According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the counties of
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...
,
Fairfield,
Franklin,
Hocking,
Licking,
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
,
Morrow,
Perry,
Pickaway, and
Union. The population of the MSA is 2,078,725 according to 2017 census estimates,
[, Census.gov – "American Factfinder" May 2016.] making the
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
metropolitan area the 32nd most populous in the United States and the second largest in Ohio behind the Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The larger
combined statistical area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...
(the Columbus–Marion–Zanesville, Ohio, combined statistical area) adds the counties of
Fayette,
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
,
Knox,
Logan,
Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
,
Muskingum, and
Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...
. It includes the
Micropolitan Statistical Areas of
Bellefontaine,
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
,
Chillicothe,
Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
,
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...
,
Washington Court House
Washington Court House (often abbreviated as Washington C.H.) is a city in Union Township, Fayette County, Ohio. It is the county seat of Fayette County and is located between Cincinnati and Columbus. The population grew almost 1.5% from 2010 to ...
, and
Zanesville
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capit ...
, due to strong ties with Columbus. The population of the CSA is 2,508,498 according to the 2016 census estimates, 24th largest in the nation and ranking second in Ohio behind the Cleveland Combined Statistical Area.
The area, also known as Central Ohio or Greater Columbus, is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
. It is part of the
Great Lakes Megalopolis, containing an estimated 59 million people.
Economy
The public sector dominates the Central Ohio employment landscape, with the State of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
,
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
, and the
United States Government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...
accounting for an estimated 55,000 to 60,000 employees. When combined with
Columbus City Schools
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 46,6 ...
, the City of
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
, and
Franklin County, the number swells to about 80,000 employees, making government jobs the area's largest employment sector.
The financial sector provides the second largest employment sector in Central Ohio.
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...
is the area's largest financial sector employer, with Columbus-based insurance company
Nationwide Insurance
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies, commonly shortened to Nationwide, is a group of large U.S. insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus, Ohio. The company also operates regional headquarters in Scott ...
a close second. Also headquartered in Columbus is
Huntington Bank
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is an American bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is ranked 521st on the Fortune 500, and is 26th on the list of largest banks in the United States.
The company's banking s ...
, with significant presence by banks such as
KeyBank
KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States.
Key's customer base spans retail, small b ...
,
Fifth Third
Fifth Third Bank (5/3 Bank), the principal subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp is an American bank holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fifth Third is one of the largest consumer banks in the Midwestern United States, Fifth Third B ...
,
PNC Financial Services
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (stylized as PNC) is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 U.S. state, states and the D ...
,
Park National Corporation, and
Commerce National Bank
First Merchants Corporation (Nasdaq: FRME) is a financial holding company in Central Indiana, headquartered in Muncie, Indiana
Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the seat of Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, ...
. Recently,
Alliance Data
Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. is an American publicly traded provider of loyalty and marketing services, such as private label credit cards, coalition loyalty programs, and direct marketing, derived from the capture and analysis of transaction- ...
, a Fortune 500 Company that provides financial services to the financial sector, has moved its headquarters to Columbus. In addition to Nationwide, other insurance-based companies in Central Ohio include Encova, Grange Insurance,
Safe Auto Insurance, and Root Insurance.
The manufacturing sector includes
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
, which operates their largest North American manufacturing complex in the
Marysville area. Also in Marysville is
Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Marysville, Ohio, where O.M. Scott began selling lawn seed in 1868. The company manufactures and sells consumer lawn, garden and pest control products, an ...
, the makers of Miracle-Gro and various other soil and potting fertilizers.
New Albany was selected by
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
for their newest
semiconductor fabrication plant
In the microelectronics industry, a semiconductor fabrication plant (commonly called a fab; sometimes foundry) is a factory where devices such as integrated circuits are manufactured.
Fabs require many expensive devices to function. Estimates ...
, which will open in 2025 and is expected to become "the largest silicon manufacturing location on the planet." Located in downtown Columbus is
AEP, which is one of the largest electric utility companies in the US.
Mettler Toledo
Mettler Toledo () is a multinational manufacturer of scales and analytical instruments. It is the largest provider of weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial, and food retailing applications. The company also provides various ana ...
, a manufacturer of precision scales and scientific equipment, is based in the area known as Polaris.
Worthington Industries
Worthington Industries, Inc. is a global diversified metals manufacturing company based in Columbus, Ohio. It is a steel processor and manufacturer of pressure vessels, such as propane, oxygen and helium tanks, hand torches, refrigerant and indu ...
, a large steel-processing company, is primarily located on the north side of Columbus near Worthington. The
Ashland Inc.
Ashland Global Specialty Chemicals Inc. is an American chemical company which operates in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company traces its roots back to the city of Ashland, Kentucky, where it was headquarter ...
company has a large office space within
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. Homebuilders M/I Homes and Dominion Homes are located in Columbus.
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple glo ...
operates one of their 12 breweries on the north side of Columbus.
Hexion Specialty Chemicals (formerly part of
Borden) is located in downtown Columbus. The Abbott Nutrition Division of
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American multinational medical devices and health care company with headquarters in Abbott Park, Illinois, United States. The company was founded by Chicago physician Wallace Calvin Abbott in 1888 to formulate known dr ...
