The history of Toledo can be traced to 1833, when the inhabitants of Vistula and Port Lawrence merged to compete against the upriver towns of Maumee and Waterville in a bid to serve as the ending terminus of the Wabash and Erie Canal extension. The inhabitants of Vistula and Port Lawrence merged and named the area Toledo. A conflict between Michigan territory and Ohio was fought over a small piece of land from Lake Erie to the Indiana border between 1835 and 1836. The war was called the Toledo War. The piece of land is what currently houses Toledo and the suburbs of Oregon and Sylvania, Ohio. Ohio was handed the land in the aftermath of the war, and Michigan was compensated with a larger portion of the Upper Peninsula. The city experienced stunted growth during its first two decades of settlement. The city had a population of 1,205 in 1835. By 1940, the city's population had only increased by seven more people. The city finally experienced growth in 1944 when most of Manhattan's warehouses moved their business to Toledo to take advantage of its newly completed canal and sidecut entrance. Census carried out in 1860 showed that Toledo's population had grown to 13,768, a 359% growth within ten years.

Visit a Park or Zoo
Do you know that 77% of Toledians are within a 10-minute walk from a park? Yes, that's just how good the park system is in Toledo. The city is home to 14 parks that take up over 12,000 acres of trails perfect for hiking, walking, and biking. Toledo's newest Metropark (formerly International Park) is a 1,000 -acre wetland, while the construction of a new riverfront park to attract more tourists and conservation to the Maumee River is in progress. The 1,000-acre park offers facilities for fishing, cross-country skiing, birding, archery, and snowshoeing. Other parks in the city include Wildwood Preserve Metropark, Middlegrounds Metropark, and Swan Creek Preserve Metropark.

Do you have an animal lover in your family? Check out the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium, which attracts over a million visitors annually. Ranked as the best zoo in the nation by USA Today in 2014, the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium houses over 10,000 animals that cover 720 species. Major exhibits at the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium include Tembo Trails, Penguin Beach, Kingdom of Apes, Maned Wolf, Tiger Terrace, Flamingo Key, and Galapagos Gardens.

⁠Explore the City's Nightlife
While the daytime usually portrays Toledo as a cool and calm environment, the city really comes alive at night when it's time to party and have fun. Boasting over 20 different options, Toledo never disappoints when it comes to nightlife options. If you are more into live bands, check out the Frankies Inner City, which houses bands from various genre and areas. If arcade games and pool tables are your things, check out the Attic on Adams. Prefer to let it all out on the dancefloor? Chasers is a nightclub that features DJs and dancers with dazzling lighting effects and large screen TVs.