Columbus, OH - A Tourist's Guide

[fundamentals]

Columbus is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is the 15th largest city in the United States, with a population of 835,957 (2014 estimate), making it 39th on the list of largest cities in North America directly behind Mérida, Mexico and ahead of Charlotte, NC. Named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816.

In 2012, Columbus was ranked in BusinessWeek's 50 best cities in America. In 2013, Forbes gave Columbus an A rating as one of the top cities for business in the U.S., and later that year included the city on its list of Best Places for Business and Careers. Columbus was also ranked as the no. 1 up-and-coming tech city in the nation by Forbes in 2008, and the city was ranked a top ten city by Relocate America in 2010. In 2007, fDi Magazine ranked the city no. 3 in the U.S. for cities of the future, and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was rated no. 1 in 2009 by USA Travel Guide.

INTERESTING FACTS:

• The land modern-day Columbus occupies was once called the Ohio Country, under the control of the French Empire through the Vice-royauté of New France. European traders flocked to the area, attracted by the fur trade.

• The area was frequently caught between warring factions, including American Indian and European interests. In the 1740s, Pennsylvania traders overran the territory until the French forcibly evicted them. In the early 1750s George Washington was sent to the Ohio Country by the Ohio Company to survey, and the fight for control of the territory would spark Europe's Seven Years' War with the French and Indian War. During this period the country was routinely engaged in turmoil, with massacres and battles as shown on the map below:

• By the end of the 19th century, Columbus was home to several major manufacturing businesses. The city became known as the "Buggy Capital of the World," thanks to the presence of two dozen buggy factories—notably the Columbus Buggy Company, founded in 1875 by C.D. Firestone.

• "The Columbus Experiment" was an internationally recognized environmental project in 1908, which involved construction of the first water plant in the world to apply filtration and softening, designed and invented by two brothers, Clarence and Charles Hoover. Those working to construct the project included Jeremiah O'Shaughnessy, name-bearer of the Columbus metropolitan area's O'Shaughnessy Dam. This invention helped drastically reduce typhoid deaths. The essential design is still used today.

• Columbus earned one of its nicknames, The Arch City, because of the dozens of wooden arches that spanned High Street at the turn of the 20th century. The arches illuminated the thoroughfare and eventually became the means by which electric power was provided to the new streetcars.

• Although the American Professional Football Association was founded in Canton in 1920, its head offices moved to Columbus in 1921 to the New Hayden Building and remained in the city until 1941. In 1922, the association's name was changed to the National Football League.

• In 1931, at a convention in the city, the Jehovah's Witnesses took that name by which they are known today.

• In 1910, one of the Wright Brothers' exhibition pilots, Phillip Parmalee, conducted the world's first commercial cargo flight when he flew two packages containing 88 kilograms of silk 70 miles (110 km) from Dayton to Columbus in a Wright Model B.

• In 1964, Ohio native Geraldine Fredritz Mock became the first woman to fly around the world, leaving from Columbus and piloting the Spirit of Columbus. Her flight lasted nearly a month, and set a record for speed for planes under 3,858 pounds (1,750 kg).

• Due to its demographics, which include a mix of races and a wide range of incomes, as well as urban, suburban, and nearby rural areas, Columbus is considered a "typical" American city, leading retail and restaurant chains to use it as a test market for new products.

• Columbus is home to a proportional LGBT community, with an estimated 34,952 gay, lesbian, or bisexual residents. It has been rated as one of the best cities in the country for gays and lesbians to live, and also as the most underrated gay city in the country. In July 2012, the Columbus City Council unanimously passed a domestic partnership registry.

• In 2010, the city was ranked as the second most manly city in the country by Sperling's BestPlaces, up from number 7 in 2009. Also, that same year, the Dole Nutrition Institute named Columbus as a top city for salad consumption.

• In 2013, the Intelligent Communities Forum named Columbus the most intelligent city in the United States.

FIVE THINGS TO DO IN COLUMBUS:

5) Center of Science and Industry (COSI)



COSI has been recognized as the #1 science museum in the US, and is one of the top visitor destinations in the city for families. Opened in 1964 (and relocated to its current home at 333 West Broad Street in 1999), COSI features over 300 interactive exhibits that focus on topics ranging from outer space to the deep sea and everything else in between. Special exhibits regularly rotate through the venue, which means every visit promises to showcase something unique.



4) Wagner-Hagans Auto Museum



The private museum, which is open by appointment, contains the antique autos of Arlington Bank mortgage lender Steve Wagner, a Merion Village resident, and J. Mark Hagans, general sales manager of Central Point Motor Co. Inc. on Harrisburg Pike. While the two men found common ground in their collecting passion and desire to display their cars in a jointly operated (and named) museum, they come at it from different angles. The 1930s is Hagans' favorite era, and the cars he's gathered over the years reflect that. These include not only Packards, but also Buicks and even Auburns, which were produced between 1900 and 1936. For Wagner, the collecting mania focuses on "unusual cars," the sorts of things not normally seen in auto museums, he said. These include the ill-fated Ford Edsel and a 1956 Chrysler Imperial.



3) Jubilee Museum and Catholic Cultural Center



A preservation of Catholic Church art and traditions salvaged from individuals and churches and schools that have closed. as well as a large collection of Bibles from 1558 and on, oil paintings, four working pipe organs, statuary, historic vestments from the Holy Land and many other treasures of the Catholic mind and memory.



2) Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens



Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a premier botanical landmark and cultural attraction featuring exceptional plant collections and gardens, seasonal art- and nature-based exhibitions, and a dynamic array of educational opportunities and special events for visitors of all ages.

The Conservatory is situated in the 88-acre Franklin Park just two miles east of downtown Columbus. Featuring indoor gardens filled with exotic plant life and artwork, including a collection of glass works by artist Dale Chihuly, the Conservatory offers enjoyment of the natural world any time of the day or year. Outdoors, botanical gardens, art sculptures, open green space and a one-mile walking loop offer respite from everyday life.



1) Easton Town Center



Easton opened in 1999 as one of the first “lifestyle center” style shopping developments in the US. Developed by L Brands founder Les Wexner, Easton is home to 1.6 million square feet of retail space that includes some the region’s premiere national shopping chains including Burberry, Tiffany & Co, Nordstrom, Henri Bendel, Michael Kors, Crate & Barrel, H&M, American Girl, C. Wonder, Sur La Table and more.

[fundamentals]

Sorry if this is not the kind of post that is normally done around here... I just wanted to post something and don't have much going on hockey-wise since it's the off-season. Plus, I didn't know ANYTHING about Columbus and did some reading today so I thought I'd share

[JonDuke]

I'm just impressed that you devoted that much time into not only reading about the city, but writing this all up too. Well done.

[fundamentals]

Originally Posted by JonDuke

I'm just impressed that you devoted that much time into not only reading about the city, but writing this all up too. Well done.

To be fair, it's mostly copy + paste from Wikipedia

[Cheese]

ha Nice! Well done!

[Slava]

Awesome! They also have a terrible CPHL franchise!

[Hanna Sniper]

Originally Posted by fundamentals

Sorry if this is not the kind of post that is normally done around here... I just wanted to post something and don't have much going on hockey-wise since it's the off-season. Plus, I didn't know ANYTHING about Columbus and did some reading today so I thought I'd share

No apologies, truth is we in fact need more post like this.


well done

[MJK]

You are making the last very handsome Jackets GM look like a lazy posting bum.

I like it!