Ai is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in Fulton County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

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, established around 1843. The origin of its name has been a local controversy: some say that it was named after the biblical city of Ai, 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. Ai has been noted for its short place name. A post office was established at Ai in 1846, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1903. With the construction of the Northern Indiana Air Line railroad during the 1850s, business activity shifted to nearby Swanton and Ai's population dwindled.

References

Unincorporated communities in Fulton County, Ohio Unincorporated communities in Ohio {{FultonCountyOH-geo-stub