Toledo
Toledo had also been known as “The Auto Parts Capital of the World”. Several large, Fortune 500 automotive related companies had their headquarters in Toledo. Electric AutoLite, Sheller-Globe Corporation, Champion Spark Plug, Questor, and Dana Corporation are examples of large auto parts companies that began in Toledo. Only Dana Corporation is still in existence as an independent entity. The Jeep vehicle has been manufactured in Toledo since 1941 as well. Willys-Overland was a major automaker headquartered in Toledo until 1953.
The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Toledo as a Tree City USA.
Toledo & Northwest Ohio is bursting with fun things to do and see! Everyone from families, history buffs, and naturalists to theater buffs, thrill seekers and more will find something special. To help celebrate its 100th birthday, The Toledo Zoo kicked off 2000 by opening Arctic Encounter. Featuring underwater viewing of polar bears and seals, it is the largest exhibit in the zoo’s history. At COSI, visitors can participate in dramatic demonstrations and explore hundreds of hands-on science exhibits. In the Warehouse District downtown, you can spend a leisurely afternoon shopping at Erie Street Market, Libbey Glass Factory Outlet, and the newly opened Superior Antique Mall.
Toledo has more restaurants per capita than any other city, Toledo offers something for everyone. The Docks features six exciting restaurants in one riverfront complex overlooking Toledo’s beautiful downtown skyline. Take a river taxi to The Docks and choose from Italian, Mexican, Seafood, or American cuisine. Enjoy fine dining at Georgio’s, or a hand-crafted beer at Maumee Bay Brewing Company. Sink your teeth into a Tony Packo’s famous hungarian hot dog and see the place made famous by Klinger on M*A*S*H.
Take a scenic cruise on the Maumee River aboard the Sandpiper or the Arawanna II. Visit the past with a tour of the S.S. Willis B. Boyer, a restored Great Lakes freighter, or see the reconstructed fort of the 1812 battle site at Fort Meigs. Take in a live show at the exquisite Valentine Theatre, or SeaGate Dinner Theatre. The Toledo Museum of Art, internationally renowned, includes fabulous pieces from the masters. Don’t miss a trip down the Nile at the museum’s Hands-On Egypt exhibit! Affordable hotels top off your stay so you can play more! Plan a trip today. Surprise someone you know! Say Toledo!
Toledo History
The area was first settled by European Americans in 1794, after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, with the founding of Fort Industry. However, with the War of 1812, many settlers fled the area. Resettling around 1817 a Cincinnati syndicate purchased a 974-acre (3.9 km2) tract at the mouth of Swan Creek and named it Port Lawrence. The syndicate failed 3 years later, and the settlement joined with a river settlement to the north called Vistula. The inhabitants of this joined settlement chose the name Toledo, “but the reason for this choice is buried in a welter of legends. One recounts that Washington Irving, who was traveling in Spain at the time, suggested the name to his brother, a local resident; this explanation ignores the fact that Irving returned to the United States in 1832. Others award the honor to Two Stickney, son of the major who quaintly numbered his sons and named his daughters after States. The most popular version attributes the naming to Willard J. Daniels, a merchant, who reputedly suggested Toledo because it ‘is easy to pronounce, is pleasant in sound, and there is no other city of that name on the American continent’.”
