Sylvania

History

General David White is considered the founder of Sylvania as the first pioneer settler and town supervisor, originally from Palmyra, New York. In 1832, White was given the title of General (possibly after services rendered during the War of 1812), which allowed him to explore the western Lake Erie region. In realizing the potential of some available land to the north of Maumee, Ohio, a notable port city at the time, he acquired a title to the land and built a log cabin at what would eventually be the corner of Summit and Monroe streets near downtown Sylvania. Prior to White's acquisition, the land was a part of Port Lawrence Township, Monroe County, Michigan. Over the course of several years, White, along with his associate, Judge William Wilson, purchased a total of of Port Lawrence and surrounding land in what would eventually become Sylvania, and of what would become Whiteford Township, Michigan, where he also served as the first town supervisor. The relationship between White and Wilson did not last, and when the boundary dispute that lead to the largely bloodless Toledo War began in 1834, they began splitting the lands they had purchased, platting their own towns. That year, White established the first area school in Whiteford, and platted the township there one year later in 1835. Wilson presented the original plat for Sylvania in June 1836, with the town of Whiteford directly adjacent. Trains were at first pulled by horse until the first steam locomotive was installed in 1837. Sylvania built its own railroad depot along the Erie-Kalamazoo Railroad in 1858. While the depot is no longer in operation, the original station building exists as an exhibit in the Sylvania Historical Village, still next to the railroad which remains in use. Sylvania was incorporated…

Geography

Sylvania is located approximately west-northwest of Toledo. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and are water. The city lies at the junction of two creeks: Ottawa Creek, flowing south from the community of Ottawa Lake, Michigan, about four miles north of the city, and Ten Mile Creek, a tributary of Ottawa Creek running about from the west, which becomes the Ottawa River and empties into the Maumee River. The city is built on large shale deposits, which over hundreds of years have been mined in quarries to make concrete, cement and other stone products. Silica shale from the region is renowned among paleontologists for its high-quality fossils from the early Devonian period.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  25,661
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,870
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,857
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,932
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,910
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,199
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17,581
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  17,403

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-05-04
  8 km N of Maybee, Michigan
• M 3 — 2026-04-26
  7 km SSE of Amherstburg, Canada
• M 2.9 — 2024-12-29
  1 km SSE of Hicksville, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2024-03-18
  4 km WSW of Millbury, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2023-05-20
  3 km SSE of Walbridge, Ohio
• M 3.2 — 2020-08-21
  2 km SSE of Detroit Beach, Michigan