Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

People and Culture

Demographics

See also: List of Famous People from Columbus, Ohio

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As of the census{{GR|2}} of 2000, there are 711,470 people, 301,534 households, and 165,240 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,306.4/km² (3,383.6/mi²). There are 327,175 housing units at an average density of 600.8/km² (1,556.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 67.93% White, 24.47% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 3.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.17% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. 2.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Related Topics:
Census - 2000 - Population density - White - Black - African American - Native American - Asian - Pacific Islander - Hispanic - Latino

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There are 301,534 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% are married couples living together, 14.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 45.2% are non-families. 34.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 3.01.

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In the city the population is spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 14.0% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.9 males.

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The median income for a household in the city is $37,897, and the median income for a family is $47,391. Males have a median income of $35,138 versus $28,705 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,450. 14.8% of the population and 10.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 18.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Related Topics:
Per capita income - Poverty line

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Landmarks and Museums

Columbus is home to several world class buildings, including the Greek-Revival State Capitol, and the Peter Eisenman-designed Wexner Center and Columbus Convention Center.

Related Topics:
Peter Eisenman - Wexner Center

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The Ohio Statehouse began construction in 1839 on a 10 acre (40,000 m²) plot of land donated by four prominent Columbus landowners to form Capitol Square, not part of the original layout of the city. The Statehouse stands upon foundations 18 feet (5 m) deep, which were laid by prison labor gangs, rumored to have been swelled by masons jailed for minor infractions http://www.statehouse.state.oh.us/statehouse/index.cfm. The Statehouse features a central recessed porch with a colonnade of a forthright and primitive Greek Doric mode, built of Columbus limestone that was quarried on the west banks of the Scioto River. A broad and low central pediment supports the windowed astylar drum, under an invisibly low saucer dome, that lights the interior rotunda. Unlike many US state capitol buildings, the Ohio State Capitol owes little to the architecture of the national Capitol. During the long course of the Statehouse's 22 years of construction, seven architects were employed. Relations between the legislature and the architects were not always cordial: Nathan B. Kelly, who introduced heating and an ingenious system of natural forced ventilation, was dismissed because the commissioners found his designs were too lavish for the original intentions of the committee. The Statehouse was opened to the legislature and the public in 1857, and finally complete in 1861.

Related Topics:
Ohio Statehouse - Prison labor - Mason - Porch - Colonnade - Greek Doric mode - Limestone - Astylar - Saucer dome - Rotunda - National Capitol

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The Columbus Museum of Art opened in 1931, with a collection focusing on European and American art up to early modernism. Columbus also boasts the Franklin Park Conservatory, which was also home to AmeriFlora '92, and a to-scale replica of the Santa Maria on the Scioto Riverfront that was installed to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus' namesake. Columbus also includes the Center of Science and Industry (now called the COSI Science Center), a notable science museum; and the museum of the Ohio Historical Society.

Related Topics:
Columbus Museum of Art - Modernism - Franklin Park Conservatory - AmeriFlora '92 - Santa Maria - Scioto River - Namesake - Center of Science and Industry

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To some extent, the Ohio State University is a museum unto itself with its rich history and roots in the Columbus psyche, but it does host a number of museums and museum-like exhibits. Notable among these are the Wexner Center for the Arts, a contemporary art gallery and research facility located on the OSU campus, the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame located in the Schottenstein Center (home of the OSU basketball and hockey teams).

Related Topics:
Ohio State University - Wexner Center for the Arts - Schottenstein Center

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The Ohio Historical Society is headquartered in Columbus, with its flagship museum, the 250,000 square foot (23,000 m²) Ohio Historical Center, located just four miles (6 km) north of downtown.

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The Columbus Metropolitan Library is arguably the nation's top-ranked library system (Hennen?s American Public Library Ratings).

Related Topics:
Columbus Metropolitan Library - Hennen?s American Public Library Ratings

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The Columbus Zoo is world-renowned, and its director emeritus, Jack Hanna, frequently appears on national television, including The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman.

Related Topics:
Columbus Zoo - Jack Hanna - The Tonight Show - The Late Show with David Letterman

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Fairs and Festivals

Annual festivities in Columbus include the Ohio State Fair—one of the largest state fairs in the country; the Columbus Arts Festival and the Jazz and Ribs Festival, both of which occur on the downtown waterfront. ComFest (short for "community festival") is an immense three-day gathering in Goodale Park (just north of downtown Columbus) with art vendors and live music on multiple stages, hundreds of local social and political organizations, body painting, and enough beer to quench anyone's thirst. Coinciding with the weekend of ComFest is the large Gay Pride Parade, reflective of the sizeable gay population in Columbus. Around the Fourth of July, Columbus hosts Red, White, and Boom, the largest fireworks display in the midwest on the riverfront downtown to crowds of over 500,000 people, as well as the popular "Doo Dah Parade", a nonsensical satire of ordinary parades. The Origins International Game Expo is held around the first week of July. The Short North is host to the monthly "Gallery Hop", which attracts hundreds to the neighborhood's art galleries (which all open their doors to the public until late at night) and street musicians. Each September, German Village throws an annual Oktoberfest celebration that features authentic German food, beer, music, and crafts. The Hilltop Bean Dinner is an annual event held on Columbus' West Side that celebrates the city's Civil War heritage near the historic Camp Chase Cemetery.