, makers of Ensure nutritional drink and Similac infant formula, is also headquartered in Columbus.
T. Marzetti Company, the largest food manufacturer headquartered in Central Ohio, is headquartered in
Westerville, and
Wyandot Snacks
Wyandot Snacks is a privately held and family owned American contract manufacturer of snacks and other packaged foods, headquartered in Marion, Ohio, a part of the Columbus, Ohio Combined statistical area. primarily as a contract manufacturer fo ...
operates out of
Marion, Ohio
Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Ohio, Marion County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus.
The population was 35,999 at the 2020 United S ...
.
The retail sector's biggest employer is clothing company
L Brands
Bath & Body Works, Inc. (formerly known as L Brands, Inc., Limited Brands, Inc. and The Limited, Inc.) is an American specialty retail company based in Columbus, Ohio. It owns Bath & Body Works, posted $11.9 billion in revenue in 2021, and wa ...
. Retail brands within the L Brands corporate umbrella include
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...
,
Pink (Victoria's Secret)
Pink (stylized PINK) is a lingerie and apparel line by Victoria's Secret, a former subsidiary of L Brands, targeting younger women than their main line. The target demographic consists of youth from ages 13 to 22. PINK had a regular segment fea ...
,
Bath & Body Works
Bath & Body Works, LLC. is an American retail store chain that sells soaps, lotions, fragrances, and candles. It was founded in 1990 in New Albany, Ohio and has since expanded across 6 continents. In 1997, it was the largest bath shop chain in ...
,
La Senza
La Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer that sells women's lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by Regent which operates and owns La Senza stores in Canada and the United States and uses a franchise mo ...
, and
Henri Bendel
Henri Bendel, Inc. (pronounced BEN-del), established in 1895, was a women's department store based in New York City which in its later history sold women's handbags, jewelry, luxury fashion accessories, home fragrances and gifts. Its New York Ci ...
. Companies that have been spun off from L Brands that are still headquartered in Central Ohio include
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Februar ...
,
Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant Inc. is an American women's apparel and intimates specialty retailer focusing on plus-size clothing. The company began in 1904 with maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein, Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. Lane Bryant, Inc., is ...
, and
Tween Brands
Justice is an online (shopjustice.com) clothing and lifestyle retailer targeting the tween girl market, formerly owned by Tween Brands, Inc. (formerly known as Limited Too, Inc. and Too, Inc.), later by Ascena Retail Group, and currently by Blue ...
, formerly
Limited Too
Limited Too was a clothing and lifestyle retailer, and current brand, targeting the Tween (demographic), tween girl market, formerly owned by Tween Brands, Inc. (formerly known as Limited Too, Inc. and Too, Inc.). Since 2015, the brand has been own ...
. Another apparel and furniture company located in Columbus is
Retail Ventures
Retail Ventures was a holding company originally created in 2003 for DSW (NYSE: DSW), Filene's Basement, and Value City Department Stores. The retailer's initial public offering was in 1991 under the Value City name. Value City went on to purchase ...
. Their operating stores include
DSW,
Filene's Basement
Filene's Basement, also called The Basement, was a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores which was owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. until April 2009 when it was sold to Syms.
The oldest off-price retailer in the United States, Filene's B ...
,
American Signature
American Signature, Inc. is a privately owned furniture company based in Columbus, Ohio. It is the parent company of the retail brands American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture, and the manufacturer brand American Signature.
Ameri ...
, Rooms Today and
Value City
Value City was an American discount department store chain with 113 locations. It was founded in 1917 by Ephraim Schottenstein, a travelling salesman in central Ohio. The store was an off-price retailer that sold clothing, jewelry, and home good ...
. The department store holding company
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. (originally Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American conglomerate holding company. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito ...
was once based in Columbus, and included the
Lazarus department store chain, before being re-branded under the
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
brand name in 2005.
Central Ohio is home to three large
fast food
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...
chains.
Wendy's
Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (1932–2002) on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was the ...
has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, while
White Castle and
Sbarro
Sbarro, LLC is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in New York-style pizza sold by the slice and other Italian-American cuisine. In 2011, the company was ranked 15th in foreign sales among U.S.-based quick-serve and fast-casual comp ...
are located in Columbus. Smaller chains
Charley's Grilled Subs,
City Barbeque
City Barbeque is a fast-casual barbeque chain founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1999 by current CEO Rick Malir. City Barbeque has 46 company-owned restaurants across six states and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.
History
City Barbeque founder R ...
, and
Steak Escape are Columbus-based as well.
Cameron Mitchell Restaurants
Cameron Mitchell Restaurants is a restaurant group headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It owns restaurants under various names, many of which are located in Central Ohio.
The group's Ocean Prime concept opened in Troy, Michigan in June 2008 and ha ...
,
Bob Evans Restaurants
Bob Evans Restaurants, also known as Bob Evans, is an American chain of restaurants owned by Golden Gate Capital based in New Albany, Ohio. After its founding in 1948 by Bob Evans (1918–2007), the restaurant chain evolved into a company with t ...
