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Introduction

Downtown Columbus and the Scioto Mile

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, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest (after Chicago), and the third-most populous U.S. state capital (after Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas). Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2.139 million in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 32nd-largest metro area in the U.S.

Columbus originated as numerous Native American settlements on the banks of the Scioto River. Franklinton, now a city neighborhood, was the first European settlement, laid out in 1797. The city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and laid out to become the state capital. The city was named for Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. The city assumed the function of state capital in 1816 and county seat in 1824. Amid steady years of growth and industrialization, the city has experienced numerous floods and recessions. Beginning in the 1950s, Columbus began to experience significant growth; it became the largest city in Ohio in land and population by the early 1990s. Growth has continued in the 21st century, with redevelopment occurring in numerous city neighborhoods, including Downtown. (Full article...)

Selected general articles

Image 1

Skyline of Columbus and Ohio State from Olentangy West

Olentangy West is a neighborhood approximately 5 miles (8 km) northwest of downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. Also called West Olentangy, it is generally bordered by West Henderson Road on the north, the Olentangy River and Clintonville on the east, Kinnear Road on the south, and Upper Arlington on the west. The area is primarily residential, although the large Riverside Methodist Hospital and the headquarters for Chemical Abstracts Service are located within its boundaries. Additionally, the west campus of Ohio State University is located within the southern boundary of the area. (Full article...)
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The COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic affected the city of Columbus, Ohio, as Ohio's stay-at-home order shuttered all nonessential businesses, and caused event cancellations into 2021. The shutdown led to protests at the Ohio Statehouse, the state capitol building.

The COVID-19 pandemic muted activity in Columbus, especially in its downtown core, from 2020 to 2022. By late 2022, foot traffic in Downtown Columbus began to exceed pre-pandemic rates; one of the quickest downtown areas to recover in the United States. (Full article...)
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The Macon Hotel

Mount Vernon is a predominantly African-American historic neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The neighborhood lies within the historic Near East Side community, north of King-Lincoln Bronzeville. Mount Vernon borders Interstates 71 and 670. Its main thoroughfares, Mount Vernon Avenue, Long Street, Atcheson Street, and Champion Avenue define the community's limits.

The neighborhood is named for Mount Vernon Avenue, the center of a once-thriving economy. In the 19th century into the 1970s, the area (including the present-day King-Lincoln Bronzeville) held thousands of Black families and businesses, with a variety of businesses lining the avenue. It was during an era of segregation and isolation for the community, and thus Black families were self-sustaining in the area. Beginning in the 1950s, interstate highways were constructed in Columbus. The highways physically divided parts of the neighborhood and their large land uses forced families and businesses to relocate, leading to more vacancies and an overall neighborhood decline.

The Leonard Pearl Henderson House in the neighborhood is a historically-significant house near an Ohio State University medical center. The building was proposed for demolition in 2023. (Full article...)
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Mark Russell House on High Street

Riverlea is a village in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, surrounded by Worthington on its north, south, and east sides, and bordered on the west by the Olentangy River, across which is Columbus. Riverlea was incorporated in 1939, a small community that formed on former farmland. The population was 599 at the 2020 census.

In 2011, Riverlea and Worthington explored the possibility of the annexation of Riverlea to Worthington. Riverlea voters defeated the annexation. (Full article...)
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Ohio Dominican University is a private Dominican university in Columbus, Ohio. In 2024, the university had 1,252 students and offered undergraduate degrees in 42 majors as well as 9 graduate degree programs. (Full article...)
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Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University (formerly the German Theological Seminary of the Ohio Synod; the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary, ELTS; and Trinity Lutheran Seminary) is an Evangelical Lutheran seminary at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. (Full article...)
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Rickenbacker International Airport (IATA: LCK, ICAO: KLCK, FAA LID: LCK) is a civil-military public airport 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Columbus, near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The south end of the airport extends into Pickaway County. The base was named for flying ace and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker. It is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also operates John Glenn Columbus International Airport and Bolton Field. Rickenbacker International is primarily a cargo airport for the city of Columbus, although since 2012 it has served an increasing number of passenger flights as well as charter carriers.

The United States Air Force maintains a presence in the form of the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing. Rickenbacker International is also home of the Ohio Army National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 and the headquarters for the Ohio Military Reserve, one of the state defense forces of Ohio.

In 1999 and 2007, the airport held Gatherings of Mustangs and Legends. Dozens of Mustang airplanes attended each time. The airport also hosted the Columbus Air Show in 2023. (Full article...)
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Smart Columbus is an innovation organization in Columbus, Ohio. The initiative is led by the City of Columbus and the Columbus Partnership, a nonprofit organization for development in Central Ohio. Smart Columbus was founded in 2016 to utilize $50 million in grant awards toward technology, transportation, and environmental developments. (Full article...)
Image 9

Franklinton centered on Broad Street, west of Downtown

Franklinton is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, just west of its downtown. Settled in 1797, Franklinton is the first American settlement in Franklin County, and was the county seat until 1824. As the city of Columbus grew, the city annexed and incorporated the existing settlement in 1859. Franklinton is bordered by the Scioto River on the north and east, Harmon Avenue on the east, Stimmel Road and Greenlawn Avenue on the south, and Interstate 70 on the west. Its main thoroughfare is West Broad Street, one of the city's two main roads.

