Being born and raised in Ohio, I'll be the first to admit this isn't exactly my first pick of places I'd like to be. Almost everyday, I kick myself in the butt for willingly choosing to go to school here, because after all, what's good about Ohio? We have unpredictable weather where you're wearing flip-flops one day and gloves the next and a bunch of corn fields. Before writing this article, that's pretty much all I could describe Ohio with. However, after doing some research, I've realized just how amazing Ohio really is and how much of a role it's played on the entire world! I hope that after reading this, you too will have a newfound appreciation for the Buckeye State.

1. Airplanes

Perhaps brainstorming ways to get the heck out of Ohio, the Wright brothers changed the way the world saw transportation. Through trial and tribulation, Orville and Wilbur Wright designed and constructed what changed the world forever in the early 1900s in Dayton, Ohio.

2. Fire Departments

Cincinnati was the very first city to establish a professional fire department in 1853. Can you imagine a world where if our house caught on fire, we were responsible for being our own firefighters? Thanks to Ohio, fire departments have become a normal and expected part of society, keeping us and the world safe.

3. Lebron

Arguably the greatest basketball player of our generation, Lebron James calls Akron, Ohio his home. Not only did he help Cleveland gain a championship title, he also is very involved in his hometown. He helps numerous underprivileged youth see college as something in their reach by funding several scholarships. Even when he left to play for the Miami Heat in Florida, guess where he came back to?

5. Major League Baseball and the National Football Association

Not only is Ohio home of such a great basketball star, it also is the state where both the MLB and the NFL began! If it wasn't for Ohio, America's Sundays and love of professional sports would not be how it is today, that's for sure.

6. Steve Carell

This hilarious guy calls Denison University of Ohio his alma mater, where he majored in theater and history. That's right, of all places in the world, Michael Scott chose to attend college in the state of Ohio. Thank you, Massachusetts, for gracing the world with one of the funniest comedians...but Ohio has the right to also call him one of our own.

7. Women Going to College

Speaking of colleges in Ohio, Oberlin College was the very first college to admit women in 1833. If it wasn't for that world altering shift nearly 200 years ago, who knows, maybe women would still not be accepted in higher education. As a woman myself, I'm sincerely thankful for this brave and trend setting Ohio college.

I never thought I'd say this, but Ohio is actually a pretty awesome place to call home.