Toledo, also known as "Glass City," is located in northern Ohio, just west of Cleveland, and is home to the world's largest glass factory, the Toledo Glass Company. It has the famous Toledo Zoo, as well as a number of other attractions. Its proximity to Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton makes it a convenient city to travel to, and it is also known for its beautiful parks, such as Hensley Park and Old City Park.

Toledo also has many marinas that provide access to Lake Erie, and one of the most beautiful is the Great Lakes Marina.

The district is named after Governor Robert Lucas, perhaps best known for intervening when Michigan threatened to send military force to Ohio when Ohio decided to include part of Michigan and part of Ohio. One reason was that the northwest border of Ohio, where it currently exists, had been improperly surveyed several years earlier. As a result, Ohio's legislature organized most of this disputed area in Lucas County and firmly established its borders with Michigan. After it became clear that today's Toledo would be the best choice for the northern end of a canal, both Ohio and Michigan claimed the 468 square miles of territory within the boundaries now known as the Toledo Strip.

As time dragged on in 1835, Toledo residents organized a petition to shift the political jurisdiction of the Lower Maumee from the Michigan Territory to Ohio. The Toledo War ended without a battle, as Michigan and the territory agreed to negotiate and acknowledged that a significant surplus in the U.S. Treasury should be distributed to the state, not the territorial government.

In 1836, Congress compensated Michigan for the loss of the Toledo Strip by granting Michigan admission to the statehood of the Upper Peninsula a year later after further political wrangling.

The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 enabled pioneers from the Northeast to avoid the swamp and reach northwest Ohio and the Michigan Territory by water from New York. The much-anticipated Miami-Erie Canal opened in 1845, and Toledo grew rapidly. With a connection to Cincinnati on the Ohio River, Toledo became a growing port and an important port of entry for ships and merchant ships to and from Lake Erie and its tributary, Lake Michigan.

Many companies opened their operations in East Toledo, including Craig's Shipbuilding, which became Toledo Ship Building, Toledo Furnace (which later became Interlake Iron), Craig & May Coal Company, and May Mining Company. Many of the state-funded Works Progress Administration's projects have been for employees and citizens, including the construction of the Toledo Public Library, Ohio's first public library, and the city's first school.