Northwest Ohio has close economic and cultural ties to northeast Indiana, where I live. That is especially true for the northwest Ohio counties along the state line. For many people in the small towns and rural areas in that part of Ohio, the main city of Northeast Indiana, Fort Wayne, is closer to them than northwest Ohio's main city, Toledo.

The economy of northwest Ohio is similar to that of northeast Indiana. Much of the rural landscape is farmland, while manufacturing is still the mainstay of many of the small towns.