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Introduction
Columbus (/kəˈlʌmbəs/, kə-LUM-bəs) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest after Chicago, and the third-most populous U.S. state capital after Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas. Columbus is the seat of government of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It had a population of 2,138,926 in 2020, making it the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 32nd-largest metro area in the U.S.
Columbus originated as numerous Native American settlements on the banks of the Scioto River. Franklinton, now a city neighborhood, was the first European settlement, laid out in 1797. The city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and laid out to become the state capital. The city was named for Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. The city assumed the function of state capital in 1816 and county seat in 1824. Amid steady years of growth and industrialization, the city has experienced numerous floods and recessions. Beginning in the 1950s, Columbus began to experience significant growth; it became the largest city in Ohio in land and population by the early 1990s. Growth has continued in the 21st century, with redevelopment occurring in numerous city neighborhoods, including Downtown. (Full article...)
Selected general articles
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Image 1
Thurber House is a literary center for readers and writers located in Columbus, Ohio, in the historic former home of author, humorist, and New Yorker cartoonist James Thurber. Thurber House is dedicated to promoting the literary arts by presenting quality literary programming; increasing the awareness of literature as a significant art form; promoting excellence in writing; providing support for literary artists; and commemorating Thurber's literary and artistic achievements. The house is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and also as part of the Jefferson Avenue Historic District. (Full article...) -
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The Great Southern Hotel & Theatre is an historic hotel and theater building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The building currently operates as the Westin Great Southern Columbus and the Southern Theatre.
It opened on September 21, 1896 and is the oldest surviving theater in Central Ohio and one of the oldest in the state of Ohio. The Southern Theatre is currently owned and operated as a home for live concerts, plays and opera by CAPA (the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts). CAPA also manages several other venues in Columbus including the Ohio, the Palace, and the Lincoln Theatres.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 1982. It was also included in the South High Commercial Historic District, added to those registers in 1983 and 1987, respectively. (Full article...) -
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Flytown was a neighborhood just northwest of downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. Flytown encompassed portions of the present-day Arena District and western sections of the Victorian Village. In the 19th century, it was considered the center of the Irish-American community in the city after the arrival of immigrants fleeing the Great Famine, and Naghten Street, now Nationwide Boulevard, was nicknamed the "Irish Broadway". (Full article...) -
Image 4Zoombezi Bay (/zuːmˌbiːzi ˈbeɪ/) is a 22.7-acre (9.2 ha) water park owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium near Powell, Ohio just north of Columbus. The park sits on the site of the former Wyandot Lake Adventure Park, which was purchased by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in 2006. Zoombezi Bay opened to the public on May 26, 2008, and currently ranks as one of the Midwest's most popular water parks, attracting more than 400,000 visitors annually. (Full article...)
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Hilltop is one of the largest neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio, located west of Franklinton and Downtown. The Greater Hilltop area contains newer and historic neighborhoods, schools, various stores, industrial areas, and recreational facilities. The development pattern is considered a distinct suburb. The majority of the area is predominantly single family residential. (Full article...) -
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Capital University Law School is an ABA-accredited private law school located in downtown Columbus, Ohio, United States. The law school is affiliated with Capital University, the oldest university in Central Ohio and one of the oldest and largest Lutheran-affiliated universities in North America. (Full article...) -
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The Vern Riffe State Office Tower is a 503 ft-tall (153 m) skyscraper on Capitol Square in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It was completed in 1988 and has 32 floors. NBBJ designed the building, which is the fifth-tallest in Columbus, and has 102,192 m2 of floor area. An earlier concept for the site, also designed by NBBJ, would have included a site to the west of the present location, and would have effectively closed off South Wall Street north of West State Street. The building was named for Vernal G. Riffe, Jr, who served as Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1975 to 1994. The complex also contains the 854-seat Capitol Theatre.
The project was completed for $130 million.
The working office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is located on the building's 30th floor. (Full article...) -
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The Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) is a public library system in Franklin County, Ohio, in the Columbus metropolitan area. The library serves an area of 872,000 residents, has a collection of 1,483,433 volumes, and circulates 17,262,267 items per year.
