The modern city of Toledo, Ohio looks much the same as many other places in north-central America and southern Ontario. Toledo homes for sale look like Burlington homes for sale which look like Detroit homes for sale. However, each city gets off to its own start, and Toledo's was as a fort called Industry in 1794. There were, of course, Native Americans in the area long before then, but 1794 marked the arrival of the first new Americans who had fought for their freedom against the British. It was only after the Battle of the Fallen Timbers, which concluded the Northwest Indian War, that the area was opened up for a non-Native settlement.
The settlement that sprung up around Fort Industry had a few hitches in its growth. Many settlers fled during the War of 1812 because of the possibility of British invasion from Toronto and Mississauga. Listings were cheap afterward, which drew even more settlers back when the danger ended. The arrival of the Miami, Erie and Wabash Canals connected the settlement to Lake Erie in 1825-33, beginning its days as a port town. At this time, the towns of Port Lawrence and Vistula banded together to form Toledo.
Toledo's days of war weren't over, however. In 1835 conflict arose with the Michigan Territory over a small strip of land that would barely have even accommodated Penetanguishene real estate. Militias were sent but a compromise was reached before blood could be spilled. Toledo grew quickly at the expense of nearby Manhattan, Ohio, because its access to the canal was much deeper. Companies relocated their warehouses from Manhattan to Toledo. The town expanded by more than 350% in ten years, eventually overrunning and absorbing the abandoned portions of Manhattan.
The boom days of the port town of Toledo ended in the late 1800s with the arrival of the railroads, which were a less circuitous route of transporting goods. The transition was gradual but irreversible. Lake Erie was a practical means for moving between Toledo and Port Perry homes but not between Toledo and points south. With the arrival of the railroads came the railroad companies, who were followed by furniture companies, carriage makers, breweries, and the glass companies who would grow up to give modern Toledo its nickname. Easy jobs in manufacturing created another population boom that would last into the 20th century.
The manufacturing industry took a huge hit in the Great Depression of the 1930s and many of the railroad companies, furniture distributors and breweries either cut their operations drastically or folded altogether. This sad state of affairs lasted nearly ten years until World War II brought the city out of its slump by bringing automobile manufacturing to the city. Thanks to the Willys Jeep, Toledo entrepreneurs were once again able to afford Coboconk cottages to vacation in and large homes in the suburbs. Jeep later became part of Daimler Chrysler, and other companies like General Motors and Dana Parts joined the fray. They enjoyed great success for nearly seventy years until the manufacturing slumps of the early 21st century hit.
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