Portal maintenance status: (October 2021)
|
Introduction
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 seat of government 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 2,138,926 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 1Northwest Columbus is a region in Franklin County, Ohio. It has about 45,000 residents, according to the 2010 U.S. census.
Northwest Columbus is bounded by the Scioto River on the west, the Olentangy River on the east, State Route 161 on the north, and Highland Drive and Henderson Road on the south.
The region includes parts of Perry Township, Sharon Township, the City of Dublin, and the City of Worthington. (Full article...) -
Image 2
Interstate 670 (I-670) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Ohio that passes through Columbus connecting I-70 west of Downtown Columbus with I-270 and U.S. Route 62 (US 62) near the eastern suburb of Gahanna. I-670 provides access to John Glenn Columbus International Airport and intersects State Route 315 (SR 315) and I-71 downtown. The section between SR 315 and I-71 is commonly referred to by locals as the "North Innerbelt"; the rest of the Innerbelt consists of SR 315 (west), I-70 (south), and I-71 (east and south). (Full article...) -
Image 3
The Main Library of the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) system is located in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. The public library is the largest in the library system and holds approximately 300,000 volumes. It includes numerous rooms, including separate spaces for children, teens, an adult reading room, newspaper room, auditorium, gallery, gift shop, and a cafe. The third floor includes a computer lab and houses the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society.
The library building was proposed as early as 1901 when the public used a reading room in Columbus's city hall. In 1903, Andrew Carnegie largely funded its construction, making it a Carnegie library. The library was designed by Albert Randolph Ross in the Beaux-Arts style, using white Vermont marble. The building opened in 1907. It was first expanded in 1953 and 1961, followed by a 1991 addition and the demolition of the two prior structures; the process tripled the building's size. In 2015 and 2016, another renovation took place to increase reader space, add to its west lawn, join the building to Topiary Park at its east, and clad most of the 1991 building in glass. (Full article...) -
Image 4The tallest building by height in the U.S. city of Columbus, Ohio, is the 41-story Rhodes State Office Tower, which rises 629 feet (192 m) and was completed in 1973. The structure is the fifth-tallest completed building in the state, and is also Ohio's tallest building that rises in the center of a city block. The city's second-tallest structure is the LeVeque Tower; this 1927 Art Deco skyscraper was the first building in the state to be built on caisson foundations. Of the 20 tallest buildings in Ohio, nine are located in Columbus.
The history of skyscrapers in Columbus began with the completion in 1901 of 16 East Broad Street, which is regarded as the first high-rise in the city. This structure stands 13 stories and 180 feet (55 m) in height. Columbus went through an early high-rise construction boom in the 1920s, during which time the city saw the completion of the 555-foot (169 m) LeVeque Tower, which stood as the tallest structure in Columbus for 46 years. However, the pace of new high-rise construction then remained slow until 1960; starting in that year, Columbus entered into a large building boom that lasted until 1991. During that time, most of the city's tallest skyscrapers were built, including the Rhodes State Office Tower and the William Green Building. Although no Columbus skyscraper ranks among the tallest in the United States, the city is the site of five skyscrapers at least 492 feet (150 m) high. Based on existing and under-construction buildings over 500 feet (152 m) tall, the skyline of Columbus is tied with Cleveland for first in Ohio, fourth in the Midwest (after Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit) and 19th in the country.[A] As of June 2023, there are 114 completed high-rises in the city. Columbus ranks third in the state in high-rise count after Cleveland and Cincinnati, which have 163 and 169 completed high-rises respectively. (Full article...) -
Image 5
The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one of the 10 charter clubs of the league. The team 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 seven major trophies: the MLS Cup in 2008, 2020 and 2023; the Supporters' Shield in 2004, 2008, and 2009; and the 2002 U.S. Open Cup. 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...) -
Image 6Holly Hill is a neighborhood located in West Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, United States. Holly Hill is a traditional 1960s suburban neighborhood consisting of mostly brick ranch houses and some bi-level houses. The houses range in size from approximately 860 square feet (80 m2) up to 1,500 square feet (140 m2). Holly Hill is located next to Georgian Heights. (Full article...)