Related Topics:
Ohio State Fair - Gay Pride Parade - Midwest - Origins International Game Expo - German Village

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Sports

By far, the sports team that draws the most attention in Columbus is the Ohio State Buckeyes football team (2002 NCAA Champions). Games are played from late August through late November (and usually in early January), with home games at Ohio Stadium in front of over 100,000 crazed Buckeye fans. Tailgating at OSU home games has become an event in and of itself, with as many as 30,000 more people partying during the game in the parking lots and at controlled events on Lane Avenue such as Hineygate and the Varsity Club street party. The OSU-Michigan football game is the final game of the regular season and is played in November each year (alternating between Columbus and Ann Arbor, Michigan). It is easily the biggest annual event in the city, with an estimated 80% to 90% share of television viewers in the Columbus market, and is one of the greatest rivalries in all sports.

Related Topics:
Ohio State Buckeyes - Ohio Stadium - Michigan - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Columbus is also home to many professional sports teams, including the Columbus Blue Jackets (National Hockey League), Columbus Crew (Major League Soccer), Columbus Clippers, (Minor League Baseball), and the Columbus Destroyers (Arena Football League). For a city of its size, however, Columbus notably does not have a major league baseball, basketball, or football team. This can be explained, in part, by the city's proximity to both Cincinnati (100 miles) and Cleveland (125 miles), which have five major league teams between them.

Related Topics:
Columbus Blue Jackets - National Hockey League - Columbus Crew - Major League Soccer - Columbus Clippers - Minor League Baseball - Columbus Destroyers - Arena Football League - Cincinnati - Cleveland

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Columbus also hosts the annual Arnold Classic weightlifting and fitness exposition in late February, hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as the annual Quarterhorse Congress. Both of these conventions are very large draws of tourists to Columbus.

Related Topics:
Arnold Classic - Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Performing Arts

There are several major concert venues in Columbus, including arenas such as Nationwide Arena, the Schottenstein Center, Ohio Stadium, and Crew Stadium. Columbus also has a number of medium-sized venues downtown, including the historic Palace Theatre, the Ohio Theatre, the Southern Theatre, Franklin County Veterans Memorial Hall, and the PromoWest Pavilion. Germain Ampitheater (formerly Polaris Ampitheater) is located north of the city, where it hosts large outdoor concerts during the summer months. The Newport Music Hall, located in the OSU campus neighborhood, is a smaller venue, but highly respected by the alternative music scene. Musicians such as U2, Smashing Pumpkins, and Sarah McLachlan cut their teeth at the Newport before achieving fame.

Related Topics:
Nationwide Arena - Schottenstein Center - Ohio Stadium - Crew Stadium - Ohio Theatre - Newport Music Hall - U2 - Smashing Pumpkins - Sarah McLachlan

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Much of the growth in entertainment capacity in Columbus has been recent. The expansion of Ohio Stadium to over 100,000 in capacity, and the construction of the Crew Stadium (the first soccer-specific stadium in the United States), Nationwide Arena, the Schottenstein Center, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and the PromoWest Pavilion are all projects completed since 1990.

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Columbus is the home of many renowned performing arts institutions, including Opera Columbus, BalletMet, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Contemporary American Theatre Company (CATCo), and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

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Media

Columbus's sole remaining daily newspaper is the Columbus Dispatch, its main competitor, the Columbus Citizen-Journal having ceased publication on December 31, 1985. There are also a number of weekly newspapers, including neighborhood/suburb specific papers such as Suburban News Publications which serves 23 suburbs and Columbus, ThisWeek, and "alternative" arts/culture/politics-oriented papers such as The Other Paper and Columbus Alive. Columbus Monthly is the city magazine.

Related Topics:
Columbus Dispatch - Columbus Citizen-Journal - December 31 - ThisWeek - The Other Paper - Columbus Alive - Columbus Monthly

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Among Columbus's notable radio stations are (WTVN) (610) and WBNS (1460), both among the oldest AM stations in the country; WOSU (820 AM and 89.7 FM), operated by The Ohio State University; WCBE (90.5 FM), an NPR affiliate run by the Columbus Board of Education; WLVQ (96.3 FM), a long-running classic-rock station; and WWCD (101.1 FM), Columbus's locally-owned alternative rock station.

Related Topics:
WTVN - NPR

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Columbus's television stations include WCMH 4 (NBC), WSYX 6 (ABC), WBNS 10 (CBS), WOSU 34 (PBS), WTTE 28 (Fox), WSFJ 51 (a christian-oriented independent station), and WWHO 53 (UPN).

Related Topics:
NBC - ABC - CBS - PBS - Fox - UPN

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