,
Max & Erma's, Damon's Grill and
Donatos Pizza
Donatos Pizza is a pizza delivery restaurant franchisor headquartered in Gahanna, Ohio, Gahanna, Ohio, United States. It has nearly 200 locations in eleven states, with the majority of locations in Ohio. Donatos is also served at several venue ...
are also based in the city.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (, ), often known simply as Chipotle, is an American chain of fast casual restaurants specializing in bowls, tacos and Mission burritos made to order in front of the customer. Chipotle operates restaurants in the Unit ...
has a corporate office with over 250 employees in the city's arena district.
In the health care sector is
Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health, Inc. is an American multinational health care services company, and the 14th highest revenue generating company in the United States. Its headquarters are in Dublin, Ohio and Dublin, Ireland (EMEA). The company specializes in th ...
, which is the highest-ranked Ohio-based company on the
Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
list, and has its headquarters along
I-270 I-270 may refer to:
* Interstate 270 (disambiguation), one of several highways
* Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 (Design Ж ("Zh") under Mikoyan-Gurevich's in-house designation sequence, USAF/DoD designation: Type 12) was a ...
in Dublin. Also in the health services sector is
OhioHealth
OhioHealth is a not-for-profit system of hospitals and healthcare providers located in Columbus, Ohio and surrounding areas. The system consists of 12 hospitals, 200+ ambulatory sites, hospice, home health, medical equipment and other health serv ...
, which is a leading
HMO
In the United States, a health maintenance organization (HMO) is a medical insurance group that provides health services for a fixed annual fee. It is an organization that provides or arranges managed care for health insurance, self-funded heal ...
.
Central Ohio has a well-established tech sector as well. The
Online Computer Library Center
OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...
(owner of the
Dewey Decimal System) is located across from Cardinal on the other side I-270.
Microcenter, a retailer of computers and other electronic equipment, was started in
Upper Arlington
Upper Arlington, often known by its initials U.A., is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Old Arlington neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ...
and is now based in
Hilliard. A number of science-based companies also reside in Columbus, including
Chemical Abstracts
CAS (formerly Chemical Abstracts Service) is a division of the American Chemical Society. It is a source of chemical information. CAS is located in Columbus, Ohio, United States.
Print periodicals
''Chemical Abstracts'' is a periodical index tha ...
and the
Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute (more widely known as simply Battelle) is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation u ...
R&D company.
CompuServe
CompuServe (CompuServe Information Service, also known by its initialism CIS) was an American online service provider, the first major commercial one in the world – described in 1994 as "the oldest of the Big Three information services (the oth ...
was an independent firm headquartered and operated within Columbus before being acquired by
WorldCom
MCI, Inc. (subsequently Worldcom and MCI WorldCom) was a telecommunications company. For a time, it was the second largest long-distance telephone company in the United States, after AT&T. Worldcom grew largely by acquiring other telecommunic ...
and
AOL
AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo (2017 ...
.
Sterling Commerce (acquired by
IBM in 2010) was headquartered near Dublin, adjacent to a large
Qwest
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western and midwestern U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dako ...
(now
CenturyLink
Lumen Technologies, Inc. (formerly CenturyLink) is an American
telecommunications company headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, that offers communications, network services, security, cloud solutions, voice, and managed services. The company is ...
) facility. Also in Dublin is the regional office of
Quest Software
Quest Software, also known as Quest, is a privately held software company headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, United States. Quest provides cloud management, software as a service, security, workforce mobility, and backup & recovery. The c ...
(formerly a part of
Dell
Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies.
Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...
).
Columbus also has a booming start-up culture.
[, Forbes.com – "In Pictures: America's Biggest Brain Magnets" Feb. 2011.] There are several business incubators and multiple resources available to help Central Ohio's small business community thrive.
[, Link to list of local small business incubators at CentralOhioEntrepreneurs.org] There is also a yearly Startup Weekend workshop.
[, link to Startup Weekend website] In 2011, a start up founded by two locals gave Central Ohio its own social networking website, Cbusr.com.
[Dispatch – Real-life Chat Room](_blank)
, Published 7/4/2012 Cbusr attracts more than 35,000 active monthly users ranging from entrepreneurs and creative professionals to musicians who meet online and connect offline at events.
Transportation
Grid and address system
The metro area's street plan originates downtown and extends into the old-growth neighborhoods, following a
grid pattern
In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid.
Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogo ...
with the intersection of
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
(running north–south) and Broad Street (running east–west) at its center. North–south streets run 12 degrees west of due north, parallel to High Street; the avenues (vis. Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, Seventh Avenue, and so on.) run east–west. The address system begins its numbering at the intersection of Broad and High, with numbers increasing in magnitude with distance from Broad or High. Numbered Avenues begin with First Avenue, about north of Broad Street, and increase in number as one progresses northward. Numbered streets begin with Second Street, which is two blocks west of High Street, and Third Street, which is a block east of High Street, then progress eastward from there. Even-numbered addresses are on the north and east sides of streets, putting odd addresses on the south and west sides of streets. A difference of 700 house numbers means a distance of about (along the same street).
