Ohio gets too much disrespect

As long as I have lived in America, specifically in Ohio, I have only ever heard negative things about my state. Even in movies when it would be referenced, it was often used vaguely and mostly as a way to give a character a generic middle of no where background. Here are somethings that I think are cool about the state that took me and my family in when we had no where to go:

Political influence

Ohio has had eight presidents, more than any other state:

William Henry Harrison: Born in Virginia but settled in Ohio, he was the first president to die in office.

Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Born in Ohio.

James Abram Garfield: Born in Orange Township, now Moreland Hills, Ohio.

Benjamin Harrison: Born in North Bend.

William McKinley: Born in Niles.

William Howard Taft: Born in Cincinnati.

Warren Gamaliel Harding: Born in Corsica, Ohio, Warren G. Harding: The 29th president, who served from 1921 to 1923.

Ulysses S. Grant (Point Pleasant)

Ohio is sometimes called the "Mother of Presidents". The Ohio Statehouse has hearing rooms named after the state's presidents.

Economy:

Ohio's economy ranks 7th in the United States in terms of size, beating states like Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Massachusetts, etc etc.

GDP: In 2023, Ohio's GDP was $873 billion, which is similar to Switzerland's economy.

Employment: In 2024, Ohio employed 5,979,891 people, which ranks it 7th in the country.

Unemployment rate: In November 2023, Ohio's unemployment rate was 3.6%.

Companies include:

American Electric Power Cardinal Health Kroger Goodyear Nationwide Insurance Sherwin-Williams Macy's Marathon Petroleum Procter Gamble Abercrombie & Fitch AK Steel American Financial Group National Machinery Parker Hannifin Big Lots Dana Designer Brands Fifth Third Bank FirstEnergy Huntington Bancshares JM Smucker Mettler Toledo BBW L Brands Jenny's Wendy's Buffalo Wild Wings 4-H club

Famous People's

Neil Armstrong, Born In: Wapakoneta, Ohio, Famous Astronaut

Thomas Edison: Milan, Ohio

Steph Curry, Born In: Akron, Ohio, Famous Basketball Player

Doris Day, Born In: Cincinnati, Ohio, Famous Film Actress

LeBron James, Born In: Akron, Ohio, Famous NBA Star

Steven Spielberg, Born In: Cincinnati, Ohio, Famous Filmmaker

Paul Newman, Born In: Shaker Heights, Ohio, Famous Actor

Dean Martin, Steubenville, Ohio, Famous Actor, Comedian, Singer

Russell Wilson, Born In: Cincinnati, Ohio, Famous Professional Football Player

Guy Fieri, Born In: Columbus, Ohio, Famous Restaurateur, Cookbook Author, Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

Ted Turner, Born In: Cincinnati, Ohio, Famous Media Tycoon

Drew Carey, Born In: Cleveland, Ohio, Famous Actor, Comedian, The Price is Right

William Howard Taft, Born In: Cincinnati, Ohio, Famous As: President Of The U.S.A

Jack Nicklaus, Born In: Upper Arlington, Ohio, Famous Golfer

Ben Roethlisberger, Born In: Lima, Ohio, Famous American Football Quarterback

Danny Koker, Born In: Cleveland, Ohio, Famous Reality Star, Celebrity Mechanic, Counting Cars

Halle Berry, Born In: Cleveland, Ohio, Famous Actress

Anita Baker, Born In: Toledo, Ohio, Famous American Singer-Songwriter

Phillip Michael Thomas, Born In: Columbus, Ohio, Famous TV Actor, Miami Vice

Thomas Edison, Born In: Milan, Ohio, Famous Inventor

Arsenio Hall, Born In: Cleveland, Ohio, Famous TV Personality

Simone Biles, Born in: Columbus, Ohio greatest gymnast of all time

The Wright Brothers: Born In Dayton Ohio

Notable accomplishments:

Birthplace of Football (NFL) - Canton Ohio

Home of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Birthplace of Funk music: Dayton, Ohio

Birthplace of Superman and the resulting comic industry - Clevaland, Ohio

Other fun facts:

The Ohio State University in Columbus one of the greatest college football teams of all time

First MLS team in American, Columbus Crew

First Black Olympic Gold Winner DeHart Hubbard of Cincinnati

First Black Mayor- Carl Stokes - Clevaland

Harry M. Stevens of Niles is credited with inventing the hot dog, baseball scorecard and drinking straw. Ohio Native

John William Lambert invented the first gasoline powered American automobile in Ohio City in 1891.

I can go on and on, but it's so weird how the state that has done so much for this country is known as a laughing stock to so many others. Even though things haven't been great lately with the maga virus, the state has a strong progressive history supporting labor unions, was one of the leading states in the civil War helping the union, It was also the end of the underground railroad where many freed slaves experience freedom for the first time. I love my state!