Geographic advantages made Ohio an ideal place for making various products.
First, it has important minerals used in manufacturing, especially coal. It also has ample supplies of water.
Second, products could be easily transported to other parts of the country via Lake Erie and the Erie Canal as well as by other canals, railroads, and roads.
For this reason it was once known as the Gateway State.
Today it remains one of the major manufacturing states, especially for automobiles and automobile parts, machinery, food products, and steel.
The Midwest states contain some of the most fertile farmland in the United States, as well as numerous factories and even mines.
