Toledo is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most-populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according to the 2020 census, the 79th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 270,871 it is the principal city of the Toledo metropolitan area. It also serves as a major trade center for the Midwest; its port is the fifth busiest in the Great Lakes and 54th biggest in the United States. The city was founded in 1833 on the west bank of the Maumee River, and originally incorporated as part of Monroe County, Michigan Territory. It was re-founded in 1837, after the conclusion of the Toledo War, when it was incorporated in Ohio.
A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government.
Cleveland Metroparks is an extensive system of nature preserves in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. Eighteen reservations, which largely encircle the city of Cleveland, follow along the shore of Lake Erie and the rivers and creeks that flow through the region. Referred to unofficially as the 'Emerald Necklace', the network of parks spans over 23,000 acres (9,300 ha) and includes over 300 miles (480 km) of walking, bicycle, and horse trails as well as numerous picnic areas, nature education centers, golf courses, and countless fishing spots. In addition, the district includes the zoo in Cleveland. Four of the reservations are adjacent to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Metroparks Toledo, officially the Metropolitan Park District of the Toledo Area, is a public park district consisting of parks, nature preserves, a botanical garden, trail network and historic battlefield in Lucas County, Ohio.
The Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks are a group of 19 metropolitan parks in and around Columbus, Ohio. They are officially organized into the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District. The Metro Parks system was organized in 1945 under Ohio Revised Code Section 1545 as a separate political division of the state of Ohio. The Metro Parks are overseen by a Board of Park Commissioners consisting of three citizens appointed to three-year terms without compensation by the Judge of the Probate Court of Franklin County, Ohio. The Board in turn appoints an Executive Director responsible for operations and management of the parks.
The Geauga Park District, among the Ohio Metroparks, manages a system of nature preserves scattered throughout Geauga County, Ohio. The network of 22 open parks, as well as preserves and future parks, encompass more than10,000 acres (40 km2) and includes 60+ miles of walking, bicycle and horse trails, picnic areas, a nature center and abundant fishing holes.
Wildwood Preserve Metropark is a nature reserve and historic estate located in Sylvania Township, Ohio. Wildwood is the most-visited of the 19-park Metroparks Toledo district.
Secor Metropark is a regional park in Richfield Township and Sylvania Township, Ohio, owned and managed by Metroparks Toledo. The park is in the Oak Openings Region.
Bend View Metropark is a regional park located in Waterville, Ohio, owned and managed by Metroparks Toledo and named for its view of a 90-degree bend in the Maumee River.
Farnsworth Metropark is a regional park in Waterville, Ohio, owned and operated by Metroparks Toledo. The long narrow parks sits on the western shore of the Maumee River with a view of several islands, including Missionary, Butler and Indian islands, all of which are owned by the State of Ohio.
Blue Creek Metropark is a park and conservation area in Whitehouse and Waterville Township, Ohio, owned by Metroparks Toledo and partially leased to the city of Whitehouse.
Pearson Metropark is a regional park in Oregon, Ohio, owned and managed by Metroparks Toledo. It is one of the few remnants left of the Great Black Swamp. The park contains old-growth forest and wetlands. The park contains a pond with paddle boat rentals in the summer months and sledding in the winter months.
Providence Metropark is a regional park near Grand Rapids, Ohio, owned and managed by Metroparks Toledo. The park contains mule-drawn canal boat rides on the Miami and Erie Canal and features canal lock 44, the only original functioning lock in the state of Ohio.
Side Cut Metropark is a regional park in Maumee, Ohio, owned and managed by Metroparks Toledo and named for being a sidecut on the Miami and Erie Canal.
Swan Creek Preserve Metropark is a regional park in Toledo, Ohio, owned and managed by Metroparks Toledo. The park contains several miles of often used trails.
Toledo Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in Toledo, Ohio, owned and managed by Metroparks Toledo.
The Oak Openings Region is a globally rare ecosystem composed of over 130 square miles (340 km2) of Michigan and Ohio. The land consists largely of oak savanna and grassland prairie. It is considered by The Nature Conservancy as having a similar ecological importance as the Florida Everglades and is one of the 200 "Last Great Places on Earth".
Michael Pitts is an American pastor, preacher, and author. He is the founding pastor of Cornerstone Church and oversees the Cornerstone Global Network, a network of over 150 churches throughout the US, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, South Africa and the UK. He was consecrated as a bishop by the International Communion of Charismatic Churches in 2009.
Goll Woods State Nature Preserve is a 321-acre (130 ha) nature preserve in western Fulton County, Ohio, near Archbold. It has been designated a National Natural Landmark for its oak–hickory forest.
