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About Columbus
Columbus, the largest city in Ohio, is the state capital and the seat of Franklin County. It is located in central Ohio on the Scioto and Olentangy rivers.
As the 15th largest city, Columbus is located within 550 miles of half of the U.S. population and downtown is just 10 minutes from Port Columbus International Airport.
Almanac data is available on Infoplease.
POPULATION AND SIZE
With a population of 730,008 covering more than 210 square miles, Columbus is the largest city in Ohio and the 15th largest city in the United States. Franklin County has a population of 1,068,978 and the eight-county metropolitan area (Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Union and Pickaway) has a combined population of 1,540,157.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
The 2000 U.S. Census revealed the racial breakdown of Columbus as 67.9 percent white, 24.5 percent African- American, 3.4 percent Asian and 2.5 percent Hispanic. Columbus also has the second-largest Somalian population in the United States. People from nearly 100 different countries come to Columbus to receive an education or to live.
LOCATION
Columbus is located in Central Ohio and is conveniently located within 550 miles of half of the population of the United States. Columbus can be found at the intersection of interstates 70 and 71.
CLIMATE
Columbus has four distinct seasons. The average temperatures for the seasons are: Spring (March-May) 50.9; Summer (June-August) 71.6; Fall (September-November) 53.9; and Winter (December-February) 29.3. Average annual rainfall is 37.8 inches. The average annual snowfall is 28 inches per year.
ECONOMY
Columbus is a port of entry and a major commercial, distribution, and cultural center. It is the seat of Ohio State University (1870). The city has enjoyed steady growth over the years due to its economic diversity, and no single activity dominates the economy. Columbus is among the more economically stable metropolitan areas in the United States and is one of just a handful of cities in the northeastern quadrant of the country whose economy and population both grew steadily through the last three decades of the 20th century.
HISTORY
The first structures near the site of downtown Columbus were earthen mounds constructed by Indian tribes known as mound builders. Native Americans lived undisturbed in Central Ohio until the 1700s, when the first white explorers entered the Midwest. The first permanent white settlement in the area was founded by a surveyor from Kentucky, Lucas Sullivant, in 1797 and was named Franklinton.The state capital was laid out nearby in 1812 and named after Christopher Columbus. It became the capital in 1816. Columbus was chartered as a city in 1834 and annexed Franklinton in 1870. The city's growth was stimulated by the development of transportation facilities—a feeder to the Ohio Canal completed in 1832, the National Road in 1833, and the arrival of the railroad in 1850.
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