CITY OF COLUMBUS
City Offices
90 West Broad Street
Columbus 614-645-7671
www.columbus.gov
Chamber of Commerce
150 South Front Street
Columbus 614-221-1321
www.columbus.org
Columbus is the capital and the largest city in Ohio. It is the county seat of Franklin County, although parts of the city also extend into Delaware and Fairfield counties. Named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. The city has a diverse economy based on education, insurance, banking, fashion, defense, aviation, food, logistics, steel, energy, medical research, health care, hospitality, retail, and technology. It was acknowledged by Money Magazine as the 8th best large city in the U.S. to inhabit in 2005 and today continues to show growth
Services
Residents of Metropolitan Columbus are serious about quality education, evidenced by highly respected public and private schools as well as highly respected institutions of higher education. Research centers join a network of public universities, private institutes, independent colleges, and strategically located community college campuses to ensure opportunities close to home. State-supported universities combine with a number of private colleges. With approximately 100,000 college students in the Metropolitan Area, there are a large number of people employed within higher education institutions. Large organizations include The Ohio State University, Capital University, Franklin University, Ohio Dominican University, and Columbus State Community College, as well as numerous other smaller colleges and schools.
Healthcare facilities are no less prolific or prestigious, encompassing teaching hospitals, research institutes, centers of excellence, regional medical centers, and support services of every type. Progressive healthcare systems ensure well-managed hospitals that excel in innovation. Columbus is home to many outstanding hospitals, The Grant Medical Center, located Downtown, is part of Ohio Health, a faith-based, non-profit organization. Ohio Health has been serving Columbus since 1891. In 2009, Grant was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the United State’s best hospitals. Another Ohio Health operated hospital, Riverside Methodist, located in north-central Columbus, was also named one of the country’s best hospitals in 2009 by U.S. News and World Report. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one the country’s premier children’s hospital, ranked in the top 10 of NIH-supported centers for their category and is the fifth largest in the country. Other outstanding local hospitals include Ohio State University Medical Center, Mt. Carmel, Doctor’s Hospital, and University Hospital East, as well as others, and there are many specialty medical facilities throughout the city
Lifestyle
Columbus has a strong and diverse economy, ranking in the top 10 overall in the United States, and the best in Ohio. Columbus has also been ranked as one of the top ten best places in the country to operate a business in 2008. As Columbus is the state capital, there is a large government presence in the city. Including city, county, state, and federal employers, government jobs provide the largest single source of employment within Columbus followed closely by educational institutes.
Residents of Columbus enjoy a vast selection of urban amenities located right at their doorstep; with country charm just a short drive from home. The city offers every style of living one could want to call home including downtown living and old fashioned neighborhoods – each with its own distinctive flair. The arts and entertainment are well represented in the city and Columbus is the home of many renowned performing arts institutions, including Opera Columbus, BalletMet Columbus, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, the Contemporary American Theatre Company (CATCO), Columbus Children’s Theatre, Shadowbox Cabaret and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. There are also many large concert venues in the city, including arenas such as Nationwide Arena and Jerome Schottenstein Center. The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, Veterans Memorial auditorium and the Newport Music Hall server to round out the city’s music performance spaces. The city has a number of theatres in the downtown area, including the Palace Theatre, the Ohio Theatre, the Southern Theatre, and the Riffe Center which houses The Capitol Theatre as well as two studio theatres. Additionally, there is the large Arena Grand movie theatre adjacent to Nationwide Arena.
Columbus has its own city park system, and there is a metropolitan area parks system as well. Reservoirs and parks on the major streams offer recreational opportunities for children of all ages. While the Scioto and Olentangy river corridors are becoming connected as greenways with bike and walking paths. The Scioto Mile project is enhancing the riverfront in the heart of downtown – making the riverfront a destination location. For those who want to be outside Columbus was ranked 27th in the country for most walkable cities in 2008.
One of the best economies in the mid-west, strong educational opportunities, an enviable cultural and arts scene, wonderful museums and galleries, and scores of other quality-of-life advantages have brought Columbus to a higher than average level of recognition and opportunity. Add to the mix the area’s natural beauty, historic charm, and strong traditions for a winning formula that is energized by imagination yet firmly grounded in reality and its easy to what makes Columbus a great choice to call home.
Columbus Neighborhoods
Columbus has a number of distinctive neighborhoods within the metro area, which contributed to the city being the 4th cleanest in the country in 2005, according to Reader’s Digest.
The Short North, situated just north of downtown, is rich with art galleries, dining, and specialty shops. A number of large, ornate Victorian homes are located nearby, and together they comprise Victorian Village. Just to the west is Harrison West and across the Olentangy River is Grandview Heights. 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.
Immediately west is the Brewery District, formerly an entertainment district which has seen a decrease in bars and an increase in residential and office development. To the east of Downtown north of Broad St. is King-Lincoln Bronzeville. South of Broad and also east of King Lincoln is Olde Towne East, which was a streetcar neighborhood consisting of grand homes in a wide variety of architectural styles.
Franklinton, sometimes known as “the Bottoms,” is the neighborhood immediately west of downtown. It gets its nickname due to the fact that much of the land lies below the level of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and a floodwall is required to contain the rivers and protect the area from floods. Just to the west of Franklinton is a group of smaller neighborhoods commonly referred to as “The Hilltop.”
At the north end of downtown is a newer neighborhood, the Arena District. Centered on Nationwide Arena, the district has many pubs, restaurants, and residential projects, most notably the new 20-story Condominiums at North Bank Park tower. The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion is also an anchor for the district and the recently completed Huntington Ballpark has become the new home of the Columbus Clippers baseball team. There are also the Heritage Districts throughout the city, which include the Driving Park, Livingston Park and Old Oaks areas on the near east side of the city.
The University area is populated by a high concentration of students during the school year (more than 60,000) and features many old homes which have been converted to apartments for student use. The stretch of High Street that runs through the campus area caters to the student body with its abundance of bars, sandwich shops, music stores, and bookstores. Located between Ohio State University and Worthington is Clintonville, where a mix of smaller homes can be found alongside beautiful old stone and brick-faced houses nestled among rolling hills. Further west of downtown, San Margherita is a community formed by Italian immigrants who arrived at the turn of the 20th century.
