Lucas county is located in northwestern Ohio abutting the Michigan state line and Maumee Bay on Lake Erie with Toledo serving as the county seat. The county population on July 1, 1999, was 446,482, a decrease of 15,879 over the 1990 census.
Situated in the beautiful Maumee River Valley, the area in which the county would eventually be established had a strong French influence as fur traders began arriving, doing a strong business with the native populace. The best known Frenchmen of the late 1700s-early 1800s were Pierre Menard and Peter Navarre, a spy for the Americans during the War of 1812.
History buffs will want to explore the Fallen Timbers Battlefield near Maumee, Pythian Castle in Toledo and the Toledo Olde Towne Historic District, among some 80 sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places.