Education
Columbus is the home of the Ohio State University, which has the distinction
of being the second largest single campus in the United States with a 48,003
total enrollment according to the OSU Office of University Relations. Also
located in Columbus and its metro area are the prestigious Ohio Wesleyan
University, Capital University, Franklin University, the Columbus College of
Art and Design (CCAD), Otterbein College, DeVry University, Ohio Dominican
University, and Columbus State Community College.
Columbus Public Schools dominate the K-12 primary school landscape, with
each of the suburbs also having fairly large districts as well. Notable
private schools within Columbus include Columbus School for Girls, Bishop
Watterson High School, DeSales High School, Worthington Christian High
School, and the Columbus Academy.
Business
As Columbus is the capital of the state of Ohio, there is a large government
presence in the city. Including city, state, and jobs at the public Ohio
State University, government jobs provide the largest single source of
employment within Columbus, however it is by no means a majority.
Columbus is the headquarters for a number of businesses as well. Nationwide
Insurance makes its home downtown in a large, multi-building complex that
dominates the northern end of the downtown area. Limited Brands (formerly
known as The Limited, Inc.) is located on the east side of the city and is
the parent company of the retail stores The Limited, Express, Victoria's
Secret, and Bath & Body Works, among others. Worthington Steel is primarily
located on the north side of the metro area in the Worthington suburb. Two
fast food chains have their homebase in the Columbus metro area as well,
Wendy's and White Castle, with Wendy's still operating their first store
downtown as both a museum and a working restaurant. Cardinal Health has its
headquarters in the northwest suburb of Dublin. Huntington Bancshares also
has its headquarters in the downtown area. Borden Chemical (formerly part of
the Borden, Inc. corporation prior to its acquisition and subsequent
divestiture) is located downtown as well. The Ross Products Division of
Abbott Laboratories, makers of Ensure nutritional drink and Similac infant
formula, is also headquartered in Columbus, with over 7,000 employees.
In addition to these companies, many companies have a major presence in the
Columbus area. Honda has its North American auto plant in Marysville to the
northwest of Columbus and produces all of the Honda Accords, Civics,
motorcycles and many of Acura's models for the North American market. Bank
One, which used to be headquartered in Columbus prior to the merger with
First Chicago-NBD, still has a major presence in Columbus. J.P. Morgan Chase
& Co., which announced a merger with Bank One in 2004, has a large mortgage
servicing unit in the city. CompuServe still has its roots in Columbus,
although it has been owned by AOL since 1998. Budweiser has a major brewery
located on the north side of the city. McGraw-Hill Inc. has large offices
within Columbus as well. UPS has a large distribution center on the west
side of the city. Columbus is also home to the Chemical Abstracts Service,
making it one of the world's leading centers for scientific information
distribution.
Columbus also hosts many conventions in the Greater Columbus Convention
Center, a pastel-colored building on the north edge of downtown that
resembles jumbled blocks, or a train yard from overhead. The convention
center was designed by famed architect Peter Eisenman, who also designed the
renowned Wexner Center, also located in Columbus at the campus of The Ohio
State University. Completed in 1993, the convention center spanned nearly
600,000 square feet (56,000 m˛) at the time, and has recently been expanded.
Transportation
Columbus is bisected by two major Interstate highways, Interstate 70 running
east-west, and Interstate 71 running north to roughly southwest. The two
Interstates combine downtown for about 1.5 miles in an area locally known as
"The Split", which is a major traffic congestion point within Columbus,
especially during rush hour. U.S. Highway 40, aka National Road, runs east-west
through Columbus, comprising Main Street to the east of downtown and Broad
Street to the west. It is also widely recognized as the nation's first
highway. U.S. Highway 23 runs roughly north-south, while U.S. Highway 33
runs northwest-to-southeast. The Interstate 270 Outerbelt encircles the vast
majority of Columbus and its suburbs, while the newly redesigned Innerbelt
consists of the Interstate 670 spur on the north side (which continues to
the east past the airport and to the west where it merges with I-70), OH-315
on the west side, the I-70/71 split on the south side, and I-71 on the east.
Due to its central location within Ohio and abundance of outbound roadways,
nearly all of the state's destinations are within a 2-hour drive of Columbus.