For example, 351 W 5th Avenue is approximately west of High Street on the south side of Fifth Avenue. Buildings along north–south streets are numbered in a similar manner: the building number indicates the approximate distance from Broad Street, the prefixes 'N' and 'S' indicate whether that distance is to measured to the north or south of Broad Street, and the street number itself indicates how far the street is from the center of the city at the intersection of Broad and High.
This street numbering system does not hold true over a large area. The area served by numbered avenues runs from about Marble Cliff to South Linden to the Airport, and the area served by numbered Streets covers Downtown and nearby neighborhoods to the east and south, with only a few exceptions. There are quite few intersections between numbered Streets and Avenues. Furthermore, named streets and avenues can have any orientation. For example, while all of the numbered avenues run east–west, perpendicular to High Street, many named, non-numbered avenues run north–south, parallel to High. The same is true of many named streets: while the numbered streets in the city run north–south, perpendicular to Broad Street, many named, non-numbered streets run east–west, perpendicular to High Street.
Highways
Columbus is bisected by two major
Interstate Highways
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
,
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 in ...
running east–west, and
Interstate 71
Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-64 and I-65 (the Kennedy Interchange) in Louisville, ...
running north to roughly southwest. The two Interstates combine downtown for about in an area locally known as "The Split", which is a major
traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...
point within Columbus, especially during
rush hour
A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...
.
U.S. Route 40, originally known as the
National Road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the Federal Government of the United States, federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Pot ...
, runs east–west through Columbus, comprising Main Street to the east of downtown and Broad Street to the west.
U.S. Route 23
}
U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south U.S. Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has sinc ...
runs roughly north–south, while
U.S. Route 33
U.S. Route 33 (US 33) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs northwest–southeast for from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S. routes are north– ...
runs northwest-to-southeast. The
Interstate 270 Outerbelt encircles the vast majority of the city, while the newly redesigned Innerbelt consists of the
Interstate 670 spur on the north side (which continues to the east past the airport and to the west where it merges with I-70),
State Route 315 on the west side, the I-70/71 split on the south side, and I-71 on the east. Due to its central location within Ohio and abundance of outbound roadways, nearly all of the state's destinations are within a 2- or 3-hour drive of Columbus.
Bridges
The Columbus riverfront hosts a few notable bridges which have been built since 2000. The
Main Street Bridge opened on July 30, 2010 and is the first bridge of its kind in North America. The bridge is located directly south of COSI on the Scioto river, featuring three lanes of traffic (one westbound and two eastbound) and another separated lane for pedestrians and bikes. The
Rich Street Bridge
The Rich Street Bridge is a bridge in Columbus, Ohio, United States, spanning the Scioto River and connecting downtown's Rich Street to Franklinton's Town Street. It carries U.S. Route 62 (US 62) and Ohio State Route 3 (SR 3). ...
opened in July 2012 and is adjacent to the Main Street Bridge connecting Rich Street on the east side of the river with Town Street on the west. The
Lane Avenue Bridge
The Lane Avenue Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Olentangy River in the American city of Columbus, Ohio. Designed by Jones-Stuckey Ltd., the construction was completed on November 14, 2003, after only sixteen months, five months ahead o ...
is a
cable-stayed bridge
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern o ...
that opened on November 14, 2003 in the University District and spans the Olentangy river with three lanes of traffic each way.
Airports
![John Glenn International Airport Departure level](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/John_Glenn_International_Airport_Departure_level.jpg)
The metro area's primary airport,
John Glenn Columbus International Airport
John Glenn Columbus International Airport is an international airport located east of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as Port Columbus International Airport, it is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also ove ...
, is located on the east side of the city of Columbus, with several smaller airports in the region as well. John Glenn Columbus International provides service to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and
Cancun, Mexico (on a seasonal basis), as well as to most domestic destinations, including all the major hubs.
Northern California
Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...
is serviced by flights to and from
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
, and
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
flights go to and from
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
.
John Glenn Columbus International Airport continues to be a home to
NetJets
NetJets Inc. is an American company that sells fractional ownership shares in private business jets.
Founded as Executive Jet Airways in 1964, it was later renamed Executive Jet Aviation. NetJets became the first private business jet chart ...
, the world's largest
fractional ownership
Fractional ownership is a method in which several unrelated parties can share in, and mitigate the risk of, ownership of a high-value tangible asset, usually a jet, yacht or piece of resort real estate. It can be done for strictly monetary reason ...
air carrier. According to a 2005 market survey, Port Columbus International Airport attracts about 50% of its passengers from outside its radius primary service region. Port Columbus is currently the 50th-busiest airport in the United States by total passenger boardings.
The second major airport in the metro area is
Rickenbacker International Airport
Rickenbacker International Airport is a civil-military public airport 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 name ...
, located in southern Franklin County. It is a major cargo facility and is utilized by the Ohio
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
.
Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air (usually shortened to Allegiant) is an ultra low-cost U.S. carrier that operates scheduled and charter flights. It is a major air carrier, the fourteenth-largest commercial airline in North America.
Allegiant was founded in 1 ...
offers nonstop service from Rickenbacker to various
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
destinations and seasonally to other cities such as Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, and Savannah GA.
Ohio State University Don Scott Airport and
Bolton Field are significant general-aviation facilities in the Columbus area.