-
Image 7
Columbus, Ohio has numerous municipal parks, several regional parks (part of the Metro Parks system), and privately-owned parks. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department operates 370 parks, with a combined 13,500 acres (5,500 ha). (Full article...) -
Image 8
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...) -
Image 9
The Palace Theatre is a 2,695-seat restored movie palace located at 34 W. Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio. It was designed and built in 1926 by the American architect Thomas W. Lamb as part of the American Insurance Union Citadel (now the LeVeque Tower). Today the theater functions as a multi-use performing arts venue. It is owned and operated by The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. The Palace Theater's "house" is considered separate from LeVeque Tower, while the marquee and lobby are part of the LeVeque complex. (Full article...) -
Image 10
Westgate is a community within the Hilltop area of Columbus, Ohio. It was partially constructed on land that formerly housed the American Civil War Camp Chase and a Confederate prison. After the Civil War, the land was purchased by Joseph Binns and his associates with the intent to start a Quaker community. These plans failed to materialize and the land was developed as a "streetcar suburb" in the 1920s. Located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of downtown, the neighborhood is home to Westgate Park and Recreation Center, Westgate Alternative Elementary School, St. Mary Magdalene Church and school, and Parkview United Methodist Church. 4,500 residents live within the Westgate boundaries, most in single family houses.
The Columbus Dispatch named Westgate one of the most affordable neighborhoods in the City of Columbus in October 2008.
Westgate is located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Downtown Columbus and is bounded by W. Broad Street to the north, Wilson rd to the west, Sullivant Avenue to the south, and Hague to the east. (Full article...) -
Image 11
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollment in the United States, with nearly 50,000 undergraduate students and nearly 15,000 graduate students. The university consists of sixteen colleges and offers over 400 degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". the university has an endowment of $7.4 billion. Its athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I as the Ohio State Buckeyes as a member of the Big Ten Conference for the majority of fielded sports.
It is a member of the Association of American Universities. Past and present alumni and faculty include 6 Nobel Prize laureates, 9 Rhodes Scholars, 7 Churchill Scholars, 1 Fields Medalist, 7 Pulitzer Prize winners, 64 Goldwater scholars, 7 U.S. senators, 15 U.S. representatives, 104 Olympic medalists, and 1 foreign head of state. (Full article...) -
Image 12South Columbus also referred to as the "South Side" or the "South End", consists of numerous urban and suburban areas south of Downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. It is part of the native Columbus geographical terminology of the large residential urban communities outside Downtown, including German Village, Schumacher Place, and the Brewery District. South Columbus is defined as the entire southeastern portion of Columbus, bordered by the Scioto River to the west, bounded by Interstate 70 to the north, and includes the southern city limit municipalities beyond the I-270 outerbelt, such as Groveport, Lockbourne, Obetz, and the Rickenbacker International Airport.
The City of Columbus has designated portions of the South Side as a Community Reinvestment Area that is "ready for revitalization", with available 15-year, 100 percent tax abatements for all projects that include 10 percent affordable housing, with options to buy out of the requirement. (Full article...) -
Image 13
There have been 48 individuals that have served as mayor of Columbus, Ohio, serving 53 distinct mayoralties or consecutive terms in office. The first mayor of Columbus was Jarvis W. Pike. He was appointed by the Burough Council of Columbus in 1816. The first mayor of Columbus to be elected by popular vote was John Brooks in 1834. Five mayors have served non-consecutive terms. Philo H. Olmsted is counted as both the 8th and 12th mayor, Alexander Patton as both the 17th and 19th mayor, James G. Bull as both the 22nd and 24th mayor, George J. Karb as both the 30th and 39th mayor, and Jack Sensenbrenner as both the 46th and 48th mayor. Of the individuals appointed or elected as mayor, five have resigned from office - James Robinson, John Brooks, Warren Jenkins, John G. Miller, and Jim Rhodes. No mayor has died or become permanently disabled while in office. The shortest-serving former mayor is James Robinson, who served only eight months before resigning from office on September 11, 1827. The longest-serving mayor is Michael B. Coleman, who served 16 years and is the only African American to serve as mayor. Andrew Ginther is the current mayor. He took office on January 1, 2016. (Full article...) -
Image 14The Columbus Streetcar was a proposed streetcar system to be located in and around Downtown Columbus, Ohio. Initially planned to run along High Street, the line would have run for 2.8 miles (4.5 km) and connected the Ohio State campus with the Franklin County Government Center. As of February 2009, the plan was indefinitely on hold. Discussion took place for a larger scale light rail system which would run along the streetcar route and also connect the northern part of the city to downtown. In 2014, the CBUS free circulator bus began operation on much of the proposed streetcar route. (Full article...)
