Toledo...Just the facts

Here is a reprint of Toledo's History from Toledo Explorer I found when researching the history of our city. I found it an interesting read and hope you do too.

In 1833, Port Lawence and Vistula decided to unite in order to take advantage of a canal that would bypass the Maumee rapids. When they did this, Toledo was born. The land that is now known as Toledo, was actually once known as the Black Swamp.

Toledo is the County Seat, or capital of Lucas County, meaning that countywide government and political events are conducted here. It also lies on the Western end of Lake Erie and the Northern border between Ohio and Michigan.

Between 1835 and 1836, Michigan and Ohio fought over ownership of Toledo. Although both sides sent militias to fight, they never engaged in a true battle. There was, however, one casualty in the war. As Ohio's Major Stickney and his two sons were being taken to jail, his youngest son stabbed and killed Joseph Wood.

Toledo's nickname, The Glass City, comes from its history in the glass industry. Since it's founding, Toledo has been involved in the making of windows, bottles, windshields and other glass construction materials. On January 15, 1936, The first building to ever be completely covered in glass was constructed in Toledo. This was the Owens Illinois Glass Company. The building then lead to inspire a new international style of architecture.

The Toledo Museum of Art, housed in a Greek revival building, contains over 30,000 different artistic exhibits. The Toledo Zoo is well known for being the first zoo to have a hippoquarium exhibit.

A part of Toledo known as the Old West End, is a neighborhood full of Victorian style houses. This part of town is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

The famous Jeep automobile has also been manufactured in Toledo since 1941.

There are two major universities in Toledo, the University of Toledo, and the well known Medical University of Ohio.

Toledo is the home of one of the nations oldest minor league baseball teams, the Toledo Mud Hens. They have been playing continuously since 1896. Fifth Third Field, recently constructed in 2002, is their home.

The first library was established in Toledo in 1838 by the Toledo Young Men's Association. The first tax-supported library was established in 1873, however, the building itself did not open until 1890. This original library building stood on the corner of Madison and Ontario for 50 years. In 1940, it was replaced by today's main branch library at 325 Michigan.

Geography:
Toledo is located at 41°39'56" North, 83°34'31" West (41.665682, -83.575337)1. It lies on the Maumee River at the western end of Lake Erie. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 217.8 km² (84.1 mi²). 208.8 km² (80.6 mi²) of it is land and 8.9 km² (3.5 mi²) of it is water. Toledo's total area is 4.10% water.
Demographics:
As of the census of 2000, there are 313,619 citizens. The estimated census in 2002, however, reported a decrease in population. This estimate showed that Toledo had only 309,106 citizens. Toledo is said to have 128,925 households, and 77,355 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,502.0/km² (3,890.0/mi²). There are 139,871 housing units at an average density of 669.9/km² (1,734.9/mi²). Toledo has a very diverse population. The racial makeup of the city is 70.23% White, 23.55% African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.28% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. 5.47% of the population are either Hispanic or Latino.
General Population Info:
There are 128,925 households out of which 29.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% are married couples living together, 17.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% are non-families. 32.8% of all Toledo households are made up of individuals and 11.0% have someone age 65 or older living alone. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 3.04.
Population Layout:
In the city the population is spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.7 males.
Toledo Income:
The median income for a household in the city is $32,546, and the median income for a family is $41,175. Males have a median income of $35,407 while the median income for females is $25,023. The per capita income for the city is $17,388. 17.9% of the population and 14.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 25.9% are under the age of 18 and 10.4%