Toledo, Ohio, is not just another place on the map. This city is my hometown. According to some outsiders, it’s the northwestern part of the state that’s basically part of Michigan, but Toledoans beg to differ. We won’t always defend our city, though. Toledoans are experts at the love-hate relationship that we have with our city. Most of the time, we talk about how we hate it, but we realize that it’s not all that bad when we think about everything that it has to offer. Here are 20 things about Toledo that we want people to know.
1. There are cornfields around every corner.
It seems like a joke when we say that we’re surrounded by cornfields, but we’re being completely serious. For every few miles that you drive, you’re bound to see at least one cornfield, if not more.
2. Chain restaurants are also around every corner.
If you want to go to a locally owned restaurant, you’re out of luck. Non-chain restaurants are scarce and not many citizens know about them. I guess that you could say that we’re happy with our Olive Garden and BW3.
3. The Mud Hens are the best minor league baseball team.
We’re extremely proud of our team and we will do anything to show it, including going to countless games and purchasing duck beak whistles. If you live in Toledo and have never been to a Mud Hens game, do you even live in Toledo?
4. The construction never ends.
There has been construction on I-75 in Toledo for as long as I can remember. Once one section is finished, another begins. Each section takes an average of two years to complete. I think that I speak for everyone when I say that we’re all getting a little sick of the lane shifts and orange barrels.
5. We are home to two great universities.
Not only do we have the University of Toledo, but we also have Bowling Green State University. That means two times the amount of college students and two times the amount of quality education.
6. Our private schools are fantastic.
Notre Dame Academy, St. Ursula Academy, St. John’s Jesuit, St. Francis de Sales and Central Catholic high schools are worth every penny of their tuition, as are all of the private elementary schools. Their rigorous academics, incredible faculty, dress code and faith-based learning environment set them apart from the public schools of the area. Anyone who has attended one of these schools will tell you how thankful they are for their education there.
7. We have the best zoo in the country.
In 2014, the Toledo Zoo was voted "the best zoo in the country." The zoo has a variety of exhibits, including a newly opened aquarium, and does a great job with their breeding and enrichment programs. It’s also so full of employment and volunteer opportunities so that just about every Toledoan knows someone who used to work there. What can we say? “Everybody’s zooin’ it.”
8. Libbey Glass and Katie Holmes are often what our city is associated with.
Both of them may have originated in Toledo, but we don’t really care as much as people think. They’re just random fun facts that seldom come up in conversation.
9. The nearest airport is an hour away.
We technically have an airport, but it’s very small and practically useless. The airport has two airlines and a whopping five possible destinations, forcing us to go to Detroit or Dayton any time when we want to fly anywhere.
10. Our Metroparks are beautiful and widespread.
The Metroparks of the Toledo area consist of 15 large parks that are perfect for walking your dog, going for a run, having a picnic, and even fishing! The Toledo Botanical Garden is also associated with the Metroparks. This is a popular location for weddings and pictures of all kinds.
11. The weather has a mind of its own.
Along with the rest of Ohio, Toledo weather tends to be a little crazy. Winter lasts for five months and often gets below 0°F while summer is unbearably hot and humid. In addition, the weather is completely unpredictable, changing from 40°F to 70°F in the course of 24 hours. We wish we could explain this, but we don’t know why it happens any more than the next guy.
12. Snow days are just wishful thinking.
There's six inches of snow and icy roads? There’s no need to use a snow day for this, right? With the wide range of weather conditions, it’s expected that the citizens of northwest Ohio are able to drive in anything and everything. It can get a little dangerous, so the school districts should learn to give the kids a day off.
13. The Ohio vs. Michigan battle is intense.
Being near the border of Michigan means that there are quite a few Wolverine fans who work or live in Toledo. Many of them quickly learn that they should keep this to themselves in order to avoid teasing from Buckeye fans. However, on the day of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game, true identities are revealed.
14. We’re lucky enough to have some great sources of entertainment.
The Toledo Museum of Art, the Stranahan Theater and Imagination Station are three of the best places in the city to go for some fun. The TMA offers wonderful exhibits and classes and it also hosts the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. The Stranahan holds concerts and broadway shows and Imagination Station (COSI) teaches science in an amusing fashion. They’re fun for all ages!
15. We’re often forgotten as one of the major cities in Ohio.
Toledo is the fourth largest city in Ohio, yet people always jump to Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland when they think of Ohio. They even think of Dayton and Sandusky before us sometimes, which hurts our feelings.
16. We have an accent.
If I had a dollar for every time when someone told me that I had an accent, I would have quite a bit of money. Compared to other Ohio cities, Toledoans apparently have a slightly different way of saying things.
17. The Maumee River isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
It’s big, but it’s dirty. It’s good for canoeing and fishing but can give you hypothermia or frostbite if you participate in activities like the polar bear plunge. The river isn’t horrible, but it isn’t as great as people think.
18. Our city is the perfect distance from other cities
Toledo is about half an hour from Maumee Bay State Park and Lake Erie, an hour from Cedar Point and Detroit, and two hours from Cleveland and Dayton. This gives us ample opportunities to travel somewhere else when we get bored of our own city.
19. The land is completely flat
There are no hills in Toledo. It's so flat that we have man-made hills for sledding.
20. Despite everything we say, we actually love our city.
Toledo is home.