-
Image 15
Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) is a private art school in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1879 as the Columbus Art School and is one of the oldest private art and design colleges in the United States. Located in downtown Columbus, CCAD's campus consists of 14 buildings (including 2 residence halls) on 9 acres (36,000 m2) and is adjacent to the Columbus Museum of Art. Approximately 1,090 full-time students are enrolled. (Full article...) -
Image 16
Columbus City Schools, formerly known as Columbus Public Schools, is the official school district for the city of Columbus, Ohio, and serves most of the city (portions of the city are served by suburban school districts). The district has 46,686 students enrolled, making it the largest school district in the state of Ohio as of June 2021. At its peak during the 1971 school year the district served 110,725 students.
The first school built in the area which is now part of Columbus was a log cabin school-house built in Franklinton, in 1806. It was not until 1845 that the state of Ohio Legislature entrusted the management of Columbus schools to a Board of Education. Two years later the school board elected Dr. Asa Lord as the district's first superintendent. Dr. Gene T. Harris served as the 19th superintendent of Columbus City Schools and was succeeded by Dr. Dan Good. For most of its history, the district has been referred to as "Columbus Public Schools". In August 2007, the district decided to begin using its official name of "Columbus City Schools." (Full article...) -
Image 17
Brice is a village in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the southeast side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The population was 93 at the 2020 census.
The majority of the village's revenues in 2019 and 2020 were in fines collected with traffic enforcement cameras. Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber characterized the village as a "speed trap" with "no other reason for it to exist." The speed camera program was suspended in 2021. (Full article...) -
Image 18
The architecture of Columbus, Ohio is represented by numerous notable architects' works, individually notable buildings, and a wide range of styles. Yost & Packard, the most prolific architects for much of the city's history, gave the city much of its eclectic and playful designs at a time when architecture tended to be busy and vibrant. (Full article...) -
Image 19The Ohio Aviators are an American rugby union team that played professionally in the short lived PRO Rugby competition. They are based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area, and played their home games at Memorial Park in Obetz, Ohio. They are now playing in the newly formed World Tens Series. (Full article...)
-
Image 20
Woodland Park is a residential neighborhood located in the Near East Side of Columbus, Ohio that houses approximately 1,500 residents. The neighborhood was previously home to such figures as artist Emerson Burkhart, cartoonist Billy Ireland, and judge William Brooks. Established in the early 20th century, Woodland Park has grown from its planned neighborhood roots into a neighborhood that contains various faith communities, schools, sources of entertainment and recreation, and borders an extension of the Ohio State University medical center. (Full article...) -
Image 21
Hilltop is one of the largest neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio, located west of Franklinton and Downtown. The Greater Hilltop area contains newer and historic neighborhoods, schools, various stores, industrial areas, and recreational facilities. The development pattern is considered a distinct suburb. The majority of the area is predominantly single family residential. (Full article...) -
Image 22
The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1950. The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team was renamed the Elite Giants in 1921, and moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1938, where the team remained for the duration of their existence. The team and its fans pronounced the word "Elite" as "ee-light". (Full article...) -
Image 23The Near East Side is a neighborhood located near downtown Columbus, Ohio, made up of several neighborhoods: Mount Vernon, King-Lincoln Bronzeville, Eastgate, Franklin Park, Nelson Park, Olde Towne East, and Woodland Park. (Full article...)
-
Image 24
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, the Ohio buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports. The Ohio State women's ice hockey team competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The school colors are scarlet and gray. The university's mascot is Brutus Buckeye. "THE" is the official trademark of the Ohio State University merchandise. Led by its gridiron program, the Buckeyes have the largest overall sports endowment of any campus in North America.
Ohio State is one of only seven universities to have won an NCAA national championship in baseball and men's basketball, and be recognized as a national champion in football. Ohio State has also won national championships in women's ice hockey, men's swimming & diving, men's outdoor track & field, men's volleyball, men's golf, men's gymnastics, men's fencing, women's rowing, co-ed fencing, co-ed and women's pistol, synchronized swimming, and wrestling. Since the inception of the Athletic Director's Cup, Ohio State has finished in the top 25 each year, including top 6 finishes in three of the last five years. During the 2005–06 school year Ohio State became the first Big Ten team to win conference championships in football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the same season. This feat repeated in the 2006–07 season, which also included a February 25, 2007 men's basketball game which saw the Buckeyes defeat the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten's first basketball game between the number one and number two ranked squads in the nation.