Mass transit
Columbus maintains a widespread municipal bus service called the
Central Ohio Transit Authority
The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA ) is a public transit agency serving the Columbus metropolitan area, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It operates fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services.
COTA's hea ...
(COTA). Intercity bus service is provided from the
Columbus Bus Station and other locations by
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
,
Barons Bus Lines
Barons Bus Lines is an intercity bus company operating in the United States. It serves passengers in the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Barons Bus operates GoBus, a federally funded b ...
, Miller Transportation,
GoBus, and other carriers.
Currently, Columbus does not have any type of passenger rail service.
Columbus used to have a major train station downtown called
Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
, most notably as a stop along
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's
National Limited
The ''National Limited'' was the premier train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) on its route between Jersey City, New Jersey and St. Louis, Missouri, with major station stops in Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio. (Buses took passen ...
train service until 1977. The station itself was razed in 1979, and the
Greater Columbus Convention Center
The Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) is a convention center located in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States, along the east side of North High Street.
The convention center was predominantly designed by Peter Eisenman, constructed ...
now stands in its place. The station was also a stop along the
Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad
The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad (CC&C) was a railroad that ran from Cleveland to Columbus in the U.S. state of Ohio in the United States. Chartered in 1836, it was moribund for the first 10 years of its existence. Its charter was ...
and the
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route (Panhandle Route in later days), was a railroad that was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line, whic ...
. Columbus is now the
largest metropolitan area in the U.S. without either a local rail or intercity rail connection (Phoenix opened a
light-rail system in 2008, but still lacks an
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
connection), however studies are underway towards reintroducing passenger rail service to Columbus via the
Ohio Hub project. Plans are in the works to open a high-speed rail service connecting Columbus with Cincinnati and to the proposed hub in Cleveland which offers rail service to the East Coast, including New York and Washington, DC.
Bicycle
Cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
as transportation is steadily increasing in Columbus with its relatively flat terrain, intact urban neighborhoods, large student population, and off-road bike paths. The city has put forth th
2012 Bicentennial Bikeways Planas well as a move toward a Complete Streets policy. Grassroots efforts such as Bike To Work Week, Consider Biking, Yay Bikes, Third Hand Bicycle Co-op, Franklinton Cycleworks, and ''Cranksters'', a local radio program focused on urban cycling, have contributed to cycling as transportation.
Columbus also hosts
urban cycling
Utility cycling encompasses any cycling done simply as a means of transport rather than as a sport or leisure activity. It is the original and most common type of cycling in the world. Cycling mobility is one of the various types of private t ...
"off-shots" with messenger-style "alleycat" races as well as unorganized group rides, a monthly
Critical Mass
In nuclear engineering, a critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties (specifically, its nuclear fissi ...
ride,
bicycle polo
Cycle polo, bicycle polo, or bike polo (''polo-vélo'' in French; ''Radpolo'' in German) is a team sport, similar to traditional polo, except that bicycles are used instead of horses. There are two versions of the sport: grass and Hardcourt B ...
, art showings, movie nights, and a variety of
bicycle-friendly
Bicycle-friendly policies and practices help some people feel more comfortable about traveling by bicycle with other traffic. The level of bicycle-friendliness of an environment can be influenced by many factors including town planning and cyclin ...
businesses and events throughout the year. All this activity occurs despite Columbus's frequently inclement weather.
The new
Main Street Bridge features a dedicated bike and pedestrian lane separated from traffic, as does the Rich Street Bridge.
The city has its own
public bicycle system.
CoGo Bike Share has a network of about 600 bicycles and 80 docking stations.
PBSC Urban Solutions
PBSC Urban Solutions, formerly the Public Bike System Company, is an international bicycle-sharing system equipment vendor with their headquarters based in Longueuil, Quebec. The company develops bicycle-sharing systems, equipment, parts, and s ...
, a company based in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, supplies technology and equipment.
Education in Columbus
Numerous K–12 school districts are found in the area. There are wide differences in setup, with some districts being mostly rural and having a small enrollment, while others are urban and have large enrollments.
Dozens of institutions of higher education can be found in the area, the largest of which is
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
in
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
. Three of the prestigious
Five Colleges of Ohio
The Five Colleges of Ohio, Inc. is an American academic and administrative consortium of five private liberal arts colleges in the state of Ohio. It is a nonprofit educational consortium established in 1995 to promote the broad educational and ...
are located in the metro. They include
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...
, located in Delaware,
Denison University
Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...
, in
Granville (near
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
) and
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...
in
Gambier. Other schools include
Otterbein University
Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio. It offers 74 majors and 44 minors as well as eight graduate programs. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Bre ...
in
Westerville,
OSU Newark
The Ohio State University at Newark is a satellite campus of Ohio State University in Newark, Ohio
Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the ...
(a branch campus of
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
),
Central Ohio Technical College
Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) is a Public college, public technical college in Newark, Ohio, with extended campuses in Pataskala, Ohio, Pataskala, Knox County, Ohio, Knox, and Coshocton County, Ohio, Coshocton. Founded in 1971, COTC shares ...
