1][2]
- City	298,446
- Density	3,890.2/sq mi (1,502.0/km²)
- Metro	653,695
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	419, 567
FIPS code	39-77000[3]
GNIS feature ID	1067015[4]
Website: http://www.ci.toledo.oh.us/

Toledo is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Lucas County^[5]. Named after Toledo, Spain, it is located on the western end of Lake Erie, on the Michigan border. It is the principal city in the Toledo Metropolitan Statistical Area. In the 2000 census, the city proper had a population of 313,619. As of July 1, 2006, however, the U.S. Census Bureau listed the city with a reduced population of 298,446, allowing Toledo to maintain its place as the fourth-largest city in the state. Although, the 2007 estimate predicts the population of the city is now only about 295,029. According to the US Census, the metropolitan area had a population of 653,695, while the Combined Statistical Area had a population of 715,320.^[6] Residents of Toledo are usually referred to as Toledoans. Toledo is known as the Glass City because of its long history of innovation in all aspects of the glass industry: windows, bottles, windshields, construction materials, and glass art, of which the Toledo Museum of Art has a large collection. Several large glass companies have their origins here. Owens-Illinois, Owens Corning, Libbey Glass, Pilkington North America (formerly Libbey Owens Ford), and Therma-Tru have long been a staple of Toledo's economy. Other off-shoots and spinoffs of these companies also continue to play important roles in Toledo's economy. Fiberglass giant Johns Manville's two plants in the metro area were originally built by a subsidiary of Libbey Owens Ford. Many other companies that service the glass industry also began in Toledo, such as Toledo Engineering and Glasstech.

Toledo had also been known as "The Auto Parts Capital of the World". Several large, Fortune 500 automotive related companies had their headquarters in Toledo. Electric AutoLite, Sheller-Globe Corporation, Champion Spark Plug, Questor, and Dana Corporation are examples of large auto parts companies that began in Toledo. Only Dana Corporation is still in existence as an independent entity. The Jeep vehicle has been manufactured in Toledo since 1941 as well. Willys-Overland was a major automaker headquartered in Toledo until 1953.

[edit] History

The area was first settled by European Americans in 1794, after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, with the founding of Fort Industry. However, with the War of 1812, many settlers fled the area. Resettling around 1817 a Cincinnati syndicate purchased a 974-acre (3.9 km²) tract at the mouth of Swan Creek and named it Port Lawrence. The syndicate failed 3 years later, and the settlement joined with a river settlement to the north called Vistula. The inhabitants of this joined settlement chose the name Toledo, "but the reason for this choice is buried in a welter of legends. One recounts that Washington Irving, who was traveling in Spain at the time, suggested the name to his brother, a local resident; this explanation ignores the fact that Irving returned to the United States in 1832. Others award the honor to Two Stickney, son of the major who quaintly numbered his sons and named his daughters after States. The most popular version attributes the naming to Willard J. Daniels, a merchant, who reputedly suggested Toledo because it 'is easy to pronounce, is pleasant in sound, and there is no other city of that name on the American continent'."

From the Federal Writers' Project - The Ohio Guide - 1940

On January 15, 1936, the first building to be completely covered in glass was constructed in Toledo. It was a building for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company and marked a milestone in architectural design representative of the International style of architecture, which was at that time becoming increasingly popular in the US.

[edit] Toledo War

Main article: Toledo War

An almost bloodless conflict between Ohio and the Michigan Territory, called the Toledo War (1835-1836), was "fought" over a narrow strip of land from the Indiana border to Lake Erie, now containing the city and the suburbs of Sylvania and Oregon. The strip—which varied between five and eight miles (13 km) in width—was claimed by the state of Ohio and the Michigan Territory due to old conflicting legislation about where the Ohio-Michigan state line should be. Militias from both states were sent but never engaged. The only casualty of the conflict was a Michigan deputy sheriff—stabbed in the leg by Two Stickney during the arrest of his elder brother, One Stickney—and the loss of two horses, two pigs and a few chickens stolen from an Ohio farm by lost members of the Michigan militia.^[7]

In the end, the state of Ohio was awarded the land after the state of Michigan was given the Upper Peninsula in exchange. Stickney Avenue in Toledo is named for One and Two Stickney.

[edit] Adams Township

Adams Township was a township in Lucas County until it was incorporated into the city of Toledo in the 1960s. The area is now part of west Toledo, and is just east of Springfield Township, north of the city of Maumee, and included the University of Toledo main campus as its eastern border.

The area that would become Adams Township was settled around 1833, a few years before Toledo became a city. It had been chartered as Carey Township in 1856, but the name was changed to Adams in 1860. With a growing population, there was a desire by the residents to incorporate the township under the name "Adams Heights", but the area would eventually become part of Toledo in the 1960s. Toledo Rogers High School is located in what was Adams Township and was a member of the GLL for athletics until the area became incorporated into Toledo, and then it became a member of the City League.^[8]

[edit] Geography

Toledo is located at 41°39'56?N, 83°34'31?W (41.665682, -83.575337).^[9] The city sits astride the Maumee River at the southern end of Maumee Bay, which is the westernmost inlet of Lake Erie. Toledo is north of what was formerly the Great Black Swamp, giving rise to another nickname, Frog Town. An important ecological site, a sandy oak savanna called the Oak Openings region, lies just west.

	Sylvania	Ann Arbor	Detroit,Windsor	v • d • e
	Ottawa Hills		Lake Erie
		Toledo
	Maumee	Rossford	Cleveland

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 84.1 square miles (217.8 km²), of which, 80.6 square miles (208.8 km²) of it is land and 3.5 square miles (8.9 km²) of it (4.10%) is water.

[edit] Climate

Main article: Climate of Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, like several other cities in the Great Lakes region, experiences a lake-moderated continental climate, characterized by four distinct seasons varying significantly in temperature and precipitation. Lake Erie moderates its climate somewhat, especially in late spring and fall, when air and water temperature differences are maximal. However, this effect is tempered in the winter by the fact that Lake Erie freezes over much more readily than the other Great Lakes, coupled with prevailing winds that are often westerly.

The warmest month of the year is July, when high temperatures average 87 °F (30 °C), and overnight low temperatures average 68 °F (20 °C). January is the coldest month, when high temperatures average 33 °F (1 °C), and low temperatures average 22 °F (-5 °C). The wettest month of the year is June, when 3.84 inches (97.5 mm) of precipitation falls. The driest month is January, when 2.00 inches (50.8 mm) of precipitation falls. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Toledo was 105 °F (41 °C) on July 14, 1936. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -20 °F (-29 °C), on January 21, 1984. The record high in the month of January by Toledo was set