A few of the many outstanding sports figures who were student athletes at Ohio State include Jesse Owens, "The Buckeye Bullet" (track and field), John Havlicek, Jerry Lucas, and Katie Smith (basketball), Frank Howard (baseball), Jack Nicklaus (golf), Archie Griffin (football running back, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner), and Chic Harley (three-time All-American football running back). Hall of Fame coaches at Ohio State have included Paul Brown and Woody Hayes (football), Fred Taylor (men's basketball). Notable sports figures in Ohio State history may be inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame. (Full article...) -
Image 25
The Ohio School for the Deaf is a school located in Columbus, Ohio. It is run by the Ohio Department of Education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students across Ohio. It was established on October 16, 1829, making it the fifth oldest residential school in the country. OSD is the only publicly funded residential school for the deaf in Ohio.
The mission of the Ohio School for the Deaf, an educational facility and resource center on deafness, is:- to provide comprehensive education for Ohio's Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students which encourages independence and lifelong learning to promote social development and cultural awareness
- to prepare students to attain their potential and become contributing members of their communities
- to collaborate with schools and other educational programs serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students and their families to meet the individual needs of each student
- all via a barrier-free communication environment using American Sign Language (ASL) and English.
Need help?
Do you have a question about Columbus, Ohio that you can't find the answer to?
Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk.
Selected images
-
Image 2Dutch Colonial Style residences in Hungarian Village (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 6Taylor House on Bethel Rd. (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 10The city in 1936 (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 121954 urban renewal map of Columbus (from List of demolished buildings and structures in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 13Aerial view of Reeb-Hosack (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 14The Columbus Museum of Art collects and exhibits American and European modern and contemporary art, folk art, glass art, and photography. (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 15Map of the Ohio Country between 1775 and 1794, depicting locations of battles and massacres surrounding the area that would eventually become Ohio (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 16Lou Berliner Sports Park (from List of parks in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 19The LeVeque Tower was the tallest building in Columbus from 1927 to 1973. (from List of tallest buildings in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 20Home in Old Oaks (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 21Map of land surveys and city boundary growth, 1812–1920 (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 22Four of the city's five tallest buildings are around Capitol Square (from List of tallest buildings in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 23COSI (east entrance pictured) features themed, interactive science exhibits. (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 26Hungarian Reform Church, in Hungarian Village (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 27Italian Village rowhouse (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 28Racial distribution in Columbus in 2010: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Other (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 29Columbus in 1936 (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 31Bird's eye view map of Columbus in 1872 (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 34Brewery District Scene (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 372010 Census-based map: red dots indicate white Americans, blue dots for African Americans, green for Asian Americans, orange for Hispanic Americans, yellow for other races. Each dot represents 25 residents. (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 38Homes in German Village (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 39I-71, part of the innerbelt around downtown, bridged by numerous overpasses (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 40Ohio Stadium, on the campus of Ohio State University, is the 5th-largest non-racing stadium in the world. (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 41The historic Lincoln Theatre (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 45Aerial satellite image of Columbus (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 46Bird's eye view map of Columbus in 1872 (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 50Victorian-style homes located along Goodale Park (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 51Locations of numbered streets and avenues (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 54Map of the Ohio Country between 1775 and 1794, depicting locations of battles and massacres surrounding the area that would eventually become the U.S. state of Ohio (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 56Holy Rosary and Saint John Church (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 58The Merion Village arch (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 61Historic Home in Harrison West (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 63St. Mary Magdalene Church in Westgate (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 66The Pontifical College Josephinum (1888-1931) (from List of demolished buildings and structures in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 67Skyline of Columbus (Use cursor to identify buildings) (from List of tallest buildings in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 68Big Run Sports Complex, in Big Run Park (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 69Hilltop signage (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 71The city c. 1924 (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 73Old North Columbus Arch (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 74Eastern side of Olentangy Commons (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 78The Santa Maria Ship & Museum, a Santa María replica, was docked downtown from 1991 to 2014. (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 79The iconic arches of the Short North (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 80Barlouie (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 82Municipal offices, including the Columbus Division of Police Headquarters, in the city's Civic Center (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 84Camp Chase as it stands today, a memorial to fallen soldiers from the American Civil War. (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 85Arcade of the third Union Station, the city's rail station from 1897 to 1977 (from Columbus, Ohio)
-
Image 89Audubon nature center at Scioto Audubon Metro Park, the first built close to a major city's downtown (from Columbus, Ohio)
Subcategories
- Select [►] to view subcategories
Subtopics
City of Columbus, Ohio | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Topics | |||||||
Neighborhoods | |||||||
Enclaves | |||||||
History |
| ||||||
Attractions | |||||||
Government |
| ||||||
Education |
| ||||||
Transportation |
| ||||||
Sports |
| ||||||
Museums |
| ||||||
|
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
- What are portals?
- List of portals
Category:United States portals by city Category:Portals needing placement of incoming links