Toledo, Ohio: The Glass City That Can't Decide If It's Ohio or Michigan

Welcome to Toledo, Ohio, a place where the sausages are Hungarian, the baseball team is named after a swamp bird, and the state border has been a matter of armed dispute. Pack a sweater, an appetite, and a sense of humor. You'll need all three.

Glass City, Ohio: A Population With Some Shattered Dreams

Toledo is the 4th-most populous city in Ohio, with 270,871 residents at the 2020 census. That makes it the fourth-largest city in the state, which is a bit like finishing just off the podium in a four-person race. The city is quietly shrinking, like a sweater that went through the dryer.

The glass thing is real, though. The Libbey Glass Works helped make the community known as the "City of Glass." Toledo's nickname is earned, and the roasters at RoastMyTown aren't wrong that the peak was a long time ago. Still, a town that turned sand into an identity deserves some credit. Most of us can't turn sand into anything but a bad day at the beach.

Tony Packo's and the MAS*H Industrial Complex

If you want to understand Toledo's tourism strategy, start at Tony Packo's Cafe on Front Street in the Hungarian neighborhood of Birmingham. Founded in 1932, the restaurant became famous when it was mentioned in several episodes of the 1972-83 MAS*H series. The credit goes to Toledo native Jamie Farr, whose character Klinger named it as his favorite eatery. Ohio's fourth-largest city owes a chunk of its national name recognition to a corporal in a dress.

The roast cards say Toledo is "still milking it," and the evidence is hard to argue with. The restaurant is noted for its signature Hungarian Hot Dog and its large collection of celebrity-signed hot dog buns displayed on the walls. Whether you find that charming or desperate depends on how many chili dogs you've had.

Even Toledo's mayor admits the effect. He says that when he tells people he's from Toledo, they know about Tony Packo's because of Jamie Farr and MAS*H. Most cities would kill for that kind of brand recognition. Toledo got it from a sitcom and never looked back.

Mud Hens, Michigan Envy, and Other Identity Crises

Toledo's sports scene revolves around the Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The name has a swampy origin. The park sat near marshland inhabited by American coots, also known as "mud hens," so the local press dubbed the team the Mud Hens. The team plays at Fifth Third Field at 406 Washington Street in the heart of downtown.

The Mud Hens are so famous that, per the team's own merchandise director, fans often assume the team was made up for MAS*H. They're real. They're just very, very Triple-A. The team is still going. Hope springs eternal, or at least until the Tigers call up your best hitter.

And yes, Toledo is the city that once nearly went to war with Michigan over who got stuck with it. That's why half the town cheers for Michigan on fall Saturdays and the other half pretends not to notice. Toledo sits in Lucas County, which is close enough to Ann Arbor that your GPS has opinions.

Art, Glass, and a Surprisingly Classy Side

Here's where we have to be nice, because Toledo earned it. The Toledo Museum of Art is the real deal. It was founded by glassmaker Edward Drummond Libbey in 1901 and moved to its current location in 1912. It houses a collection of more than 30,000 objects, and its American glass holdings rank among the principal collections in the field. Entry is a bargain compared with a Mud Hens game, and the nachos are not the point.

Toledo is also a working city. It serves as a major trade center for the Midwest, and its port is among the busiest on the Great Lakes. So while the jokes write themselves, the ships keep coming.

The Verdict

Toledo is a city of glass, chili dogs, and baseball played by a swamp bird. It has an identity crisis, a shrinking census, and one of the best art museums in the Midwest. Go for the hot dogs, stay for the Mud Hens, and leave a signed bun if you have one.

Think we were too nice? See the full roast on RoastMyTown.com.