A skirmish between Ohio and Michigan, called the Toledo War, was once fought over a badly-surveyed strip of land containing the city. Militias from both states were sent but never engaged.
The city is situated on 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.
Culturally, the greatest institution is the Toledo Museum of Art, an internationally-acclaimed museum with a modest, but very complete collection housed in a Greek revival building. The Toledo Zoo was the first zoo to feature a hippoquarium-style exhibit.
The Old West End is a historic neighborhood of Victorian houses recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.
There is also a major university, a major seaport, and a AAA minor league baseball team called the Toledo Mud Hens.
It is the county seat of Lucas County6.
On January 15, 1936 the first building to be completely covered in glass was completed in Toledo. It was a building for the Owens-Illinois Glass Company and marked a milestone in architectural design that eventually led to the International style of architecture.
Famous Toledoans:
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. The total area is 4.10% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 313,619 people, 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). 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 Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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 households are made up of individuals and 11.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 3.04.
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.
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 versus $25,023 for females. 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% are 65 or older.