Columbus, Ohio

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. After the New England Patriots victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at the Super Bowl, Patriots' defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel signed on as the 11th head coach for the Browns and first African American coach in the team's history. 14.8% of the population and 10.8% of families are below the poverty line. Savage was previously an administrative member for the Baltimore Ravens and the Browns before 1995. The per capita income for the city is $20,450. On January 6, 2005, it was announced that Phil Savage signed on as general manager. Males have a median income of $35,138 versus $28,705 for females. As Super Bowl XXXIX approached, there was much speculation over who would become the new head coach.

The median income for a household in the city is $37,897, and the median income for a family is $47,391. Offensive Coordinator Terry Robiskie was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.9 males. Despite a 2002 AFC Wild Card qualification, the team saw a dismal record during the next two seasons leading to Butch Davis' resignation in December 2004. For every 100 females there are 94.6 males. Palmer was suceeded by former University of Miami coach Butch Davis. The median age is 31 years. To date though, the franchise has not lived up to its lofty early expectations, with Palmer being dismissed after the 2000 season and Policy leaving the team in 2003.

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 team returned with high hopes and expectations, featuring solid ownership, solid general management in the form of former San Francisco 49ers president Carmen Policy, and head coach Chris Palmer. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 3.01. In death he would turn over the team to his son, Randy. 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. Lerner would usher in the team's rebirth in 1999, but would die in October 2002 - four years to the day he was awarded the new Browns franchise. 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. In early 1998 the National Football League began its search for an owner for the reborn Browns, finding one later in the year in Al Lerner, a former limited partner of the original Browns and a friend of Art Modell.

2.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Modell would in turn be granted a new franchise for Baltimore, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Browns' history, records, awards and archives would remain in Cleveland, to be given to the new franchise when awarded. 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. In early 1996, the National Football League announced that the team would be 'deactivated' for three years, and that a new stadium would be built for a new Cleveland Browns team that would begin play in 1999. There are 327,175 housing units at an average density of 600.8/km² (1,556.0/mi²). Virtually all of the team's sponsors immediately pulled their support, leaving Cleveland Stadium devoid of advertising during the team's final weeks. Modell was forced to resign from the membership (and in many cases, leadership positions) of local civic and charitable organizations, and would literally be forced to leave the city - never to return. The population density is 1,306.4/km² (3,383.6/mi²). The announcement was met with unprecedented resistance from Browns fans, with over 100 lawsuits filed by fans, the city of Cleveland, and a host of others.

As of the census² of 2000, there are 711,470 people, 301,534 households, and 165,240 families residing in the city. After seeing new stadiums built for other major teams, after years of complaining that a new stadium would be necessary to sustain the viability of the franchise, and despite years of sellouts and profitability, in November 1995, Modell announced he would relocate the Browns to Baltimore, Maryland for 1996. German Village (http://germanvillage.com/) has an annual Oktoberfest celebration featuring 32 bands, authentic German food, and various other festival activities. Cleveland City Council offered Modell an indoor stadium that would seat 68,000. Modell was upset that the new stadium would be too small, so he decided to put his own money into renovation of the old Cleveland Stadium. 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. Team owner Art Modell complained that he wanted a new stadium in the late 1980s. The Origins International Game Expo is held around the first week of July. The AFC Championship games against the Broncos produced some famous moments, including The Drive(1987) and The Fumble(1988).

Around the Fourth of July, Columbus hosts Red, White, and Boom (http://columbusoh.about.com/library/bljul01.htm), 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. In 1986, 1987 and 1989 the Browns would come one step short of a Super Bowl appearance, in each case falling to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Coinciding with the weekend of ComFest is the large Gay Pride Parade, reflective of the sizeable gay population in Columbus. The 1980 team, known affectionately as the Kardiac Kids lost a heartbreaking AFC Semifinal to the Oakland Raiders. ComFest (http://www.comfest.com/) (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. Though the team won division championships in 1971, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1989, the team would fail to maintain their past success in winning league championships. 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. While the realignment would greatly benefit the Steelers, the placement of the Browns into the AFC's Central Division would not be as good.

