Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Infrastructure

Government

See also: List of Mayors of Columbus, Ohio

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Education

Columbus is the home of The Ohio State University, which has the distinction of being the largest single campus in the United States, with a total enrollment of 50,995 (according to the OSU Office of University Relations). Other institutions located in Columbus and its metro area include Columbus State Community College, Franklin University, Ohio Dominican University, the Columbus College of Art and Design, Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Capital University in Bexley, Otterbein College in Westerville, and DeVry University.

Related Topics:
Ohio State University - Columbus State Community College - Franklin University - Ohio Dominican University - Columbus College of Art and Design - Ohio Wesleyan University - Capital University - Otterbein College - DeVry University

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Columbus is noted for a couple of important "firsts" in American public education. The first kindergarten was established here by Louisa Frankenberg, a former student of Friedrich Fröbel who immigrated to the city in 1838. In addition, Indianola Junior High School became the nation's first middle school in 1909, helping to bridge the difficult transition from elementary to high school at a time when only forty-eight percent of students continued their education after the 9th grade.

Related Topics:
Kindergarten - Friedrich Fröbel - Middle school

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Columbus Public Schools dominates the K-12 primary school landscape, and each of the suburbs operates a fairly large district as well, sometimes across overlapping municipal boundaries. CPS offers many alternative schools, such as Columbus Alternative High School, Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School, and Ecole Kenwood. Notable private schools within Columbus include the Columbus Academy, Columbus School for Girls, Bishop Watterson High School, Bishop Hartley High School, Bishop Ready High School, DeSales High School, Worthington Christian High School, Saint Charles Preparatory School, The Wellington School, and Learning Unlimited Village Academy located in Powell.

Related Topics:
Columbus Academy - Worthington Christian High School - Saint Charles Preparatory School

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Transportation

Columbus is bisected by two major Interstate highways, Interstate 70 running east-west, and Interstate 71 running north to roughly southwest. The two Interstates combine downtown for about 1.5 miles in an area locally known as "The Split", which is a major traffic congestion point within Columbus, especially during rush hour. U.S. Highway 40, aka National Road, runs east-west through Columbus, comprising Main Street to the east of downtown and Broad Street to the west. It is also widely recognized as the nation's first highway. U.S. Highway 23 runs roughly north-south, while U.S. Highway 33 runs northwest-to-southeast. The Interstate 270 Outerbelt encircles the vast majority of Columbus and its suburbs, 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-hour drive of Columbus.

Related Topics:
Interstate - Interstate 70 - Interstate 71 - Rush hour - U.S. Highway 40 - National Road - U.S. Highway 23 - U.S. Highway 33 - Interstate 270 - Interstate 670

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The I-270 Outerbelt was the subject of national media attention in late 2003 and early 2004 when a number of sniper shootings were reported along the southern portion of the interstate and other neighboring highways, resulting in the death of one person. Charles McCoy is accused of the shootings and will stand trial in 2005.

Related Topics:
2003 - 2004 - Sniper - Charles McCoy - 2005

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The city's street plan?originating in the oldest parts of the city, that is downtown and the immediate vicinity?is a roughly gridiron model bisected by High Street (running north-south) and Broad Street (running east-west). Much of the city street numbering plan originates at their intersection in mid-downtown (the Ohio Statehouse building sits at the corner of Broad and High, incidentally), so house numbers increase with distance from downtown. This rigid street grid breaks down the further out one goes, particularly in the suburbs (mostly old towns with their own street plans still intact) and the newer subdivisions. Besides High Street and Broad Street, major thoroughfares in Columbus include Main Street, Morse Road, Dublin-Granville Road (aka SR-161), Cleveland Avenue/Westerville Road (aka SR-3), Olentangy River Road, Riverside Drive, Sunbury Road, and Livingston Avenue.

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Columbus does not have a metro or other passenger rail system, but does maintain a widespread municipal bus service called the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). Columbus used to have a major train station downtown called Union Station, however it was razed in the late 1970s. Columbus is now the second largest city in the U.S. (after Phoenix) without passenger rail service. Columbus is served by Port Columbus International Airport, Rickenbacker International Airport, Don Scott Airport (run by OSU), and Bolton Field Airport.

Related Topics:
Metro - Port Columbus International Airport - Rickenbacker International Airport - Don Scott Airport - Bolton Field Airport

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