A portion of the neighborhood is sometimes called The Bottoms because much of the land is subject to flooding from the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and a floodwall is required to contain the rivers and protect the area from floods. The low-lying bottom land was well suited for farming, with the river serving as a direct connection to the Ohio River. The floodwall, completed in 2004, spurred developments in East Franklinton. The projects involved demolition of three public housing projects, displacing its former residents to other areas. The developments are predominantly luxury mixed-use buildings, spurring significant gentrification in the neighborhood. (Full article...)
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The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy merchant sailing vessels known as clippers. The team has played their home games at Huntington Park since 2009. They previously played at Cooper Stadium from 1977 to 2008.

The Clippers were established in 1977 as members of the Triple-A International League. In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Clippers were shifted to the Triple-A East, but this was renamed the IL in 2022. They won seven IL championships during a 28-year affiliation with the New York Yankees (1979–2006). Columbus has won four more IL titles and two Triple-A championships since affiliating with Cleveland in 2009. (Full article...)
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Huntington Center in downtown Columbus

Columbus, Ohio has a generally strong and diverse economy based on education, insurance, banking, fashion, defense, aviation, food, logistics, steel, energy, medical research, health care, hospitality, retail, and technology.

Prominent employers in the Columbus area include numerous schools (e.g., The Ohio State University) and hospitals, hi-tech research and development and information/library companies such as Battelle Memorial Institute, OCLC, and Chemical Abstracts, and retail clothing and restaurant companies (such as Limited Brands and Wendy's). Other large employers include Alliance Data, Nationwide Insurance, JP Morgan Chase, American Electric Power, Huntington Bancshares, Worthington Industries and Cardinal Health, not to mention both state and local government. (Full article...)
Image 12

Interactive map of the neighborhood

The Brewery District, traditionally known as the Old German Brewing District, is a neighborhood located in Columbus, Ohio. Located just south of the central business district and west of German Village, it is bounded by Interstate 70 on the north, South Pearl Street on the east, Greenlawn Avenue on the south, and the Scioto River on the west. (Full article...)
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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. (Full article...)
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The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 charter clubs of the league. The Crew is currently operated by an ownership group led by the Haslam family (also owners of the Cleveland Browns and Pilot Corporation) and former team physician Pete Edwards. The Haslam/Edwards group is the third ownership group in club history.

The franchise was founded in 1994. Its stadium is Lower.com Field, opened in 2021. From 1999 to 2021, the Crew played home games at Historic Crew Stadium (formerly Mapfre Stadium and Columbus Crew Stadium), the first soccer-specific stadium built for an MLS team, with a seating capacity of 19,968 as of the 2015 season. From 1996 to 1998, the Crew played its home games at Ohio Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University. In 2023, the team set club attendance records for both most cumulative attendance and most sellouts.

The Crew have won eight major trophies: the MLS Cup in 2008, 2020 and 2023; the Supporters' Shield in 2004, 2008, and 2009; the 2002 U.S. Open Cup; and the Leagues Cup in 2024. The Crew have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup (or its predecessor, the CONCACAF Champions League) five times, reaching the quarter-finals on every occasion. In 2021, the club won their first continental trophy by winning the Campeones Cup, and in 2024, the Crew advanced to their first Champions' Cup final. (Full article...)
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Office and gallery

The Columbus Historical Society (CHS) is the historical society for Columbus, Ohio, chronicling the city's history. The society office and museum building is located in the Franklinton neighborhood. In 2020, the Columbus Historical Society aims to raise funds to purchase Engine House No. 6 for its first permanent home. (Full article...)
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East Columbus (East Side) is a very large area in Columbus, Ohio. It can be defined as the area bounded by Interstate 70, Interstate 670, and the eastern city limits that stretch miles outside the city outerbelt (Interstate 270). Generally, the East Side is separate from the Near East Side (Near East Side, Columbus, Ohio), with the Near East Side being the area closer to Downtown Columbus. (Full article...)
Image 17

The Gilbert H. Hamilton House

Glen Echo is a neighborhood located in the far northern part of the University District in Columbus, Ohio. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The name Glen Echo refers to Glen Echo Ravine, which runs along the northern edge of the neighborhood. Principal streets in the area are Glen Echo Drive, Summit Street, Glenmawr Avenue, North Fourth Street, Arcadia, Cliffside Drive, and more. One street, Parkview Drive, was platted in the ravine basin, but was later abandoned.