For parks and recreation, Columbus has Schiller Park, Westgate Park, Big Run Park, Dodge Park, Franklin Park Conservatory, Wolfe Park, Nelson Park, Civic Park, Griggs Reservoir Park, Highbanks Metro Park, Sharon Woods Metro Park, and Mock Park. The 1970 AFL-NFL merger would see the Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts (the original, AAFC Colts were disbanded in 1950, with a new franchise being awarded for 1953) in the new American Football Conference aligned with the 10 teams of the American Football League. For shopping, Columbus has the Polaris Fashion Center, Tuttle Mall, Westland Mall, Eastland Mall, and City Center Mall. Despite the change in leagues and what many football fans saw as a graduation to "the big league," the Browns simply resumed their dominant position among pro football teams, appearing in the next six NFL championship games, and capturing three championships during the 1950s. The expansion of Ohio Stadium to over 100,000 in capacity, and the construction of the Crew Stadium (America's first soccer-specific stadium), Nationwide Arena, the Schottenstein Center, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and the PromoWest Pavilion are all projects completed since 1990. After the 1949 season the AAFC merged with the rival National Football League, with the Browns joining the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts as members of the older circuit. Much of the growth in entertainment capacity in Columbus has been recent. In either event, the Browns were extremely successful in the early part of their existence, dominating the new All-America Football Conference, winning all four of its championships including with a landmark 1948 season in which they went unbeaten and untied - 24 years before the 'first' perfect team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

Both of these conventions are very large draws of tourists to Columbus. Brown was uncomfortable with the idea of having the team named after him, stating publicly that the team was named after boxing champion Joe Louis who was known as the "Brown Bomber ". 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. The team was to be named the Cleveland Panthers, but a semi-pro team was using that name and threatened to sue if the AAFC club used it as well. McBride then named the team after its first head coach, Paul Brown. It is the regular venue of notable local band Ekoostik Hookah, and musicians such as Smashing Pumpkins and Sarah McLachlan played at Newport before achieving fame. The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1946 under owner Arthur McBride. The Newport Music Hall, located in the OSU campus neighborhood, is a smaller venue, but highly respected among upcoming artists and the alternative music scene. See the Franchise History entry below for full details of the move.

Germain Ampitheater (formerly Polaris Ampitheater) is located north of the city, and hosts large outdoor concerts during the warmer months. Some, however, consider the 1996 Baltimore Ravens and the relocated 1995 Browns as one continuous entity, often using the term The Modell Franchise to denote it (after its long-time owner, Art Modell). Columbus also has a number of medium sized venues including the Palace Theatre, the Ohio Theatre (home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra), the Southern Theatre, Franklin County Veterans Memorial hall, and PromoWest Pavilion. For that reason, official records and Pro Football Hall of Fame players are attributed to the Browns and not to the Ravens. There are several major concert venues in Columbus, including Nationwide Arena (home of the Blue Jackets and the Destroyers), the Schottenstein Center (also home to OSU's men's and women's basketball and men's ice hockey teams), and Ohio Stadium. In an agreement between the city of Cleveland and the National Football League, the name, colors and history of the Browns were to remain in Cleveland, while the relocated club would technically be a new league franchise, the Baltimore Ravens. All five teams have a following in Columbus, with the baseball and football fans fairly evenly split between the two cities, although a sizeable Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase exists as well. In some accounts there may be confusion regarding the team's history due to unusual and unprecedented actions taken following the relocation of the original team to Baltimore, Maryland following the 1995 season.

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, the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cleveland Browns are a National Football League team based in Cleveland, Ohio. For its GMP and population growth rate, however, Columbus notably does not have a major league baseball, basketball, or football team. Eric Turner. Columbus is also home to many professional sports teams, including the Columbus Crew (Major League Soccer), Columbus Clippers (minor league baseball), Columbus Blue Jackets (National Hockey League), and Columbus Destroyers (Arena Football League). Vinny Testaverde. 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. Webster Slaughter.

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). Brian Sipe. 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. Andre Rison. 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. Michael Dean Perry. By far, the sports team that draws the most attention in Columbus is the Ohio State Buckeyes football team (2002 NCAA Champions). Frank Minnifield.

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. Eric Metcalf. 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. Clay Matthews. Columbus is also home to a top-ranked library system, as well as several top-ranked independent libraries (Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings). Kevin Mack. 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. Bernie Kosar.

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). Kelly Holcomb. 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. Leroy Hoard. Columbus also includes the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), a notable science museum; and the museum of the Ohio Historical Society. Robert Griffith. Downtown 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. Bob Golic.

The Columbus Museum of Art opened in 1931, with a collection focusing on European and American art up to early modernism. Hanford Dixon. The Statehouse was opened to the legislature and the public in 1857, and finally complete in 1861. Tim Couch. 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. Ernest Byner. 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. 76 Lou Groza.

Unlike many US state capitol buildings, the Ohio State Capitol owes little to the architecture of the National Capitol. 46 Don Fleming. A broad and low central pediment supports the windowed astylar drum, under an invisibly low saucer dome, that lights the interior rotunda. 45 Ernie Davis. 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. 32 Jim Brown. 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 [1] (http://www.statehouse.state.oh.us/statehouse/index.cfm). 14 Otto Graham.

