Northwest Ohio facts for kids

What is considered to be Northwest Ohio, with the dark-blue colored counties always included, the middle shade of blue counties being included some of the time, and the lightest colored blue counties being included the least. The lighter the shade, the more debatable it is. With the exception of Marion County, all of the counties primarily belong to the 419/567 area code.

Map of Ohio counties, with the northwest region emphasized.

Northwest Ohio is a region in the northwestern part of the US state of Ohio. It includes many different counties. This area is next to Lake Erie, Southeast Michigan, and northeastern Indiana. Some parts of it are also known as the Black Swamp area. The large Toledo metropolitan area is a key part of this region.

In 2000, about 1.6 million people lived in Northwest Ohio. The population is slowly getting smaller, especially in the northern counties. However, some southern areas, like Marion and Morrow counties, and the city of Findlay, are actually growing.

Major Cities in Northwest Ohio

Toledo is the region's principal and largest city

Bowling Green is Northwest Ohio's fourth largest city, and largest Toledo suburb

Downtown Lima, Ohio on a late March day

Toledo is the biggest and most important city in Northwest Ohio. Many TV channels and radio stations for the region are based in Toledo, Perrysburg, or Bowling Green. Even though Toledo is an industrial city with factories, most of Northwest Ohio is farmland. There are also smaller business centers spread across the area. Since the 1970s, the population of Lucas County and the Toledo area has gone down. But Wood and Hancock counties have seen some growth.

Here are the largest cities in Northwest Ohio:

Counties and Their Main Towns

Defiance, Ohio is the seventh largest town in the region

Northwest Ohio includes many counties, each with a main town called a "county seat." Here are the counties and their county seats:

Extreme Northwest Ohio: The Black Swamp Area

What is considered to be Extreme Northwest Ohio is shaded in red including the counties of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, and Williams. Allen and Hancock counties are sometimes included in the geographical area and are shaded in a lighter red.

Extreme Northwest Ohio in Ohio

Extreme Northwest Ohio is a special part of Northwest Ohio. It is best known as the Great Black Swamp area because of its natural history. The counties usually included in this "extreme" part are Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Putnam, Van Wert, and Williams.

In 2000, about 234,660 people lived in this specific part of Northwest Ohio. If you also include Allen and Hancock counties, the population goes up to about 414,428. Just like any region, there isn't one exact way to define where Northwest Ohio begins or ends.

Here are the main cities in Extreme Northwest Ohio:

Getting Around: Transportation in Northwest Ohio

Public Transportation

You can find public transportation in three main cities in Northwest Ohio. The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority serves Toledo. The Allen County Regional Transit Authority helps people get around Lima. And the Sandusky Transit System serves Sandusky.

Airports in the Region

Toledo Express Airport (TOL), located in Swanton, is the biggest airport in Northwest Ohio. Several major airlines fly from Toledo Express. It's also a big center for air cargo, meaning it handles a lot of goods shipped by plane. For example, it's the main international hub for BAX Global.

Toledo Express is currently undergoing a big renovation project. The airport has expanded its gate area and is looking for an airline to offer direct flights to New York City. Big companies like Owens-Illinois and Owens-Corning also have their corporate flight departments based here. The airport is also a training ground for pilots and a base for F-16 fighter jets of the Ohio Air National Guard.

For longer flights, many people in Northwest Ohio use larger airports nearby. These include Detroit Metropolitan Airport to the north, Port Columbus International Airport to the southeast, and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to the east. Detroit Metro is a major hub for Delta Air Lines, offering both domestic and international flights. Cleveland Hopkins is a hub for United Airlines, also with domestic and international flights.

Smaller airports like Toledo Metcalf Field, Findlay Airport, and Lima Allen County Airport offer charter and air taxi services. There are also about 40 other public-use airports in Northwest Ohio for smaller planes.

Findlay Airport (KFDY) has two long runways, making it capable of handling large aircraft like the Boeing 767-200. Toledo Express (KTOL) has the longest runway in Northwest Ohio, at 10,600 feet, which means it can handle almost any aircraft.

Roads and Highways

Interstate 90 runs from east to west through the northern part of Northwest Ohio. Interstate 75 goes from the Michigan border, through Toledo, and then south through Findlay and Lima into southwest Ohio.

Train Services

Amtrak offers passenger train service in Northwest Ohio. The Lake Shore Limited train stops at the Bryan station in Extreme Northwest Ohio. The Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza in Toledo and the Sandusky station host both Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited trains.

Famous People from Northwest Ohio

Neil Armstrong in 1969

Many well-known people have come from Northwest Ohio:

• Neil Armstrong, the very first person to walk on the Moon, was born in Wapakoneta in Auglaize County. He also spent some of his childhood in Upper Sandusky. The Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum is named after him.
• Singer and Grammy winner Anita Baker was born in Toledo.
• Figure skater Alissa Czisny is from Bowling Green. She won a bronze medal at the 2007 United States Figure Skating Championships.
• Actor Jamie Farr, famous for playing Maxwell Klinger in the TV show M*A*S*H, is from Toledo.
• Betty Ford, the wife of former president Gerald Ford, lived in Toledo for a short time in the 1940s.
• Stephen Hadley, who was a National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, was born in Toledo.
• Olympic Figure Skater Scott Hamilton is from Bowling Green. He won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.
• Rutherford B. Hayes, who was the 19th president of the United States, lived in Fremont, Ohio.
• Actress Katie Holmes is from Sylvania.
• Indianapolis 500 winner and NASCAR driver Sam Hornish Jr. was born in Bryan, grew up in Defiance, and now lives in Napoleon.
• Children's TV show host Frances Horwich, also known as "Miss Frances," was born in Ottawa.
• Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger was born in Lima and grew up in Findlay.
• Teresa Brewer, a popular jazz and pop singer, was from Toledo.
• Guitarist Tom Scholz from the rock band Boston is from Ottawa Hills.
• Famous feminist Gloria Steinem is from Toledo. Her grandmother, Pauline Steinem, was the first woman elected to the Toledo Board of Education.
• Carl Karcher, who started Carl's Jr. Restaurants, was born in Upper Sandusky.