Toledo (Ohio)



Toledo is a city of almost 273,000 people (2019) in northwestern Ohio's Lucas County, on the Maumee River at the edge of Lake Erie. Although not as important as it once was, Toledo's past as an industrial powerhouse gave it cultural institutions that rival larger cities like Chicago.

History
People had big dreams for Toledo. The location of the city at the end of Lake Erie was an ideal Midwest port, but was in the inhospitable Great Black Swamp. Early settlers spent years digging drainage ditches through the swamp, and lining them with clay tiles, battling disease along the way. Due to a border dispute, Michigan and Ohio briefly went to war over the land containing Toledo in the 1830s. But because of a series of blunders, nobody was killed. By an act of Congress, Ohio was awarded Toledo, while Michigan received the Upper Peninsula. Later settlers came over from Eastern Europe, or up from down south, to work on the Miami and Erie Canal, and still later to work in local factories that made early automobiles and auto parts. Because of its industrial heritage Toledo became the birthplace of Libbey Glass, modern chewing gum, the modern scale, and Jeep vehicles.

Toledo today


Today, Toledo is a city with a metro population of 608,000, the fourth largest city in Ohio. Toledo has a big local university, an independent daily newspaper, and historic buildings downtown, some of which have been turned into artists' lofts. The cityscape today provides some good opportunities for photographs of derelict buildings. Toledo is also home to the local favorite Toledo Mud Hens minor league baseball team. They play in the Fifth Third Field in downtown Toledo. Near downtown, the Old West End is a beautiful neighborhood of Victorian mansions, and is where the world-class Toledo Museum of Art and its glass museum can be found. A world-class Toledo Zoo is a few miles to the south. In the north end, there is the Polish Village where it is common to see storefronts written in Polish. The food in Toledo is worth stopping for. As well as the many diners in the area, many ethnic eateries should not be missed, including Tony Packo's famous Hungarian hot dogs, Hungarian baked goods, classy Middle Eastern places such as the Beirut, and delicious Indian cuisine from the Tandoor. True or not, Toledo likes to think that it has the most restaurants per capita in the entire country. Toledo is also one of the most productive ports on the Great Lakes, and its factories boast one of the highest robot per capita rates in the nation.

Climate
Toledo has four distinct seasons. The spring in Toledo tends to be quite pleasant, and presents a good opportunity for exploring Toledo's parks and gardens. Summers can range from pleasantly warm to sweltering heat, and it is during this time when Lake Erie becomes hospitable for things like swimming and other water sport. The fall is much like spring, and the trees around the city gain vibrant colors as the leaves begin to fall off, giving the parks a different character entirely. Winters tend to be strong in Toledo due to the Lake Effect, and while there are no mountains for skiing, there are plenty of other opportunities for winter sports such as cross country skiing and ice skating.

By train



 * Train operator:
 * All services pass through in the middle of the night, often making rail travel quite inconvenient. Routes stopping at Toledo:
 * Capitol Limited operates daily between Chicago and Washington, D.C. including stops in South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Alliance, Pittsburgh, Connellsville, Cumberland, Martinsburg, Harpers Ferry, and Rockville.
 * Lake Shore Limited operating daily between Chicago and Boston or New York City. It makes stops at most stations along the route, though it does not stop at some of the smallest stations. Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer).  The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City. . Stops between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer) include South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and Boston include Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham.

By car
Toledo sits at the intersection of I-75 and I-80/I-90, allowing easy access from Detroit, Dayton, Cincinnati, Chicago and Cleveland. Those travelling through the Midwest frequently pass through it.

By boat


As a port city, Toledo has many marinas, offering access to the cities and islands of Lake Erie. There are however no scheduled passenger ferries to Toledo.

Get around
The downtown core of Toledo is fairly walkable. Beyond downtown walking becomes notably less efficient and taking a car, bike, or public transit is ideal.

Architecture
Much of the notable architecture in Toledo dates from about 1860 to 1960, typically in Victorian, Neoclassical, Art Deco, or modern styles.

Work
Professional development opportunities in Toledo can be quite promising, as there are many different employment possibilities across a variety of industries. The city offers job opportunities in sectors such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, tourism, as well as in fields like technology, marketing, and website design.

Eat
Toledo has a vibrant scene with many restaurants serving cheap but good food.

Toledo has a few local chains that don't extend far beyond the city, notably Rudy's Hot Dogs, Balance, and Gino's.

Stay safe
Drive with caution during the winter. Black ice can easily form on the roads due to the closeness of the lake.

Connect
Toledo has two primary area codes: 419 is the original area code, and 567 is the newer area code. You must dial the area code for all numbers.

Zip codes follow the 436xx format.



Go next

 * Michigan is just north of town and Detroit is one hour north on I-75.
 * Maumee is a historic suburb on the southern edge of Lucas County.
 * Perrysburg is a well to do suburb south of Toledo.
 * Bowling Green is a small college town just south of Toledo on I-75.
 * Cedar Point amusement park is about one hour east in Sandusky.
 * Cleveland is a couple hours east on I-90 and the Ohio Turnpike.
 * Along the southern shore of Lake Erie are a large number of public North Coast Beaches. The beach at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, just east of Toledo is one of the nicest.
 * Located east of Toledo and west of Cleveland, a group of picturesque and festive Lake Erie Islands are accessible via ferry. Ohio Route 2 East Exit 163 North Port Clinton for the Jet Express or Ohio Route 53 North for the car ferry out to Put-in-Bay. In addition to several Ohio State Parks  on the islands, there is plenty to do including wineries, restaurants, bars, marinas and beaches.