In 2003 Ohio enjoyed it's Bicentennial celebration. According to the Ohio Bicentennial Commission "The Bicentennial will be a time for Ohioans to reflect on their state's past accomplishments, rich history and culture, and an opportunity to dream about the future. It will trace Ohio's path toward statehood and recognize the accomplishments of noted Ohioans over both centuries. It will also provide a living classroom for Ohioans and Americans of all ages to learn more about the Buckeye state."

For those of you who have never visited our beautiful state, sit back and enjoy the reading. If you click the link below you can listen to our state song.

Ohio is a state dotted with small towns and major cities such as Cleveland. Ohio's small towns (populations of 10,000 to 25,000) usually include a Main Street and streets named Elm or Maple. It's these small towns that give the state one of its nicknames - The Heartland of the Nation.

The Lake Erie shoreline in our area is dominated by greater Cleveland. Moses Cleaveland, originally from Connecticut, led a group of surveyors to Ohio's Western Reserve in 1796. The Western Reserve was a tract of land which was "reserved" by King Charles II for settlers from Connecticut. It was these settlers who developed our area and laid out the towns in the fashion of those they left behind in New England. So, if you ever travel to our area, you will find downtown Cleveland laid out in the old New England "square" fashion.

Seven Ohio natives went on to become United States Presidents, thus another of our nicknames - Mother of Presidents. Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding were all native Ohioians. It can also be noted that President William Henry Harrison was an Ohio resident when he took the office.

Here in Ohio we also have a number of other famous "sons and daughters" you may remember from your history lessons. William Tecumseh Sherman (Civil War general), Clarence Darrow (Scopes trial lawyer), Annie Oakley (sharpshooter), Wilbur & Orville Wright (airplane creators), Harvey Firestone (Firestone Company), Edward V. Rickenbacker (WWI flying ace), James Thurber (humorist), and Clark Gable (actor) spent some or all of their childhoods in Ohio. Two astronauts, Neil Armstrong (first man to set foot on the moon) and John Glenn (first American to orbit the Earth and oldest astronaut to go into space) are also from Ohio.

When you come to visit the greater Cleveland area you will find a lot of fun and exciting things to do. One of our greatest assets is the Metroparks, also known as our "Emerald Necklace". When this area was first being developed, our ancestors had the sense to set off green areas which could never be developed. There you will find miles and miles of open park space filled with running, biking, horse, and walking trails; baseball diamonds; golf courses; and just plain old open areas for picnics and relaxing enjoyment. A good majority of the Metroparks also has the Rocky River flowing through it which lends to the serenity of the area and fishing for those who enjoy the quiet pastime.

If you enjoy museums, we have the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Museum, Cleveland Art Museum, Museum of Natural History, and the Western Reserve Historical Society Museum to name a few. For those of you who enjoy the arts, we have the world renowned Cleveland Orchestra, The Cleveland Playhouse, and the restored Playhouse Square theaters - the Ohio, the State, and the Palace. You will also find shops and stores galore - make sure you check out the Terminal Tower at Tower City in downtown Cleveland. And, for those young at heart, Cedar Point Amusement Park is just about an hour to the west of us and Six Flags Ohio is about 30 minutes southeast of us.