The Ohio Statehouse (illustration, right) was begun 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. Gary Baxter. Other neighborhoods include: Marble Cliff, Valleyview, New Rome, Briggsdale, Urbancrest, Linden, Eastmoor, Minerva Park, Huber Ridge, Mifflinville, Linworth, Riverlea, Olentangy, Amlin, Lincoln Village, and Alton. Kellen Winslow Jr. Just to the west of Franklinton is a group of smaller neighborhoods commonly referred to as "The Hilltop". Lee Suggs. Franklinton also has the distinction of being the oldest--in fact the very first--settlement in central Ohio, originally founded in 1797. Dennis Northcutt.

Linden, to the east of Columbus, is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods. Franklinton, aka "The Bottoms", is the neighborhood immediately to the west of downtown, which gets its colorful nickname due to the fact that much of the land is below the level of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers and requires a floodwall to contain the rivers and protect the area from devastating floods. William Green. San Margherita was formed by Italian immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. Braylon Edwards. Clintonville is nestled between the OSU campus area and the suburb of Worthington to the north and consists of a mix of middle class Levittown type homes and beautiful old stone and brick-faced houses on rolling hills. Trent Dilfer. The OSU Campus area has a high concentration of students during the in-session months (perhaps as many as 30,000), and is eclectic and ever-changing to the whims of the student body. André Davis.

German Village, the largest privately funded historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, was formed by early German settlers and is still composed of 19th century houses, as is Victorian Village. Andra Davis. The Short North area, immediately north of downtown Columbus, is rich with art galleries, as well as pubs and specialty shops. Antonio Bryant. Columbus also has a number of distinctive neighborhoods within the metro area. Joe Andruzzi. These form a patchwork of jurisdictions, perforating and interrupting the discontinuous and ever-changing city limits of Columbus. Bill Willis.

On the north, these include Worthington, Dublin, New Albany, and Westerville; on the west, Grandview Heights, Galloway, Plain City, West Jefferson, Upper Arlington, and Hilliard; on the south, Canal Winchester, Grove City, Obetz, Circleville, Lithopolis, and Groveport; and on the east, Bexley, Reynoldsburg, Gahanna, Blacklick, Whitehall, Pataskala, and Pickerington. Paul Warfield. The greater Columbus area includes many smaller cities, mostly within the Interstate 270 Outerbelt. Ozzie Newsome. By and large, Columbus is fairly flat, with ravine areas around the rivers and creeks, although the land begins to rise to the east and southeast as you approach the Appalachian Mountains. Marion Motley. Several smaller tributaries course through the Columbus metro area, including Alum Creek, Big Walnut Creek, and Darby Creek. Bobby Mitchell.

The confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers occurs just outside of downtown Columbus. Mike McCormack. Unlike many other major US cities, Columbus continues to expand its reach by way of extensions and annexations, making it one of the fastest growing large cities in the nation, both in geography and population. Dante Lavelli. The total area is 1.07% water. Leroy Kelly. 544.6 km² (210.3 mi²) of it is land and 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is water. Lou Groza.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 550.5 km² (212.6 mi²). Otto Graham. Columbus is served by Port Columbus International Airport, Rickenbacker International Airport, Don Scott Airport (run by OSU), and Bolton Field Airport. Frank Gatski. (after Phoenix) without passenger rail service. Len Ford. Columbus is now the second largest city in the U.S. Joe DeLamielleure.

Columbus used to have a major train station downtown called Union Station (http://home.columbus.rr.com/unionstation), however it was razed in the late 1970s. Paul Brown. 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). Jim Brown. 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. 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.

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. 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 north-south by High Street and east-west by Broad Street. 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. 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-270), State Route 315 on the west side, the I-70/71 split on the south side, and I-71 on the east.

Highway 33 runs northwest-to-southeast. Highway 23 runs roughly north-south, while U.S. U.S. It is also widely recognized as the nation's first highway.

Highway 40, aka National Road, runs east-west through Columbus, comprising Main Street to the east of downtown and Broad Street to the west. U.S. 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. Columbus is bisected by two major Interstate highways, Interstate 70 running east-west, and Interstate 71 running north to roughly southwest.

Completed in 1993, the convention center spanned nearly 600,000 square feet (56,000 m²) at the time, and has recently been expanded. The convention center was designed by famed architect Peter Eisenman, who also designed the renowned Wexner Center, also located in Columbus at the campus of The Ohio State University. Columbus also hosts many conventions in the Greater Columbus Convention Center, a pastel-colored building on the north edge of downtown that resembles jumbled blocks, or a train yard from overhead. Columbus is also home to the Chemical Abstracts Service, making it one of the world's leading centers for scientific information distribution.

