Columbus, OH Community Information

Efforts to revitalize downtown Columbus have met with mixed results in recent decades. In the 1970's, old landmarks such as Union Station and the Neil House Hotel were razed to construct high-rise offices and retail space such as the Huntington Center. Newer suburban developments at the Tuttle Crossing shopping mall, Easton, and Polaris have inhibited much of the anticipated downtown growth. Still, with the addition of the Arena District, as well as hundreds of downtown residential units, significant revitalization efforts are likely to continue in the downtown area. The median home price in Columbus is about $155,000.

Columbus has an assortment of distinctive neighborhoods within its metropolitan area. Just north of downtown, Short North is rich with art galleries, dining, pubs and specialty shops. A number of large, ornate Victorian homes are located nearby, and together they make up Victorian Village. To the south, German Village is known for its quaint 19th-century brick cottages, and it holds the distinction as the largest privately funded historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

Also north of downtown is a new neighborhood development, the Arena District. Centered on the Nationwide Arena, the district has many pubs, restaurants, and residential projects, most notably the new 20-story condominiums at North Bank Park tower. The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion is also an anchor for the district, and the soon-to-come Huntington Ballpark will be the new home of the Columbus Clippers baseball team.

The university area is populated by a high concentration of students during the school year and features many old homes which have been converted to apartments for student use. The stretch of High Street that runs through the campus area caters to the student body with its abundance of bars, sandwich shops, music stores and bookstores. Located between Ohio State University and Worthington is Clintonville. A mix of middle class homes can be found alongside beautiful old stone and brick-faced houses nestled among rolling hills in this picturesque neighborhood.

Columbus has an extensive park system throughout its metro area. Reservoirs and parks on the major streams offer recreational opportunities. The Scioto and Olentangy river corridors are becoming connected as greenways with bike paths, and the Scioto Mile project is enhancing the riverfront in the heart of downtown.

Sources and more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus,_Ohio
http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/
http://www.columbus.org/
http://columbus.citysearch.com/