History of Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is the county seat of Richland County, Ohio|Richland County in the United States|U.S. state of Ohio. The city is located in north-central Ohio, approximately 81 miles (130 km) southwest of Cleveland, Ohio|Cleveland and 67 miles (108 km) northeast of Columbus, Ohio|Columbus.
It was founded in 1808 on a fork of the Mohican River in a hilly region surrounded by fertile farmlands, and became a manufacturing center owing to its location with numerous railroad lines. After the decline of heavy manufacturing, the city's industry has since diversified into tertiary sector of industry|service economy, including retailing, education, and healthcare sectors.
As of July 2005 the city had an estimated population of 50,615. According to the US Census 2006 esimate, the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 127,010 residents, while the Combined Statistical Area (which also includes Bucyrus, Ohio|Bucyrus and Galion, Ohio|Galion) has 172,057 residents.{{cite web | url = http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-02.csv | title = 2006 US Census Estimates by CSA | date = 2007-04-05 | accessdate = 2007-05-12}}
Mansfield's official List of city nicknames in the United States|nickname is "The Heart of Ohio". It is the largest city in the "Mid-Ohio" region of the state, the north-central region which is generally considered to extend from Marion County, Ohio|Marion, Delaware County, Ohio|Delaware, Knox County, Ohio|Knox, Morrow County, Ohio|Morrow, Crawford County, Ohio|Crawford, Ashland County, Ohio|Ashland and Richland County, Ohio|Richland counties in the south, to the Firelands area south of Sandusky, Ohio|Sandusky in the north. Mansfield is also known as the "Carousel Capital of Ohio" and "Racing Capital of Ohio".{{cite web|url=http://www.frommers.com/articles/533.html|title=In the Heartland: An Ohio Road Trip by RV, Part II by Harry Basch & Shirley Slater|accessdate=2006-09-08|author=frommers.com}}
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