UPS has a large distribution center on the west side of the city. has large offices within Columbus as well. McGraw-Hill Inc. Budweiser has a major brewery located on the north side of the city.

CompuServe still has its roots in Columbus, although it has been owned by AOL since 1998. Morgan Chase & Co., which announced a merger with Bank One in 2004, has a large mortgage servicing unit in the city. J.P. Bank One, which used to be headquartered in Columbus prior to the merger with First Chicago-NBD, still has a major presence in Columbus.

Honda has its North American auto plant in Marysville to the northwest of Columbus and produces all of the Honda Accords, Civics, motorcycles and many of Acura's models for the North American market. In addition to these companies, many companies have a major presence in the Columbus area. The Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories, makers of Ensure nutritional drink and Similac infant formula, is also headquartered in Columbus, with over 7,000 employees. corporation prior to its acquisition and subsequent divestiture) is located downtown as well.

Borden Chemical (formerly part of the Borden, Inc. Huntington Bancshares also has its headquarters in the downtown area. Cardinal Health has its headquarters in the northwest suburb of Dublin. Two fast food chains have their homebase in the Columbus metro area as well, Wendy's and White Castle, with Wendy's still operating their first store downtown as both a museum and a working restaurant.

Worthington Steel is primarily located on the north side of the metro area in the Worthington suburb. Limited Brands (formerly known as The Limited, Inc.) is located on the east side of the city and is the parent company of the retail stores The Limited, Express, Victoria's Secret, and Bath & Body Works, among others. Nationwide Insurance makes its home downtown in a large, multi-building complex that dominates the northern end of the downtown area. Columbus is the headquarters for a number of businesses as well.

However, it is by no means a majority. Including city, state, and jobs at the public Ohio State University, government jobs provide the largest single source of employment within Columbus. As Columbus is the capital of the state of Ohio, there is a large government presence in the city. Notable private schools within Columbus include Columbus School for Girls, Bishop Watterson High School, Bishop Ready High School, DeSales High School, Worthington Christian High School, Saint Charles Preparatory School, and the Columbus Academy and Bishop Hartley High School.

CPS offers many alternative schools as well, such as Columbus Alternative High school, Fort Hayes and Ecole Kenwood. Columbus Public Schools dominate the K-12 primary school landscape, with each of the suburbs also having fairly large districts as well, sometimes overlapping municipal boundaries. Also located in Columbus and its metro area are Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Capital University in Bexley, Franklin University, the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD), Otterbein College in Westerville, DeVry University, Ohio Dominican University, and Columbus State Community College. 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 48,003 total enrollment according to the OSU Office of University Relations.

See also: List of Mayors of Columbus, Ohio. It also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County. With regard to Combined Statistical Areas (and including Chilicothe and Marion), Columbus ranks 24th in the country with 1.84M, behind #19 Cincinnati (2.05M) and #14 Cleveland-Akron (2.95M).

census estimates, in Ohio only the metropolitan areas of Cleveland (2.15M) and Cincinnati (2.01M) are larger than the Columbus metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,612,694 (2000 census, 31st largest in the United States). According to recent U.S. The city is the most populous in the state, with a population of 711,470 as of the 2000 census, and the heart of the third largest metropolitan area. Columbus is the capital of the state of Ohio in the United States of America.

Dwight Yoakam, singer. Nancy Wilson, singer. Leslie Wexner, businessman and major city philanthropist. James Thurber, cartoonist and humorist.

Twyla Tharp, dancer. Stine, author. L. R.

Schlesinger, Jr., historian and writer. Arthur M. Matthew Rush (porn star), well-known (gay) adult film star. Eddie Rickenbacker, World War I fighter pilot, "Ace of Aces".

Gigi Rice, actress. Bobby Rahal, race-car driver, winner of the Indianapolis 500. Tom Poston, actor (George the handy-man from TV show Newhart). Jack Nicklaus, winner of a record eighteen golf majors.

Air Force general. Curtis LeMay, World War II and Cold War U.S. Elsie Janus, singer, broadway headliner and actress. Paul Hamm, Olympic Gold Medal Winner 2004 (attending the Ohio State University).

Morgan Hamm, Olympic Medal Winner 2004 (attending the Ohio State University). Woody Hayes, football coach. Dodie Goodman, actress (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman). James "Buster" Douglas, former heavyweight boxing champion after defeating Mike Tyson.

Henry Beecher Dierdorff mining engineer and inventor. Beverly D'Angelo, actress. Chase, Chief Justice, Treasury Secretary, Governor and Senator. Salmon P.

Bush, respectively. Bush and George W. W. Prescott Bush, US Senator, father and grandfather of Presidents George H.

Bow Wow, formerly known as "Lil' Bow Wow" musician. Warner Baxter, actress. Majel Barrett, actress.