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Columbus (/ kəˈlʌmbəs /, kə-LUM-bəs) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, [10] it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest (after only Chicago), and the third-most populous U.S. state capital, after only Phoenix, Arizona ...
- Franklin County, Ohio
Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio.As of...
- Columbus Metropolitan Area
The Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area is a metropolitan area...
- List of People From Columbus, Ohio
Benny Alba (1949– ), artist; born in Columbus; George...
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John Glenn Columbus International Airport (IATA: CMH, ICAO:...
- Franklinton
Franklinton is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, just west...
- Timeline of Columbus, Ohio
1803. Ohio becomes the first state formed from the Northwest...
- Union Station
Columbus Union Station was an intercity train station in...
- Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio
The Short North is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio centered...
- Most Populous City
Map of the United States with Ohio highlighted. Ohio is a...
- Fairfield County, Ohio
Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of...
- Franklin County, Ohio
Columbus, the capital city of Ohio, was founded on the east bank of the Scioto River in 1812. The city was founded as the state's capital beside the town of Franklinton, since incorporated into Columbus. The city's growth was gradual, as early residents dealt with flooding and cholera epidemics, and the city had few direct connections to other ...
The city has expanded and annexed portions of adjoining Delaware County and Fairfield County. It is named for explorer Christopher Columbus. The city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. It became Ohio's state capital in 1816.
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- History
- The contemporary city
Columbus, city, Franklin, Fairfield, and Delaware counties, capital (1816) of Ohio, U.S., and seat (1824) of Franklin county. It is situated in the central part of the state on the relatively flat Ohio till plain, at the junction of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. Columbus is at the centre of a metropolitan complex that includes Dublin (northwest)...
Columbus was planned in 1812 as a political centre by the Ohio legislature and was named for Christopher Columbus. The state government moved to the city in 1816 from Chillicothe, and Columbus later absorbed the nearby earlier settlement of Franklinton (founded 1797). The city experienced significant growth after a feeder branch of the Ohio and Erie Canal was opened to it in 1831 and the Cumberland (National) Road from Maryland reached it in 1836. The first railroad arrived in 1850, further stimulating development.
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During the American Civil War, Columbus became a major staging area for Union forces, and Camp Chase, one of the North’s largest facilities for Confederate prisoners of war, was built on the city’s west side. The local economy continued to boom after the war. Columbus became one of the country’s major manufacturers of horse-drawn vehicles. By 1900, when the population exceeded 125,000, the city had emerged as an important transportation and commercial centre. Following damaging floods in 1913, the Scioto River was widened and levees, retaining walls, and bridges constructed, which allowed riverfront development.
In the early 21st century the fastest-growing sectors of the local economy were education and health, transportation and utilities, and professional and business services. High-technology industries and manufacturing (automobiles, motorcycles, communications equipment, steel and steel products, and nutritional supplements) were also important. The city’s favourable geographic position was enhanced by the presence of main-line railroads, an extensive highway network, and an international airport. Nearly half of the U.S. population was located within a 500-mile (about 800-km) radius of Columbus.
The main campus of the Ohio State University (1870), which has one of the largest enrollments of any American university, occupies a large site north of downtown. Other institutions of higher learning include Franklin University (1902), Capital University (1830), Ohio Dominican College (1911), Otterbein University (1847), Pontifical College Josephinum (1888), Columbus College of Art and Design (1879), Columbus State Community College (1963), and state schools for the hearing and visually impaired. Notable research organizations are Battelle Memorial Institute (1929; technology), the Orton Ceramic Foundation, and the Chemical Abstracts Service. The federal government operates a large military supply centre and other facilities. Many of the state’s institutions and offices and the state fairgrounds are in the city. The Ohio Statehouse (a limestone structure in Doric style, completed in 1861) has a monument by sculptor Levi Tucker Scofield.
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The city of Columbus is located in central Ohio at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. The region is dominated by a humid continental climate, characterized by hot, muggy summers and cold, dry winters.
Downtown Columbus is the central business district of Columbus, Ohio. Downtown is centered on the intersection of Broad and High Streets, and encompasses all of the area inside the Inner Belt. Downtown is home to most of the tallest buildings in Columbus. The state capitol, the Ohio Statehouse, is located in the center of downtown on Capitol ...
The culture of Columbus, Ohio, is particularly known for museums, performing arts, sporting events, seasonal fairs and festivals, and architecture of various styles from Greek Revival to modern architecture.