Ohio didn’t officially become a state until 1953. It was declared a state in 1803, but didn’t get the presidential stamp of approval until President Dwight Eisenhower signed off. He backdated the declaration to the original date.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Ohio is the 7th most populated state in the country with more than 11,600,000 residents. Ohio is known as the Buckeye State because of the buckeye trees commonly found throughout the Ohio River Valley. These plants produce small, brown nuts that look like the eye of a deer. Ohio legend says that carrying one in your pocket is good luck.