Toledo is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Lucas County. Named after Toledo, Spain, it is located on the western end of Lake Erie, on the Michigan border. It is the principal city in the Toledo Metropolitan Statistical Area.
In the 2000 census, the city proper had a population of 313,619. As of July 1, 2006, however, the U.S. Census Bureau listed the city with a reduced population of 298,446, allowing Toledo to maintain its place as the fourth-largest city in the state. According to the US Census, the metropolitan area had a population of 653,695, while the Combined Statistical Area had a population of 715,320. Residents of Toledo are usually referred to as Toledoans.
Toledo is known as the Glass City because of its long history of innovation in all aspects of the glass industry: windows, bottles, windshields, construction materials, and glass art, of which the Toledo Museum of Art has a large collection. Several large glass companies have their origins here. Owens-Illinois, Owens Corning, Libbey Glass, Pilkington North America (formerly Libbey Owens Ford), and Therma-Tru have long been a staple of Toledo's economy. Other off-shoots and spinoffs of these companies also continue to play important roles in Toledo's economy.
Fiberglass giant Johns Manville's two plants in the metro area were originally built by a subsidiary of Libbey Owens Ford. Many other companies that service the glass industry also began in Toledo, such as Toledo Engineering and Glasstech.
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.
