{{Short description|Unincorporated community in Ohio, U.S.}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} [[File:Ai Fulton Elementary School.jpg|thumb|Fulton Elementary School
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'''Ai''' is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fulton County, Ohio, United States.<ref name=":0">{{GNIS|2812818}}</ref> The population was 322 at the 2020 census. Ai has been noted for its short place name.<ref>{{cite news |author=Wolfe, Don |date=Dec 3, 1985 |title=One More Letter And Ai May Be Put Onto Map |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=og1PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0wIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6847%2C3325059 |accessdate=21 May 2015 |work=Toledo Blade |pages=17}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
== History == Ai was established around 1843.<ref name=":0" /> A post office was established at Ai in 1846, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1903.<ref>{{GNIS|1083287|name=Ai Post Office (historical)}}</ref> With the construction of the Northern Indiana Air Line railroad during the 1850s, business activity shifted to nearby Swanton and Ai's population dwindled.<ref>{{cite news |author=Heinke, Ed |date=Apr 7, 1980 |title=Ai: a name you can pronounce |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wo9PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lFEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6293%2C548727 |accessdate=31 October 2015 |work=The Bryan Times |pages=13}}</ref>
=== Name origin === The origin of the place's name has been a local controversy. Some say that it was named after the biblical city of Ai,<ref name=":1">{{cite book|last=Overman|first=William Daniel|title=Ohio Town Names|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015015361465;view=1up;seq=18|year=1958|publisher=Atlantic Press|location=Akron, OH|page=2}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_jFPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1wIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6745%2C6073254 | title=Names of cities, villages often are history lessons | work=Toledo Blade | date=Aug 20, 1985 | accessdate=26 May 2015 | author=Wolfe, Don | pages=9}}</ref> while others believe that it was named after one of its founders, Ami Richards. The story continues Ami was a man, so others dropped the 'M' from his name to make the town's name more masculine.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~keller/school/schol/aiinfo.html |title= Ai Info |access-date=2015-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701114051/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~keller/school/schol/aiinfo.html |archive-date=2016-07-01 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}{{Fulton County, Ohio}} {{Authority control}}
{{Coord|41|37|28|N|83|56|19|W|type:city_region:US-OH_source:GNIS-enwiki|display=title}}
Category:Unincorporated communities in Fulton County, Ohio Category:Unincorporated communities in Ohio
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