Its motto: With God, All Things Are Possible.

Its nicknames: Buckeye State, Gateway State, Heartland of the Nation, Mother of Presidents1.

A cherished Land between a Great Lake and a Long, Winding River

Before 1800, Ohio was a rugged frontier, the gateway to the Northwest Territory and the scene of ferocious battles between white men and Indians. Over the years it evolved into a land of farms, where life centered on the Bible and the plow.

Today the character of Ohio is perhaps best reflected in the state's "40 towns" - small cities with population of 10,000 to 25,000, usually including a Main Street, a brick court-house, and a town square with a band shell for summer concerts.

Bustling cities and tranquil towns predominate across the Ohio landscape, but the state has a generous share of natural wealth — secluded forests, deep caverns, extensive marshlands, and glistening lakes. Most notable of the lakes is Erie.

Ohio's rich farmland drew a group of people for whom farming was not just a livelihood but a way of life. The Amish — Swiss and German followers of the religious leader Jacob Amman, who faced persecution in their homelands — took up residence in Wayne, Holmes, and other counties south of Cleveland. There they have preserved the ways of their ancestors to the present day. Dressed in old-fashioned clothes, the Amish travel by horse and buggy, hitching their reins to parking meters in the towns where they shop. Their country stores stock nonelectrical tools and appliances for their own use, while visitors come to buy the exceptional Amish cheeses, honeys, and handmade quilts.

Far below Cleveland, in the southeastern part of the state, lie the Appalachian foothills. This area embraces some of Ohio's most beautiful countryside.

The Ohio River serves as the state's southeastern border. Between the Ohio River and Columbus - the state capital, positioned like a bull's-eye in the center of the state — thousands of square miles of rich farmland are interspersed with reminders of Ohio's Indian past. The ancient Adena and Hopewell Indians built earthen mounds, which they used for fortification, burial, or ceremonial purposes. A number of the monuments have survived to this day. The most mysterious is the Great Serpent Mound. About 5 feet high, 20 feet wide, and a quarter mile long, it was named for its snakelike appearance. The tail coils into a spiral and the head has wide open jaws that grasp a giant oval egg. The Great Serpent Mound, it is supposed, played some significant role in Adena religious ceremonies.

In 1803 Ohio became the 17th state.

(”The USA Diversity of 50 States”)