Columbus does not have a metro or other passenger rail system, but does
maintain a widespread municipal bus service called the Central Ohio Transit
Authority (COTA). Columbus used to have a major train station downtown
called Union Station (http://home.columbus.rr.com/unionstation), however it
was razed long ago. Columbus is served by Port Columbus International
Airport, Rickenbacker International Airport, Don Scott Airport (run by OSU),
and Bolton Field Airport.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
550.5 km˛ (212.6 mi˛). 544.6 km˛ (210.3 mi˛) of it is land and 5.9 km˛ (2.3
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 1.07% water. Unlike many other major
US cities, Columbus continues to expand its reach by way of extensions and
annexations, making it one of the fastest growing large cities in the nation,
both in geography and population.
The confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers occurs just outside of
downtown Columbus. Several smaller tributaries course through the Columbus
metro area, including Alum Creek, Big Walnut Creek, and Darby Creek. By and
large, Columbus is fairly flat, with ravine areas around the rivers and
creeks, although the land begins to rise to the east and southeast as you
approach the Appalachian Mountains.
Suburbs and Neighborhoods
The greater Columbus area includes many smaller cities, mostly within the
Interstate 270 Outerbelt. On the north, these include Worthington, Dublin,
and Westerville; on the west, Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington, and
Hilliard; on the south, Canal Winchester, Grove City and Groveport; and on
the east, Bexley, Reynoldsburg, Gahanna, Whitehall, and Pickerington. These
form a patchwork of jurisdictions, perforating and interrupting the
discontinuous and ever changing city limits of Columbus.
Columbus also has a number of distinctive neighborhoods within the metro
area. The Short North area, immediately north of downtown Columbus, is rich
with art galleries, as well as pubs and specialty shops. German Village, the
largest privately funded historic district on the National Register of
Historic Places, was formed by early German settlers and is still composed
of 19th century houses, as is Victorian Village. The OSU Campus area has a
high concentration of students during the in-session months (perhaps as many
as 30,000), and is eclectic and ever-changing to the whims of the student
body. Clintonville is nestled between the OSU campus area and the suburb of
Worthington to the north and consists of a mix of middle class Levittown
type homes and beautiful old stone and brick-faced houses on rolling hills.
San Margherita was formed by Italian immigrants at the turn of the 20th
century. Linden, to the east of Columbus, is one of the city's oldest
neighborhoods. Franklinton, aka "The Bottoms", is the neighborhood
immediately to the west of downtown, which gets its colorful nickname due to
the fact that much of the land is below the level of the Scioto and
Olentangy Rivers and requires a floodwall to contain the rivers and protect
the area from devastating floods. Just to the west of Franklinton is a group
of smaller neighborhoods commonly referred to as "The Hilltop".
Cultural Features
Landmarks and Museums
The Columbus Museum of Art opened in 1931, with a collection focusing on
European and American art up to early modernism. Downtown Columbus also
boasts the Franklin Park Conservatory, which was also home to Ameriflora
'92, and a to-scale replica of the Santa Maria on the Scioto Riverfront that
was installed to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the discovery of
America by Columbus' namesake. Columbus also includes the Center of Science
and Industry (COSI), a notable science museum; and the museum of the Ohio
Historical Society.
To some extent, the Ohio State University is a museum unto itself with its
rich history and roots in the Columbus psyche, but it does host a number of
museums and museum-like exhibits. Notable among these are the Wexner Center
for the Arts, a contemporary art gallery and research facility located on
the OSU campus, the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame located in
the Schottenstein Center (home of the OSU basketball and hockey teams),
The Columbus Zoo is world-renowned, and its director emeritus, Jack Hanna,
frequently appears on national television, including The Tonight Show and
The Late Show with David Letterman.
Columbus is home to several world class buildings, including the Greek-Revival
State Capitol, and the Peter Eisenman-designed Wexner Center and Columbus
Convention Center.
Sports and Entertainment
By far, the sports team that draws the most attention in Columbus is the
Ohio State Buckeyes football team (2002 NCAA Champions). Games are played
from late August through late November (and usually in early January), with
home games at Ohio Stadium in front of over 100,000 crazed Buckeye fans.
Tailgating at OSU home games has become an event in and of itself, with as
many as 30,000 more people partying during the game in the parking lots and
at controlled events on Lane Avenue such as Hineygate and the Varsity Club
street party. The OSU-Michigan football game is the final game of the
regular season and is played in November each year (alternating between
Columbus and Ann Arbor, Michigan). It is easily the biggest annual event in
the city, with an estimated 80% to 90% share of television viewers in the
Columbus market, and is one of the greatest rivalries in all sports.