(also in Newark),
OU Lancaster (a branch campus of Ohio University),
Capital University
Capital University (Capital, Cap, or CU) is a private university in Bexley, Ohio. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830, and later was associated with that synod's successor, the Ame ...
in
Bexley
Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Char ...
,
Franklin University
Franklin University is a private university with its main campus in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1902 to serve the needs of adult students. On-site courses are offered at the university's campus in Columbus' Discovery District. However, mos ...
,
Columbus State Community College
Columbus State Community College (CSCC) is a public community college in Columbus, Ohio. Founded as Columbus Area Technician's School in 1963, it was renamed Columbus Technical Institute in 1965 and was renamed again to its current name in 19 ...
, the
Pontifical College Josephinum, the
Methodist Theological School in Delaware,
Ohio Dominican University
Ohio Dominican University is a private Dominican liberal arts university in Columbus, Ohio. The university has approximately 1,700 students and offers undergraduate degrees in 40 majors as well as nine graduate degree programs.
History
The Co ...
,
Columbus College of Art & Design
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, CCA ...
, and
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) is a private Christian university in Mount Vernon, Ohio, with satellite locations in the surrounding area. It was founded in 1968 by the Church of the Nazarene and offers a variety of Bachelor's and Master ...
.
Culture
Museums
Numerous museums are located throughout the metropolis.
COSI
Cosi, COSI or CoSi may refer to:
* ''Così'', a 1992 play by Louis Nowra
** ''Cosi'' (film), 1996, based on the play
* Così (restaurant), an American fast-casual restaurant chain
* Compton Spectrometer and Imager, or COSI, a NASA telescope to be ...
features has exhibits, demonstrations, IMAX films, and activities. The Columbus Museum of Art houses a collection of art and hosts many interesting exhibits throughout the year.
Perkins Observatory
Perkins Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Delaware, Ohio. It is owned and operated by Ohio Wesleyan University.
In 1931 it had the third largest telescope in the World; the 69 inch aperture Perkins telescope came online at this obser ...
is located just south of Delaware. The observatory hosts public programs, and serves as the home for the Columbus Astronomical Society. The
Ohio Railway Museum
The Ohio Railway Museum is a railway museum that was founded in 1948. It is located in Worthington, Ohio, near Columbus, Ohio.
History
Established in 1948 and incorporated August 22, 1950, it is one of the oldest organization involved with ...
, located in Worthington, features a large collection of both static and operational railway equipment. In Hilliard, a unique museum exists in the form of the
Early Television Museum
The Early Television Museum is a museum of early television receiver sets. It is located in Hilliard, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.
The museum has over 150 TV sets including mechanical TVs from the 1920s and 1930s; pre-World War II British set ...
. This attraction features a large collection of TVs from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. The Bruce Lee Legends of Martial Art Hall of Fame Museum is located in
Reynoldsburg.
Pickerington is the site of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. Also in the area is the Mid-Ohio Historical Museum, located in
Canal Winchester. Collections found here include thousands of antique and modern children's toys, a train display, and a miniature circus. Historical memorabilia can be found at the Motts Military Museum, located in
Groveport.
Performing arts
Columbus is the home of many renowned performing arts institutions, including Opera Columbus, BalletMet, the
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Columbus, Ohio. The oldest performing arts organization in the city, its home is the Ohio Theatre. The orchestra's current Executive Director is Denise Rehg. Ross ...
, the Contemporary American Theatre Company (CATCo), Shadowbox Cabaret and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Throughout the summer, the Actors' Theatre offers free performances of
Shakespearean
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
plays in an open-air
amphitheatre
An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
located in
German Village
German Village is a historic neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, just south of the city's downtown. It was settled in the early-to-mid-19th century by a large number of German immigrants, who at one time comprised as much as a third of the city's ...
.
There are numerous large concert venues in Columbus, including arenas such as
Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Since completion in 2000, the arena has served as the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is one of two facilities in Columbus, alon ...
,
Value City Arena
Value City Arena is a multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1998 and is currently the largest by seating capacity in the Big Ten Conference, with 19,049 seats, wh ...
, and
Mapfre Stadium
Historic Crew Stadium, previously known as Columbus Crew Stadium and Mapfre Stadium, is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It primarily served as the home stadium of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer from 1999 u ...
. Kemba Live (formerly known as Express Live; The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion; and the PromoWest Pavilion), and the
Newport Music Hall
Newport Music Hall is a music venue located in the University District of Columbus, Ohio, across the street from the Ohio Union of the Ohio State University. It is "America's Longest Continually Running Rock Club".
History
Newport Music Hall op ...
, round out the city's music performance spaces. In 2006, funding was allocated to renovate and reopen the
Lincoln Theatre, which was formerly a center for Black culture in Columbus. Not far from the Lincoln Theatre is the King Arts Complex, which hosts various cultural events. The city also has a number of theatres downtown, including the historic
Palace Theatre, the
Ohio Theatre, the Southern Theatre, and the Riffe Center which houses The Capitol Theatre as well as two studio theatres. Most area theaters including the Ohio, Palace, Southern, Riffe, Lincoln, Drexel, McCoy Center for the Arts, and Hinson Amphitheater are owned and operated or managed by the
Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, a nonprofit formed in 1969 to save the Ohio Theatre from demolition. Much of the growth in entertainment capacity in Columbus has been recent. The construction of the Crew Stadium, Nationwide Arena, Value City Arena, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion are all projects completed since 1990.
