Real Estate Directory - Ohio

Population: 11,435,798 (all 2003 figures)
Capital city/population: Columbus 728,432
Largest cities/population:

  • Columbus - 728,432
  • Cleveland - 461,324
  • Cincinnati - 317,361
  • Toledo - 308,973

Ohio is the 34th largest state, with a total area of 44,828 square miles. Its inland location provides the state with a pleasant climate of warm summers and cool winters. Average annual temperature is approximately 55ºF. Precipitation amounts range from 36” – 39”. Ohio was admitted into the Union on March 1, 1803, and has the distinction of providing the nation with seven presidents: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding.

HOUSING

Columbus – As of late 2005, home sales in central Ohio had risen almost 9% over the previous year’s amount, with over 2,875 homes sold in September.
These homes sold for an average of $183,572; average sales price thus far for 2005 was $179,551.

Cleveland – In late 2005, there were almost 1,500 single-family homes for sale, ranging in price from $10,000 - $2,500,000. The home market is slowing, due to the increase of available homes and a decreasing number of home buyers. Condominium sales are doing well, with almost 100 on the market with sale prices from $41,900 - $589,000. The city is home to the world famous Cleveland Orchestra, sports facilities, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Cincinnati – Currently, the city is experiencing a buyer’s market, with more homes available than there are buyers. Home prices average $163,142. There are many museums, galleries, and restaurants, as well as good access to public transportation. Cincinnati also has the highest percentage of residents moving out than any other major United States city.

Toledo – Average price for a single-family home is $102,584, with 57% of the city’s homes owner-occupied. Rental units comprise 36% of this total, renting for $225. This city is a great place to live, with a cultural life supported by many theatres, museums, amusement parks, shopping, and restaurants.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Principal industries include manufacturing, trade, and services. Manufactured goods include transportation equipment, machinery, and metal products. Agricultural outputs include corn, hay, winter wheat, oats, and soybeans. Total state product for 2003 was $403 billion, with a per capita income for that year of $30,129.

SCHOOLS

Ohio has three clearly defined types of standards for promoting educational excellence: Content Standards, Performance Standards, and Operating Standards. Content standards describe the knowledge and skills students should attain; performance standards measure how well students must learn what is set out in the content standards; operating standards describe conditions for optimum learning environments. In the public sector, student-teacher ratio for 1994 was 16:6, with an average teachers’ salary for 1995 of $37,835.
State-supported institutions of higher learning are Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio University -Athens, Kent State University, Miami University - Oxford, Bowling Green State University - Bowling Green, Cleveland State University, University of Akron, Youngstown State University, University of Toledo, and Central State University - Wilberforce.

HISTORY

After the Treaty of Paris, which ceded Ohio to the United States, settlers poured in from the East via rivers and across mountains. They met resistance from local Native Americans, and the area became a territory in 1799. A constitution was drafted in 1802, and a year later Ohio became a state.
After the War of 1812, economic growth was aided by the building of the Erie Canal and other toll roads. Farmers exported produce down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to southern ports, and laws encouraged railroad and industrial development.

After the Civil War, industrial development grew as ore shipments arrived and the petroleum industry grew. Huge fortunes were made and due to the influence of big business, Ohio grew in political importance.

Labor strikes occurred during the Great Depression and before and after World War II. Steel strikes and political unrest occurred throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s; the most violent event occurred in1970, when four students protesting the Vietnam War were killed by National Guardsmen who fired on them at Kent State University.

The state’s economy declined rapidly during the 1970s as the automobile, steel, and coal industries neared collapse and creating soaring unemployment. Since then, the government has diversified the economy by expanding the service and industrial research sectors.

RELIGION (2004)

  • Christianity – 82%
    • Protestant – 62%
      • Baptist – 15%
      • Methodist – 11%
      • Lutheran – 5%
      • Presbyterian – 4%
      • Pentecostal – 4%
      • United Church of Christ – 2%
      • Amish/Pietist – 1%
      • Other Protestant – 20%
    • Roman Catholic – 19%
    • Other Christian – 1%
  • Judaism – 1.3%
  • Other Religions – less than 1%
  • Non-Religious – 16%

DEMOGRAPHICS (2004)

  • White - 85.0%
  • Black - 11.5%
  • Hispanic - 1.9%
  • Asian - 1.2%
  • Native American - 0.2%
  • Mixed race - 1.4%