National Park Service
A Study of the Park and Recreation Problem of the United States 		NPS Logo

OHIO

THE STATE'S POPULATION is well distributed, the principal population centers being Cleveland, the Cincinnati-Dayton-Springfield section, Toledo, Columbus, Akron, Canton, and Youngstown. Other urban centers are found in every section of the State. It is predominantly urban in character and the trends are toward a still larger urbanization.

Its principal recreational resources are the Lake Erie shore, its streams, and its historic and archeologic sites.

There are several State-owned areas which can well qualify as State parks, but the State does not have a coordinated park system. The existing metropolitan, county, and municipal park systems provide excellent opportunities for outdoor activities such as picnicking, swimming, boating, hiking, horseback riding, and nature study. However, some of these systems should be expanded and others established. There is a great need for large natural parks well distributed over the State, including extensive frontage on Lake Erie and certain of the large new flood-control reservoirs.

Considerable progress has been made in the preservation and restoration of historical and archeological areas by the Ohio State Historical and Archeological Society. Continued work in this direction is desirable.

map
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FEDERAL

National monuments:
22. Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial14.25
31. Mound City Group57
     Total
71.25

National forest:
40. Wayne134,234

National wildlife area:
21. West Sister Island Migratory Bird Refuge82


STATE

State parks:
5. Henry County Parks67
6. Independence100
15. John Bryant State Forest Park636
17. Thurston Nyswander27
26. Mount Gilead240
43. Wellston Lake Alma210
66. Virginia Kendall430
68. Nelson Ledges State Forest Park45
69. Guilford Lake485
71. Jefferson County917
     Total
3,157

State monuments:
1. Harrison13.95
2. Fort St. Clair88.79
3. Fort Jefferson6.26
4. Fort Recovery9
7. Fort Amanda10.31
9. Dunbar.20
10. Miamisburg Mound35.83
12. Grant4.34
13. Fort Ancient310
14. Williamson Mound1.72
16. Clark.73
18. Turkey Foot Rock.04
19. Fallen Timbers3.83
23. Glacial Grooves3.55
24. Inscription Rock.29
25. Hayes25.77
27. Hanby.30
28. Campbell1
29. Logan Elm4.52
30. Mound City57
33. Renick.74
34. Seip Mound10.31
36. Fort Hill440.72
37. Serpent Mound60.75
42. Buckeye Furnace267
44. Leo Petroglyth12.32
48. Tarlton Cross15.51
49. Flint Ridge25.62
50. Mound Builders72.5
51. Wright.85
52. Octagon139
56. Big Bottom3.31
57. Buffington Island3.97
58. McCook.22
59. Campus Martius.65
61. Gnadenhutten8.94
62. Schoenbrunn169.38
63. Zoar Village.63
64. Fort Laurens81.70
70. Custer.97
     Total
1,892.52

State forests:
32. Scioto trail9,000
35. Pike5,200
38. Shawnee33,000
41. Dean1,800
45. Zaleski3,400
46. Waterloo420
47. Hocking Forest Parks4,000
53. Mohican State Forest Park1,775.89
54. Guy B. Findley890
55. Wooster Forest Arboretum60
75. Ross Hocking2

76. Zalaski217,397
77. Southeastern Ohio Development Project24,397
     Total
81,339.89

State wildlife areas:
39. Roosevelt Game Preserve9,055
73. Pymatuning Reservoir4,700
     Total
13,755


LOCAL

Conservancy district parks:
8. Miami Conservancy District (5 areas)3,238
60. Muskingum Conservancy District,Senecaville Reservation7,132
     Total
10,370

County park:
11. Hamilton County Park District (1 area)330

Metropolitan parks:
20. Toledo Metropolitan Park District (6 areas)1,800
65. Akron Metropolitan Park District (2 areas)1,235
67. Cleveland Metropolitan Parks District (9 areas)10,876.35
     Total
13,911.35

Township purks:
72. Youngstown Township Park District (1 area)1,400
74. Ashtabula Township Park District (2 areas)360
     Total
1,760

Municipal parks:
78. Miamisburg (1 area)50
79. Cincinnati (3 areas)332
80. Columbus (2 areas)1,708
81. Newark (2 areas)115
82. Elyria (1 area)35
83. Canton (1 area)27
84. Niles (2 areas) 78.4
     Total
2,345.4

1 Area under Federal administration June 1938.

2 Soil Conservation Service areas transferred to the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station for Administration. Gross area March 1939.


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park-recreation-problem/ohio.htm
Last Updated: 18-May-2016