West Columbus, sometimes referred to as ''westside'' or the ''West Side'', is a neighborhood in
Columbus,
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 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Unlike other Columbus neighborhoods, it is a broad geographical term used by locals rather than a subdivision or suburb. West Columbus is defined as the entire
southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
side of Columbus, bordered on the north by interstates
70 and
670, within
Interstate 71
Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 in Kentucky, I-64 and ...
on the east, and on the south and west by the city limits that reach several miles to the outside of the
I-270 outerbelt. It covers the ZIP Codes 43223, 43204, 43228, and 43222.
Surrounding areas
There are several large, broad neighborhoods in Columbus: West Columbus,
South Columbus,
East Columbus, the
Near East Side,
Downtown, North Columbus, the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Northwest. Out of all these areas, West Columbus may be the largest, being rivaled with East Columbus and the Northwest.
Attractions
*
Camp Chase Trail
The Camp Chase Trail is a paved multi-use trail in Madison and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It serves as the Southwest Columbus segment of the Ohio to Erie Trail. The entire length of the Camp Chase Trail is part of the Great Ame ...
*
Hollywood Casino Columbus, owned and operated by Penn National Gaming
*
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
*
Camp Chase
Camp Chase was a military staging and training camp established in Columbus, Ohio in May 1861 after the start of the American Civil War. It also included a large Union-operated prison camp for Confederate prisoners during the American Civil War ...
Confederate Cemetery
* Historic
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. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...
* Columbus Rec and Parks: Big Run Park and Athletic Complex, Westgate Park, WestmoorPark, Holton Park, Glenview Park
* The Hilltop Y
* The Hilltop Swim Club
Politics
West Columbus is usually a heated political area because it is and has been a suffering area. Politicians often elect to center certain speeches and topics in West Columbus, especially when the topics are about the economy, poverty, and crime. These problems were highlighted when the
FX television series ''
30 Days'' chose to do an episode on poverty and living on the
minimum wage. They thought that this problem related to West Columbus and they taped the show in The Bottoms, or
Franklinton, on the city's West Side.
Crime
The crime rate in West Columbus has been surging. Out of all the neighborhoods listed in the Surrounding Areas Comparison, West Columbus generally ranks in the top three in all crime categories.
Franklinton, a neighborhood in West Columbus, consistently has the highest rate of crime in Columbus on a yearly basis. Homicides, drug trade, and gang violence are common issues encountered across the area. A common theory for the crime on the west side is the poverty that the residents there live in. It is policed by the
Columbus Division of Police
The Columbus Division of Police (CPD) is the main policing unit for the city of Columbus, Ohio, in the United States. It is the largest police department in the state of Ohio, and among the twenty-five largest in the United States.Based upon the ...
, Precincts 10, 19, and 8. It is also policed by the Franklin Township Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.
Neighborhoods
The following are neighborhoods in West Columbus:
* The Bottoms
* Briggsdale
*
Cherry Creek
*
Franklinton
*
Georgian Heights
* Hardesty Heights
*
Hilltop
*
Murray Hill
*
Riverbend
*
Westgate
* Wilshire Heights
* Moneyback
* Lincoln Village
References
Sources
* J. Testa, The Franklin County Auditor
* The Columbus Dispatch
* The Westside Messenger
* This Week on the West Side
*
mages of America: West Columbus, OhioWBNSNBCNeighborhoodLink
{{Columbus, Ohio
Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio