Toledo Overview

Overview

With over 300,000 residents Toledo is the fourth largest of many great cities in Ohio and known throughout the industrial Midwest as the "Glass City" because of its long history of innovation in all aspects of the glass industry. Toledo offers many gems for Midwest travelers.  First, there's the Toledo Museum of Art.  Funded by a giant endowment the museum offers some extremely important works including The Crowning of St. Catherine by Peter Paul Rubens. Of particular note, is the Cloister Gallery, only several of this quality exist in the country. There is also a great glass art gallery and a few choice classical antiquities.  In addition, a wing shared with The University of Toledo was designed by Frank Gehry and exhibits his style in a wonderfully compact package. Also see the Glass Pavillion across Monroe Street (opens in summer 2006). This innovative, breathtaking addition to the campus designed by Tokyo-based architects Sejima and Nishizawa  will provide in-depth examination of the glass medium—from creation to interpretation—through state-of-the-art glassmaking facilities juxtaposed with works of art from the Museum’s world renowned collection of glass.

Toledo's Zoological Gardens is consistently rated as one of the nation's ten best and offers family fun.  There's plenty to eat including a collection of resturants called "The Docks" and the popular Tony Packo's Cafe, on Toledo's East Side and downtown (don't go to the west side Packo's or you'll miss the true experience). You might remember Klinger talking about it on M*A*S*H.  Speaking of Klinger, the Toledo Mud Hens now play in a great stadium downtown (Fifth Third Field). Fifth Third Field was selected by Newsweek magazine as the best ballpark in Minor League Baseball in 2002. If you're there in the summer, the evening's entertainment is easy to decide on.

COSI Toledo is a hands-on science museum located on the riverfront in downtown Toledo with over 300 exhibits for kids of all ages. Based on the original located in Columbus, Ohio, COSI Toledo was awarded a 2005 National Award for Museum Service, the nation’s highest honor for extraordinary community service provided by a museum.

The Toledo Sports Arena is home to the Toledo Storm of the East Coast Hockey League, and has also hosted many other sporting events. Inverness is ranked highly as one of the world' s best golf courses by Golf Digest and it's frequently featured on the tours of the Professional Golfers' Association of America (as well as the PGA Tour and LPGA).The SeaGate Convention Centre is home to the Toledo Ice of the ABA Basketball League, who began their first season in Toledo in November, 2005.

Toledo is a urban center of great diveristy, African Americans is the largest minority representing 25% of the population. The city is also home to one of the largest Arab American populations in the country and a fast growing Hispanic population. According to the 2004 census whites make up 67% of the population. 

Toledo's commitment to move from manufacturing rust-belt to the 21st century is strong with the University of Toledo's planned Technology Corridor. In 2005 the city of Toledo was ranked by Intel as the fifth most unwired (internet hotspots) in the nation and number one in the Midwest. The record breaking Veterans' Glass City Skyway, the largest project in Ohio construction history, is a towering 400 foot tall cable-stayed bridge on the Maumee River. When completed, will be one of the world's first to use a stainless steel stray cradle cable system that enables stay cables to pass through pylon. It will also be the first to incorporate glass in the pylon design enabling a lighting system to illuminate the structure into limitless colors. 

Notables names from Toledo include Katie Holmes, Chester "Lyfe" Jennings, Jim Jackson (NBA), Jamie Farr, Anita Baker, Jazz great Art Tatum, and many more.