The district originated in 1909 when the Columbus Real Estate and Improvement Company platted 47 acres (19 ha) as "Indianola Park View" for a planned residential subdivision and a part of the Glen Echo Ravine was delineated as a park, the first such donation to the city of Columbus by a real estate developer. The wooded Glen Echo Ravine significantly influenced the original layout, design, and overall character of the district. The neighborhood's developer was also involved with the development of Walhalla Ravine and Eastgate. Prior to its development, the area was considered for a major hospital; however, those plans were abandoned.

A 1909 Ohio State publication described the new north side park as a place of beauty where large oak and elm trees shaded a wading pond, five small lakes connected by a single stream, rustic benches, foot bridges and springs lined with cobblestones. Glen Echo's picturesque environs hosted picnic dinners, equestrians and motorists who enjoyed this oasis of greenery. In 1910 the development was annexed to the City of Columbus and in 1912 Glen Echo Park was dedicated to the city. (Full article...)
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The John W. Bricker Federal Building is a federal office building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The structure was designed in the Brutalist architecture style and was built in 1977 to house federal offices. It has seven stories, and is part of a 454,000 sq ft (42,200 m²) facility, including an eight-story parking garage.

The building is named for John W. Bricker, an Ohio governor and U.S. senator who lived in Columbus. (Full article...)
Image 19

Interactive map highlighting the building's location

The Great Southern Hotel & Theatre is an historic hotel and theater building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The building currently operates as the Westin Great Southern Columbus and the Southern Theatre.

It opened on September 21, 1896 and is the oldest surviving theater in Central Ohio and one of the oldest in the state of Ohio. The Southern Theatre is currently owned and operated as a home for live concerts, plays and opera by CAPA (the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts). CAPA also manages several other venues in Columbus including the Ohio, the Palace, and the Lincoln Theatres.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 1982. It was also included in the South High Commercial Historic District, added to those registers in 1983 and 1987, respectively. (Full article...)
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The Pontifical College Josephinum is a Roman Catholic seminary and private university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 to prepare seminarians for the many German-speaking communities in the United States at that time. The college was granted the status of a Pontifical College in 1892 by Pope Leo XIII, making it the only pontifical seminary in North America. Although the college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS), the HLC placed the institution on probation in 2022 for issues including problems in strategic planning, internal leadership structures, and declining enrollment, while the ATS gave a warning for problems in planning. (Full article...)
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Cherry Creek is a neighborhood on the West Side of Columbus, Ohio. It is a part of Lincoln Village and the Greater Hilltop. It contains the Oakbrook Manor (formally Lincoln Park) apartments and the Westview apartments. It is bounded on the east by Interstate 270, on the north by Sullivant Avenue, on the west by Norton Road, and on the south by Hall Road. It is in the ZIP code 43228. Its official area is West Columbus. The neighborhood is known as being the birthplace of the Westside Foxes where legendary parties took place in the Harlor apartment from 1993-1997. Although they are technically two separate neighborhoods, Cherry Creek and Murray Hill are often considered the same neighborhood. They are only separated by Sullivant Avenue, and many people just consider the two together Cherry Creek. This is reflected by the Columbus Police Department grouping the two together as one neighborhood. (Full article...)
Image 22

Interactive map of the neighborhood

Fifth by Northwest is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. Covering about 700 acres (280 ha), Fifth by Northwest is approximately bound by Glenn Avenue, Wyandotte Road, & Kinnear to the north, Third Avenue to the south, Kenny Road and Olentangy River Road to the east and Northstar Road to the west. Also sometimes referred to as 5XNW or the Tri-Village area, Fifth by Northwest is just north of Grandview Heights, northwest of the Harrison West neighborhood, and west of The Ohio State University. (Full article...)
Image 23

High Street in 2010

Worthington is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus. The population in the 2020 Census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by James Kilbourne, who was later elected to the United States House of Representatives, and named in honor of Thomas Worthington, who later became governor of Ohio. (Full article...)
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DeVry University (/dəˈvraɪ/) is a privately owned for-profit university. DeVry is predominantly an online educator but does have campuses in the United States. It was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. (Full article...)
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Conservatory greenhouses and grounds

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden and conservatory located in Columbus, Ohio. It is open daily and an admission fee is charged. Today, it is a horticultural and educational institution showcasing exotic plant collections, special exhibitions, and Dale Chihuly artworks.

The conservatory contains more than 400 plant species. Biomes representing global climate zones include: Himalayan Mountains, Tropical Rainforest, Desert, and Pacific Island Water Garden. Additional plant collections include a Bonsai Courtyard, Showhouse with seasonal displays, orchids and tropical bonsai collections, and Palm House with more than 40 species of palms. The conservatory is set within the Franklin Park neighborhood, and surrounded by Franklin Park, the 88-acre city park of the same name.

The conservatory was built in 1895 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It was added to the new Columbus Near East Side District in 1978. (Full article...)