Columbus

Sister cities

• Odense
• Seville
• Accra
• Dresden
• Genoa
• Ahmedabad
• Metropolitan City of Genoa
• Los Mochis
• Hefei
• Zugdidi
• Kumasi
• Herzliya

History

Between 1000 B.C. and 1700 A.D., the Columbus metropolitan area was a center to indigenous cultures known as the Mound Builders, including the Adena, Hopewell and Fort Ancient peoples. Remaining physical evidence of the cultures are their burial mounds and what they contained. Most of Central Ohio's remaining mounds are located outside of Columbus city boundaries, though the Shrum Mound is maintained, now as part of a public park and historic site. The city's Mound Street derives its name from a mound that existed by the intersection of Mound and High Streets. The mound's clay was used in bricks for most of the city's initial brick buildings; many were subsequently used in the Ohio Statehouse. The city's Ohio History Center maintains a collection of artifacts from these cultures. The area including present-day Columbus once comprised the Ohio Country, under the nominal control of the French colonial empire through the Viceroyalty of New France from 1663 until 1763. In the 18th century, European traders flocked to the area, attracted by the fur trade. The area was often caught between warring factions, including American Indian and European interests. In the 1740s, Pennsylvania traders overran the territory until the French forcibly evicted them. Fighting for control of the territory in the French and Indian War became part of the Seven Years' War. Up until the American Revolution, Central Ohio had continuously been the home of numerous indigenous villages. A Mingo village was located at the forks of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, with Shawnee villages to the south and Wyandot and Delaware villages to the north. Colonial militiamen burned down the Mingo village in 1774 during a raid. After the American Revolution, the Virginia Military District became part of the…

Geography

The confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers is just northwest of Downtown Columbus. Several smaller tributaries course through the Columbus metropolitan area, including Alum Creek, Big Walnut Creek and Darby Creek. Columbus is considered to have relatively flat topography thanks to a large glacier that covered most of Ohio during the Wisconsin Ice Age. However, there are sizable differences in elevation through the area, with the high point of Franklin County being above sea level near New Albany, and the low point being where the Scioto River leaves the county near Lockbourne. Several ravines near the rivers and creeks also add variety to the landscape. Tributaries to Alum Creek and the Olentangy River cut through shale, while tributaries to the Scioto River cut through limestone. The numerous rivers and streams beside low-lying areas in Central Ohio contribute to a history of flooding in the region; the most significant was the Great Flood of 1913 in Columbus, Ohio. The city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Columbus has the largest land area of any Ohio city; this is due to Jim Rhodes's tactic to annex suburbs while serving as mayor. As surrounding communities grew or were constructed, they came to require access to waterlines, which was under the sole control of the municipal water system. Rhodes told these communities that if they wanted water, they would have to submit to assimilation into Columbus. Columbus has a wide diversity of neighborhoods with different characters, and is thus sometimes known as a "city of neighborhoods". Some of the most prominent neighborhoods include the Arena District, the Brewery District, Clintonville, Franklinton, German Village, The Short North and Victorian Village. The lowest recorded temperature…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  74,563
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  68,029
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  58,677
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  55,509
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  47,175
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  47,031
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46,836
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  46,501

Largest nearby schools

• Lincoln High School
  High · Gahanna · 2,363 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• KIPP Columbus
  Other · Columbus · 1,920 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• Grove City High School
  High · Grove City · 1,881 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• Upper Arlington High School
  High · Upper Arlington · 1,867 students · 22.5:1 ratio
• Westland High School
  High · Galloway · 1,832 students · 20.8:1 ratio
• Groveport Madison High School
  High · Groveport · 1,831 students · 21:1 ratio
• Thomas Worthington High School
  High · Worthington · 1,826 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• Central Crossing High School
  High · Grove City · 1,638 students · 20:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-02-22
  2 km NE of Hillsboro, Ohio
• M 3.4 — 2017-05-24
  1 km S of McArthur, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2015-02-11
  8 km SE of Richmond Dale, Ohio
• M 3.5 — 2013-11-20
  2 km SW of Buchtel, Ohio