Columbus

Columbus, which is both the capital of Ohio and the county seat of Franklin County, was first laid out in 1812 and incorporated in 1816.  Columbus was not the original capital, but the state legislature chose to move the state government there after its location for a short time at both Chillicothe and Zanesville.  Columbus was chosen as the site for the new capital because of its central location within the state and access by way of major transportation routes (primarily rivers) at that time.  The legislature chose it as Ohio's capital over a number of other competitors, including Franklinton, Dublin, Worthington, and Delaware.  Prior to the state legislature's decision in 1812, Columbus did not exist.  The city was designed from the first as the state's capital, preparing itself for its role in Ohio's political, economic, and social life.  In the years between first ground-breaking and the actual movement of the capital in 1816, Columbus grew significantly.  The town was surveyed, and various city lots were put up for sale.  By 1813, a penitentiary had been built, and by the following year the first church, school, and newspaper had been established.  The statehouse was built in 1814 as well.  Columbus grew quickly in its first few years, having a population of seven hundred people by 1815.  It officially became the county seat in 1824.  By 1834, the population of Columbus was four thousand people, officially elevating it to "city" status.  In that year, Columbus residents elected John Brooks as its first mayor.

Although Columbus suffered as a result of the Panic of 1819, in the following decades the capital continued to grow both economically and in terms of population.  Much of Columbus's growth can be attributed to its proximity to major transportation routes.  Columbus was connected to the Ohio and Erie Canal by way of an eleven-mile feeder canal in September 1831.  By 1836, the National Road extended from Cumberland, Maryland, to Columbus, and within the next several years eventually extended all the way to Illinois.  In the 1840s and 1850s, railroads and telegraph lines connected the capital to other parts of the state as well.

As might be expected of a capital city, Columbus became a center of learning and social activities in the nineteenth century.  A significant number of both private and public schools existed within the city.  In addition, there were two colleges located in Columbus by the late nineteenth century—Ohio State University and Capital University.  Ohio State was a state-supported school, while the Lutheran Church founded Capital University.  Two medical schools also functioned at this time, Starling Medical College and the Columbus Medical College.  Supplementing this emphasis on education were a number of libraries containing thousands of volumes, an Art School, and numerous musical societies and concerts.  According to city records in the 1880s, Columbus boasted more than fifty churches but also had approximately six hundred saloons.  The city supported numerous newspapers and magazines as well.

As capital, Columbus also hosted a number of legal and medical institutions.  In addition to hospitals associated with the medical colleges, Columbus reputedly had the largest insane asylum in the world, with approximately 1300 patients.  It also supported an "Asylum for Feeble-Minded Youth," a "Blind Asylum," and a "Deaf and Dumb Asylum."  The Ohio Penitentiary was also still located in the capital and housed about 1400 people by the late 1800s.

By the mid-nineteenth century, industries began to emerge in the Columbus area, and they really began to grow in the years following the Civil War.  Columbus's industrial development benefited from the nearby transportation systems as well as the city's position as the state capital.  By the 1880s, there were almost two hundred factories in operation, with fifty-eight of them employing at least forty people apiece.  These industries included factories manufacturing shoes, cigars, farm tools and machinery, furniture, carriages, and brooms; iron manufacturers and foundries; and brewing companies established by German immigrants.  Despite this industrial growth, Columbus was not the state's largest city.  In the 1880 census, the city's population was 51,647.

• The City of Columbus 2000 population is 711,470, making it the largest city in Ohio and the 15th largest city in the nation.
• The city population grew 12.4% since 1990.
• About 80% of the 1990-2000 population growth occurred in the area annexed by the city before 1990.
• The Columbus population has continued a steady increase since 1950.
• The population growth rate between 1970 and 2000 is 31.8%.
• 67.9% of the population in Columbus consider themselves White.  An additional 1.9% identified themselves as White and another race or other races.   (69.8% White or White plus other races.)
• African American is still the largest minority group in Columbus. 26.0% consider themselves Black or African American, either as one race or in combination.
• Asians (as one race or in combination) make up 3.9% of the Columbus population.  The largest group of Asian descent is Asian Indian.
• While it is not a racial category, Hispanics and Latinos make up 2.5% of the Columbus population.
• The U.S. Census Bureau does not recommend comparing Census 2000 racial data with that of 1990 due to the change in the way the race question was asked and the number of "multiracial" responses to the question.
• 75.8% of the Columbus population is 18 years old or over; 24.2% is under 18.
• 7.5% is under 5 years old.
• The majority of the population (19.6%) is between the ages of 25 and 34 years old; these are the children of the Baby Boomers, also known as Generation X.
• The median age in Columbus is 30.6.  This means that half of the population is above age 30.6, and half is below.
• The 5-14 year olds increased 19.5% since 1990, from 79,011 to 94,410.
• The population over 75 years old increased by 22.7% between 1990 and 2000, but the 65+ population increased only 8.9%.
• The elderly (65+ years old) make up 9.2% of the population in 1990, and 8.9% in 2000.
• 61.8% of the elderly population is female.
• Columbus experienced a significant increase in those between 35 and 59 years old, up 32.9% between 1990 and 2000.
• There are 301,534 households in Columbus.  This is up 17.3% from 256,996 households in 1990.
• The number of family households in Columbus increased 9.9% between 1990 and 2000.
• Family households make up 54.8% of all households in 2000, compared with 58.6% in 1990.
• Family households with own children decreased significantly: 42.0% from 1990 to 2000.  This suggests that more children are living in nonfamily households, i.e., with nonrelatives, or in institutions.
• Nonfamily households increased by 27.8%, from 106,508 in 1990 to 136,154 in 2000.
• "Married with children" households make up 16.5% of all households.  9.3% of households are female-headed households with children.
• 21,225 people, or 3.0% of the population, lives in a household as an unmarried partner.
• The number of housing units increased from 278,084 in 1990 to 327,175 in 2000.  This represents a 17.7% increase.
• Occupied housing units make up 92.2% of the total in 2000, compared to 92.4% in 1990.  Vacant housing units used for seasonal, recreational or occasional use increased 73.1% between 1990 and 2000.

• 49.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied; 50.9% are renter-occupied.  This represents a 23.6% increase in owner-occupied units since 1990.