Fairs and festivals
Events taking place within the Greater Columbus area include the
Ohio State Fair
The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the United States, held in Columbus, Ohio during late July through early August. As estimated in a 2011 economic impact study conducted by Saperstein & Associates; the State Fair contributes ...
, one of the largest state fairs in the United States, as well as the
Little Brown Jug, a world-famous harness racing event taking place in Delaware. Comfest (officially The Community Festival) is arguably the largest free, non-corporate urban music and arts festival in the United States featuring 6 stages of music over 3 days in downtown's Goodale Park and has occurred annually in late June since 1972. Each year, Dublin hosts the
Dublin Irish Festival
The Dublin Irish Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held in Dublin, Ohio. It takes place during the first weekend of August, attracting over 100,000 visitors to eight entertainment stages on in and beyond Coffman Park. Activities i ...
, which attracts tens of thousands of people for a weekend of Irish food, music, and dance.
Upper Arlington
Upper Arlington, often known by its initials U.A., is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Old Arlington neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ...
hosts its own arts festival annually on Labor Day, taking up a large portion of Northam Park. The
Franklin County Fair is held annually in Hilliard.
The Columbus Arts Festival is a huge arts festival held each summer that attracts well-known and talented artists from all around the country. The fair features hundreds of artists of all types, several stages with musical performances, art-related activities for children, and traditional fair food as well as food from area restaurants.
Columbus also hosts a Latino Festival, Jazz & Rib Festival, International Festival, Asian Festival, and a citywide Fourth of July celebration (Red, White & Boom).
Located southeast of Columbus,
Lancaster is host to the annual Lancaster Festival, a 10-day celebration of music and the art. The Festival has its own orchestra and draws visitors from all over the region.
Nearby
Circleville is home to the annual Circleville Pumpkin Show. This is known as Ohio's largest festival for drawing in an average 100,000 people per day to the community of less than 15,000 residents.
Marion annually hosts its
Popcorn Festival in early September, said to be the largest of its kind in the world.
Sports
Sports teams
Columbus is home to one of the four major league professional sports teams (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL). The NHL's
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
call downtown's
Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Since completion in 2000, the arena has served as the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is one of two facilities in Columbus, alon ...
home. The region is also home to a soccer team, the
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, 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 ...
, who play in
Lower.com Field
Lower.com Field is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It serves primarily as the home stadium of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer, replacing the club's previous home, Historic Crew Stadium. The new stadium cost $ ...
in downtown Columbus.
The Columbus area hosts several minor league teams and semi-professional teams. The
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...
, which are the
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...
Triple-A minor league baseball team, play at
Huntington Park
Huntington Park is a city in the Gateway Cities district of southeastern Los Angeles County, California.
As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 58,114, of whom 97% are Hispanic/Latino and about half were born outside th ...
, which opened in early 2009.
Two semi-professional football teams compete locally: the
Columbus Comets
The Columbus Comets are a women's professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. They play in the Women's Football Alliance. The Comets played in the National Women's Football Association from their inception in 2003 until 2008 ( ...
of the Women's Professional Football League and the Ohio Swarm of the Mid Continental Football League. Both teams play in Dublin at Coffman High School. Columbus is also the home of
Columbus Eagles FC
Columbus Eagles Football Club is a women's soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Eagles have been a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) since the club's inception in 2014. The team plays its home matches at Historic Crew Stadiu ...
, a women's soccer team who play in Bernlohr Stadium at
Capital University
Capital University (Capital, Cap, or CU) is a private university in Bexley, Ohio. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830, and later was associated with that synod's successor, the Ame ...
.
College sports
The
Ohio State Buckeyes
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 ...
dominate the sports landscape, with TV's tuned into Buckeye football and men's basketball games during their seasons. Other OSU sports also have a dedicated following, such as OSU baseball, women's basketball, and men's hockey, but football and basketball remain the longtime stalwarts of the Central Ohio sports mindset.
Other sports
Since 1976,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
has been the site of the
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...
's
Memorial Tournament
The Memorial Tournament is a PGA Tour golf tournament founded in 1976 by Jack Nicklaus. It is played on a Nicklaus-designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. The golf course passes through a large n ...
at the
Muirfield Village
Muirfield Village is an “upscale” golf-oriented community in the central United States, located in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus.
Origins
Founded by Jack Nicklaus, it is named after Muirfield, Scotland, where he won the first of h ...
golf course, designed by
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...
. In 1987, the course hosted the
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...
; in 1998 it hosted the
Solheim Cup
The Solheim Cup is a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by teams representing Europe and the United States. It is named after the Norwegian-American golf club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was a driving force beh ...
; and in 2013, it hosted the
Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably ...
. The
LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...
's
Wendy's Championship for Children
The Wendy's Championship for Children was an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour from 1999 through 2006 in the Columbus, Ohio area. The tournament was played at the New Albany Country Club in New Albany, Ohio fr ...
was held in Columbus from 1999–2006.