Columbus is also home to many professional sports teams, including the
Columbus Crew (Major League Soccer), Columbus Clippers (minor league
baseball), Columbus Blue Jackets (National Hockey League), and Columbus
Destroyers (Arena Football League). For its GMP and population growth rate,
however, Columbus notably does not have a major league baseball, basketball,
or football team. This can be explained in part by the city's proximity to
both Cincinnati (100 miles) and Cleveland (125 miles), which have five major
league teams between them--two baseball, one basketball, and two football.
All five teams have a following in Columbus, with the baseball and football
fans fairly evenly split between the two cities.
There are several major concert venues in Columbus, including Nationwide
Arena (home of the Blue Jackets and the Destroyers), the Schottenstein
Center (also home to OSU's men's and women's basketball and men's ice hockey
teams), and Ohio Stadium. Columbus also has a number of medium sized venues
including the Palace Theatre (home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra), the
Ohio Theatre, the Southern Theatre, Veterans Memorial Hall, and PromoWest
Pavilion. Germain Ampitheater (formerly Polaris Ampitheater) is located
north of the city, and hosts large outdoor concerts during the warmer months.
The Newport Music Hall, located in the OSU campus neighborhood, is a smaller
venue, but highly respected among upcoming artists and the alternative music
scene. It is the regular venue of notable local band Ekoostik Hookah, and
musicians such as Smashing Pumpkins and Sarah McLachlan played at Newport
before achieving fame.
Columbus also hosts the annual Arnold Classic weightlifting and fitness
exposition in late February, hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as the
annual Quarterhorse Congress. Both of these conventions are very large draws
of tourists to Columbus.
Much of the growth in entertainment capacity in Columbus has been recent.
The expansion of Ohio Stadium to over 100,000 in capacity, and the
construction of the Crew Stadium, Nationwide Arena, the Schottenstein Center,
the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and the PromoWest Pavilion are all
projects completed since 1990.
Festivals
Annual festivities in Columbus include the Ohio State Fair—one of the
largest state fairs in the country; the Columbus Arts Festival and the Jazz
and Ribs Festival, both of which occur on the downtown waterfront. ComFest (http://www.comfest.com/)
(short for "community festival") is an immense three-day gathering in
Goodale Park (just north of downtown Columbus) with art vendors and live
music on multiple stages, hundreds of local social and political
organizations, body painting, and enough beer to quench anyone's thirst.
Coinciding with the weekend of ComFest is the large Gay Pride Parade,
reflective of the sizeable gay population in Columbus. Around the Fourth of
July, Columbus hosts Red, White, and Boom (http://columbusoh.about.com/library/bljul01.htm),
the largest fireworks display in the midwest on the riverfront downtown to
crowds of over 500,000 people, as well as the popular "Doo Dah Parade", a
nonsensical satire of ordinary parades. The Short North is host to the
monthly "Gallery Hop", which attracts hundreds to the neighborhood's art
galleries (which all open their doors to the public until late at night) and
street musicians.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 711,470 people, 301,534 households, and
165,240 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,306.4/km˛
(3,383.6/mi˛). There are 327,175 housing units at an average density of
600.8/km˛ (1,556.0/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 67.93% White,
24.47% African American, 0.29% Native American, 3.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific
Islander, 1.17% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. 2.46% of
the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 301,534 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 36.1% are married couples living together, 14.5%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 45.2% are
non-families. 34.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.0%
have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average
household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 3.01.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18,
14.0% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100
females there are 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 91.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,897, and the median
income for a family is $47,391. Males have a median income of $35,138 versus
$28,705 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,450. 14.8% of
the population and 10.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 18.7% are under the age of 18 and 10.9% are
65 or older.
Famous People from Columbus
Nancy Wilson, singer
Majel Barrett, actress
Bow Wow, musician
Prescott Bush, US Senator, father and grandfather of Presidents George H. W.
Bush and George W. Bush, respectively
Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice, Treasury Secretary, Governor and Senator
James "Buster" Douglas, former boxing heavyweight champion after defeating
Mike Tyson
Woody Hayes, football coach
Curtis LeMay, World War II and Cold War U.S. Air Force general
Jack Nicklaus, professional golfer
Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I fighter pilot, "Ace of Aces"
Arthur M. Schlessinger, Jr., historian and writer
Twyla Tharp, dancer
James Thurber, cartoonist and humorist
Leslie Wexner, businessman and major city philanthropist
Beverly D'Angelo, actress
Dwight Yoakam, singer
Bobby Rahal, race-car driver
