The Toledo area was a huge swamp, but even though, both Ohio and Michigan claimed it. The border between Ohio and Michigan was vague at best and both sides were ready to take military action against each other. The 1835 "Toledo War" was more like a spat, and when the two sides decided to fight, they each got lost in the swamps and never ran into the opposition. The only bloodshed during this "war" (besides stolen chickens), was that of Michigan sheriff, Joseph Wood who was stabbed in the leg when he was arresting Major Benjamin Franklin Stickney. Stickney had suffered the indignity of being tied to his horse for transport to a Michigan jail. His son, "Two Stickney", as opposed to his first son, "One Stickney" became irate over the humiliation doled out to his father and stabbed the sheriff in the thigh with a pen knife. When Michigan was being admitted as a state, the Toledo area was granted to Ohio and Michigan received the entire Upper Peninsula. At the time, Michigan felt cheated, however, after further exploration of the UP, the benefits that Michigan reaped from the deal changed and Michigan felt began to feel vindicated. To this day, the rivalry between Ohio and Michigan still rages, with some still pressing the border issue, but to most the annual Ohio State - Michigan football game is enough.

Toledo's growth was due in part to its close proximity to Lake Erie, the Maumee River, both of which made the Toledo area a huge port city, the growth of railroads, and the introduction of the car. Many car and part manufacturers made Toledo their home and a large percentage of the population worked in the factories. The population also increased with the influx of immigrants looking for a new home in the United States with a good paying job. Many southerners also moved to the region as well for a better chance of getting a high paying unskilled job. During the 1980s, many of the factories downsized, moved, or closed altogether, causing a population shift as many people moved out of the area to either follow their jobs or to find a new job which were scarce in the Toledo area.

To this day, Toledo has not been able to return to the glory days. The Toledo area still is home to the Fortune 500 Company, Owens-Illinois, a main provider of glass products, giving the city the moniker, "The Glass City", but is still working continuously to attract new businesses.