Rahal Letterman Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that has participated in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana and Hilliard, Ohio, it is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 win ...
has a home in Hilliard and races in the
Indy Racing League
The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...
. Intersport Racing is located in Dublin and races in the
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The American Le Mans' hea ...
. TruSports, owners of the
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regio ...
, is found in Dublin as well.
In addition to spectator sports, Columbus has a thriving participant sports spectrum as well. There are approximately 300 golf courses within the Central Ohio area, which is one of the highest ratios of golf courses per capita for a major metropolitan area. There are many on-road and off-road bike trails in the area, with the area being part of the statewide-connected system known as the
Ohio to Erie Trail
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a dedicated multi-use trail for non-motorized vehicles that traverses the U.S. state of Ohio, from southwest to northeast, crossing of regional parks, nature preserves, and rural woodland. Construction began in 1991, wi ...
.
Skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
facilities exist at
Mad River Mountain
Mad River Mountain is a ski and snowboard resort in Valley Hi, Ohio, United States. The elevation of Mad River Mountain is with a vertical drop of , and it has a ski season that runs from approximately mid-December through mid-March. The resor ...
in
Bellefontaine, Ohio
Bellefontaine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Ohio, United States, located 48 miles (77 km) northwest of Columbus. The population was 13,370 at the 2010 Census. It is the principal city of the Bellefontaine, OH Micropo ...
, about 40 miles northwest of Dublin, and at Snow Trails near
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The city ...
. Organized baseball and softball leagues are regularly played at Berliner Park in South Columbus, as well as at local fields throughout the area. The
Columbus Marathon and
Race for the Cure
Susan G. Komen (formerly known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure; originally as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation; often simply as Komen) is a breast cancer organization in the United States.
Komen focuses on patient navigation and advo ...
5K events are held annually in downtown Columbus as well.
The Columbus area is also home to the high school rugby state championships, which features both a boys and girls competition. The 2012 championships drew over 1,500 spectators, and the 2013 championships were broadcast on Time Warner Cable.
Parks and recreation
In addition to numerous city parks, the
Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks
The Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks are a group of 19 regional park, metropolitan parks in and around Columbus, Ohio. They are officially organized into the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District. The Metro Parks system ...
operate 14 large parks mostly focused on preserving and protecting the natural environment. There are many State Parks with unique natural features, including Blackhand Gorge, Clifton Gorge,
Alum Creek,
Hocking Hills State Park
Hocking Hills State Park is a state park in the Hocking Hills region of Hocking County, Ohio, United States. In some areas the park adjoins the Hocking State Forest. Within the park are over of hiking trails, rock formations, waterfalls, and ...
, and
Rockbridge State Nature Preserve
Rockbridge State Nature Preserve is a nature reserve featuring a natural bridge located in the unincorporated community of Rockbridge in Hocking County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Hocking Hills region, but the sandstone that forms ...
. The
Hocking Hills
The Hocking Hills is a deeply dissected area of the Allegheny Plateau in Ohio, primarily in Hocking County, that features cliffs, gorges, rock shelters, and waterfalls. The relatively extreme topography in this area is due to the Blackhand Sand ...
region also includes parts of the
Wayne National Forest
The Wayne National Forest is located in the south-eastern part of the US state of Ohio, in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It is the only national forest in Ohio. Forest headquarters are located between The Plains and Nelsonville, Ohio, on ...
, which makes for good
Leaf peeping in the autumn. The Columbus suburb
Westerville's Parks and Recreation department has won the National Gold Medal for outstanding parks and recreation in its last two years of eligibility (2001 and 2007).
Full News
Population
Main cities
; Delaware County
* Columbus (partial)
* Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
* Dublin (partial)
* Powell
* Westerville (partial)
; Fairfield County
* Columbus (partial)
* Canal Winchester (partial)
* Lancaster
* Pickerington (partial)
* Reynoldsburg (partial)
; Franklin County
* Columbus (partial)
* Bexley
Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Char ...
* Canal Winchester (partial)
* Dublin (partial)
* Gahanna
* Grandview Heights
* Grove City
* Groveport
* Hilliard
* New Albany (partial)
* Pickerington (partial)
* Reynoldsburg (partial)
* Upper Arlington
Upper Arlington, often known by its initials U.A., is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Old Arlington neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ...
* Westerville (partial)
* Whitehall
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...
* Worthington
Worthington may refer to:
People
* Worthington (surname)
* Worthington family, a British noble family
Businesses
* Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington's
* Worthington Corporation, founded as a pump manufacturer in 1845, later a dive ...
; Hocking County
* Logan
; Licking County
* Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
* Heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...
* Pataskala
* Reynoldsburg (partial)
; Madison County
* London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
; Marion County
* Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
; Perry County
* New Lexington
; Pickaway County
* Circleville
; Union County
* Dublin (partial)
* Marysville
See also
* Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) is the metropolitan planning organization for Central Ohio, including the state capitol, Columbus.
MORPC covers Franklin, Fairfield, Perry, Hocking, Logan, Union, Delaware, Morrow, and Kno ...
References
External links
Columbus Area Economic Development
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Metropolitan areas of Ohio