If you’re going to be moving to Ohio soon, you may want to know some interesting facts about your new home state. You might even be able to dazzle some Ohio natives who don’t know or have forgotten these tidbits.

The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca Indian word ohi:yo’, meaning “large creek” or as the French mistranslated it, "beautiful river". Ohio was originally the name of both the Ohio River and Allegheny River.

Ohio is a Midwestern state, and is part of the Great Lakes region. It has been a cultural and geographical crossroads in the U.S. and North America. Prior to 1984, Ohio was considered part of the North Central Region by the U.S. Census Bureau. The North Central Region was renamed “Midwest” and split into two divisions. Ohio is now in the East North Central States division of the Midwest.

Native Americans in the area now called Ohio included the Iriquois, Miamis, Shawnee, and Wyandots. Beginning in the 18th century, settlers from New England, the Mid-Atlantic States, Appalachia, and the upper south came to the area.

Current natives of Ohio are known as Ohioans, but are also sometimes referred to as “Buckeyes” due to the name of the state tree and the Ohio State University football team.

A brief history of Ohio—

Did you know that eight U.S. presidents were Ohioans? Seven of these leaders were born in Ohio, and two—William Henry Harrison and his grandson Benjamin Harrison—worked and/or were buried in North Bend, Ohio on the family compound.

Ohio was admitted into the Union in 1803—the first state admitted under the Northwest Ordinance. It is the 7th largest state by population and has the highest population density of the non-Eastern Seaboard states.

In 1835, Ohio and Michigan fought a boundary battle over the Toledo Strip. When Congress intervened, Michigan ended up with the western two-thirds of the Upper Peninsula and the eastern third that was already part of its territory in return for giving up its claim on the Toldedo Strip.

Because of its central geographic position and population, Ohio played an important role in the Civil War. The Ohio River and the railroads were essential for troop and supply movements. Three of the top Union generals were from Ohio: Grant, Sheridan, and Sherman. Ohio also contributed more soldiers per-capita than any other Union state.

Even though President Jefferson signed an act of Congress in 1803 that approved Ohio's boundaries and constitution, Congress had never passed a resolution formally admitting Ohio as the 17th state. No formal resolution was required, but when the oversight was discovered in 1953, Ohio congressman George H. Bender introduced a bill to admit Ohio to the Union retroactive to March 1, 1803. The Ohio state legislature approved a new petition for statehood that was delivered on horseback to Washington, D.C. In 1953, for Ohio’s 150th anniversary, President Eisenhower signed an act officially declaring March 1, 1803 the date of Ohio's admittance into the Union.

Some other important Ohio state facts to note:

• Motto:  “With God all things are possible.”
• Capital:  Columbus (original capital—Chillicothe)
• Animal:  White-tailed deer
• Bird:  Cardinal
• Flower:  Scarlet Carnation
• Wildflower:  Large white trillium
• Insect:  Ladybug beetle
• Song:  “Beautiful Ohio”
• Rock song:  “Hang on Sloopy”
• Fossil:  Trilobite genus Isotelus
• Reptile:  Black racer snake
• Stone:  Ohio Flint
• Largest metro area: Greater Cleveland
• Total area:  44,825 sq. mi.
• Population:  1,353,140
• Population density:  277.26/sq.mi.

For more information, see Ohio on wikipedia.com.