The French first explored the Toledo area, situated at the mouth of the Maumee River on Lake Erie, in 1615. Probably named after Toledo, Spain, the present city began as a group of small villages along the river. During 1835-1836, it was claimed by both Michigan and Ohio in the Toledo War, which resulted in Toledo becoming part of Ohio and the Northern Peninsula going to Michigan.

Toledo's large, excellent natural harbor makes it an important port. Numerous railroads move coal and ore to the South, East, and North; grain from the Southwest; steel from Cleveland and Pittsburgh; and automobile parts and accessories to and from Detroit.

Edward Libbey introduced the glass industry to Toledo in 1888, with high-grade crystal and lamp globes. Michael Owens, a glassblower, joined him and invented a machine that turned molten glass into bottles by the thousands. Today, Owens-Illinois, Inc.; Libbey-Owens-Ford Company; Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation; and Johns-Manville Fiber Glass, Inc., manufacture a variety of glass products. Metropolitan Toledo has more than 1,000 manufacturing plants producing Jeeps, spark plugs, chemicals, and other products.