Why Columbus?

Columbus is the state capital and largest city in Ohio, and the 15th largest in the United States. The city has a population of 711,470 residents (2000 U.S. Census), and the greater Columbus metropolitan area has a population of 1,612,694, ranking it third in Ohio and 31st in the United States. With regard to the combined statistical area, Columbus ranks 24th in the country with approximately 1.84 million residents.

Demographics

Residents of Columbus include an eclectic mix of students, politicians, artists, and entrepreneurs who participate in a diverse economy supported by government agencies, educational institutions, and the white-collar service sector.

The racial makeup of the city is 67.93% White, 24.47% Black or 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.

The median age is 31 years. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 3.01. The median income for a household in the city is $37,897, and the median income for a family is $47,391. The per capita income for the city is $20,450.

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Geography

Located in the geographic center of the state, Columbus serves as the county seat of Franklin County. The city was founded in 1812 on the east banks of the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, where it assumed the official distinction of state capital in 1816.

According to the 2002 Census, the city has a total area of 212.6 mi. 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, in terms of both geography and population.

Columbus has a number of distinctive neighborhoods within the metro area. The Short North, situated just north of downtown, is rich with art galleries, fine dining, pubs, and specialty shops. A number of large, ornate Victorian homes are located nearby, and together they comprise Victorian Village. To the south, German Village is known for its quaint 19th century brick cottages, and it holds the distinction as the largest privately funded historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Ohio State University (OSU) campus area is populated by a high concentration of students during the school year (50,000). The stretch of High Street that runs through the campus area caters to the student body with its abundance of bars, sandwich shops and bookstores. Located between OSU and Worthington is Clintonville, where a mix of middle class Levittown-type homes can be found alongside beautiful old stone and brick-faced houses nestled among rolling hills. Further west of downtown, San Margherita is a village formed by Italian immigrants who arrived at the turn of the 20th century. And to the east, Linden remains distinct as one of the city's oldest neighborhoods.

Due to its central location within Ohio and abundance of outbound roadways, nearly all of Ohio's destinations are within a 2-hour drive of Columbus. Columbus is bisected by two major highways, Interstate 70 running east-west, and Interstate 71 running north to roughly southwest. Columbus is served by Port Columbus International Airport, Rickenbacker International Airport, Don Scott Airport (run by OSU), and Bolton Field Airport.

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Education

Columbus is the home of OSU, which has the distinction of being the largest single campus in the United States, with a total enrollment of 50,995 (according to the OSU Office of University Relations). Other institutions located in Columbus and its metro area include Columbus State Community College, Franklin University, Ohio Dominican University, the Columbus College of Art and Design, Ohio Wesleyan University, Capital University, Otterbein College and DeVry University.

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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 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 Industries is primarily located on the north side of the metro area in the Worthington suburb. Two fast food chains have their home base 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. Bob Evans Farms is also based in Columbus. Cardinal Health has its headquarters in the northwest suburb of Dublin. Huntington Bancshares also has its headquarters in the downtown area. The Ross Products division of Abbott Laboratories, makers of Ensure nutritional drink and Similac infant formula, call Columbus home, 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 (located to the northwest of Columbus) and where it produces all of the Honda Accord and Civic lines, as well as motorcycles and many of its Acura 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 merged with Bank One in 2005, 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. Anheuser-Busch has a major brewery located on the north side of the city. McGraw-Hill Inc. has large offices within Columbus as well. In addition, Sterling Commerce, a B2B software company, has its headquarters in the Northwest suburb of Dublin. Additionally, UPS has a large distribution center on the west side of the city. Columbus is also home to the Chemical Abstracts Service and Battelle, 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 designed by famed architect Peter Eisenman. Completed in 1993, the convention center spans more than 600,000 square feet after recent expansions.

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Landmarks and Attractions

The Ohio Statehouse sits on a 10 acre plot of land, known as Capitol Square, in the center of downtown. Unlike many US state capitol buildings, the Ohio State Capitol owes little to the architecture of the National Capitol. The Statehouse features a central recessed porch with a colonnade of a forthright and primitive Greek Doric mode, built of Columbus limestone that was quarried on the west banks of the Scioto River.

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 home to Ameriflora '92. In addition, the Scioto riverfront boasts a to-scale replica of the Santa Maria that was installed to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus' namesake. Columbus also includes the COSI Science Center, a notable science museum; and the museum of the Ohio Historical Society.

Also notable is the Wexner Center for the Arts, a contemporary art gallery and research facility located on OSU campus; as well as OSU 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. Columbus is also home to a top-ranked library system, as well as several top-ranked independent libraries.

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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, 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 people partying before, during and after the game in the parking lots and at controlled events. 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 percent 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).

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, the Ohio Theatre (home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra), the Southern Theatre, Franklin County Veterans Memorial, and Lifestyle Communities Pavilion (formerly PromoWest Pavillion). Germain Amphitheater 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.

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.

For shopping, Columbus offers the Polaris Fashion Place, Easton Town Center, The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, Westland Mall, Eastland Mall, and City Center Mall. For parks and recreation, Columbus has Schiller Park, Westgate Park, Big Run Park, Dodge Park, Franklin Park Conservatory, Wolfe Park, Nelson Park, Civic Park, Griggs Reservoir Park, Highbanks Metro Park, Sharon Woods Metro Park, and Mock Park.

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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 & Rib Fest, both of which occur on the downtown waterfront. Comfest (short for "community festival") is a three-day gathering in Goodale Park with art vendors and live music on multiple stages and hundreds of local social and political organizations. Coinciding with the weekend of Comfest is the large Pride Holiday, reflective of the sizeable gay population in Columbus. Around the Fourth of July, Columbus hosts Red, White & Boom!, 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 open their doors to the public until late at night) and street musicians. Each September, German Village throws an annual Oktoberfest celebration that features authentic German food, beer, music, and crafts. The Hilltop Bean Dinner is an annual event held on Columbus' West Side that celebrates the city's Civil War heritage near the historic Camp Chase Cemetery.

For more information on Columbus, Ohio, please visit Experience Columbus, the Greater Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau website.

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(This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Columbus, Ohio".)