The library consists of the Main Library and 22 branches located in neighborhoods throughout Franklin County. The branches are Canal Winchester, Driving Park, Dublin, Franklinton, Gahanna, Hilliard, Hilltop, Karl Road, Linden, Livingston, Marion-Franklin, Martin Luther King, New Albany, Northern Lights, Northside, Parsons, Reynoldsburg, Shepard, South High, Southeast, Whetstone, and Whitehall. CML also jointly operates the Northwest Library in cooperation with Worthington Libraries. Columbus Metropolitan Library is a member of the Central Library Consortium, which enables its 17-member library systems to share a catalog. (Full article...) -
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The Ohio History Center is a history museum and research center in Columbus, Ohio. It is the primary museum for Ohio's history, and is the headquarters, offices, and library of the Ohio History Connection. The building also houses Ohio's state archives, also managed by the Ohio History Connection. The museum is located at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, site of the Ohio State Fair, and a short distance north of downtown. The history center opened in 1970 as the Ohio Historical Center, moving the museum from its former site by the Ohio State University. The building was designed by Ireland & Associates in the Brutalist style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with the Ohio Village in 2023. (Full article...) -
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This is a list of demolished buildings and structures in Columbus, Ohio. Over time, countless notable buildings have been built in the city of Columbus. Some of them still stand today and can be viewed, however, many local landmarks have since been demolished. The reason for the demolition was often that the condition of the building was no longer adequate, but in some cases, its style was already ostentatious and outdated. Another aspect taken into consideration is that because the cost of renovating a building is very high, demolition is sometimes seen as preferable over renovation. However, today's opinion may not be in line with the views prevalent at the time of its demolition, and many consider it detrimental to demolish buildings that were often built with high artistic demands at the time.
In the early 20th century, Columbus was a dense city dependent on streetcars and downtown retail, with unbroken rooflines. Beginning in the mid-20th century, the city expanded substantially, and the rise of automobiles in popularity created a suburbanized city. Urban renewal became popular, and residents believed that old-looking buildings were causing a loss of business downtown, and so many buildings were demolished and replaced with parking lots. Beginning around 1999, demolitions began to be more discouraged, and city planners began to accept new urbanism and residential development in Downtown Columbus.
There may not be an accurate record of all demolished buildings, so this list is also presumably fragmentary. (Full article...) -
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Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencement ceremonies each May. Common nicknames for the stadium include "The Horseshoe", "The Shoe", and "The House That Harley Built".
From 1996 to 1998, Ohio Stadium was the home venue for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer prior to the opening of Columbus Crew Stadium in 1999. The stadium also was the home venue for the OSU track and field teams from 1923 to 2001. In addition to athletics, Ohio Stadium is also a concert venue, with U2, Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Metallica among the many acts to have played at the venue.
The stadium opened in 1922 as a replacement for Ohio Field and had a seating capacity of 66,210. In 1923, a cinder running track was added that was later upgraded to an all-weather track. Seating capacity gradually increased over the years and reached a total of 91,470 possible spectators in 1991. Beginning in 2000, the stadium was renovated and expanded in several phases, removing the track and adding additional seating, which raised the capacity to 101,568 by 2001 and to 102,329 in 2007. In 2014, additional seating was added in the end zone, raising the official capacity to 104,944. Another renovation to add more luxury suites began in 2017 and will eventually lead to a decrease of 2,600 seats. It is the largest stadium by capacity in the state of Ohio, and the third largest on-campus football stadium in the United States. Ohio Stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. (Full article...) -
Image 12Interstate 270 (I-270) is an auxiliary interstate highway that forms a beltway loop freeway in the Columbus metropolitan area in the US state of Ohio, commonly known locally as The Outerbelt or the Jack Nicklaus Freeway. The zero-milepost is at the junction with Interstate 71 east of Grove City, intersecting with I-71 again near Worthington as well as connecting with Interstate 70 twice with the western junction near Lincoln Village and the eastern junction near Reynoldsburg. The route furthermore links to the eastern terminus of Interstate 670 near Gahanna and provides indirect access to John Glenn Columbus International Airport. The entire length of I-270 is 54.97 miles (88.47 km). It is one of four Interstate loops not to run concurrently with another Interstate freeway, the others being I-295 in Florida, I-485 in North Carolina, and I-610 in Texas. (Full article...)
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Rides at Adventure Cove is a small amusement park area that is part of and owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, Ohio. The park was originally part of Wyandot Lake before the zoo purchased the property in 2006, splitting it into two separate sections after the 2006 season. The water park became known as Zoombezi Bay while the dry ride area became Jungle Jack's Landing. The amusement park was named after zoo director emeritus Jack Hanna and opened on May 26, 2008. It debuted with 14 rides and attractions, several of which were retained from the former Wyandot Lake. In 2020, the Jungle Jack's Landing name was dropped with the amusement park area being renamed to tie into the neighboring Adventure Cove area of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium which opened for the first time on the same year. (Full article...) -
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The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollment in the United States, with nearly 50,000 undergraduate students and nearly 15,000 graduate students. The university consists of sixteen colleges and offers over 400 degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". the university has an endowment of $7.4 billion. Its athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I as the Ohio State Buckeyes as a member of the Big Ten Conference for the majority of fielded sports.
It is a member of the Association of American Universities. Past and present alumni and faculty include 6 Nobel Prize laureates, 9 Rhodes Scholars, 7 Churchill Scholars, 1 Fields Medalist, 7 Pulitzer Prize winners, 64 Goldwater scholars, 7 U.S. senators, 15 U.S. representatives, 104 Olympic medalists, and 1 foreign head of state. (Full article...) -
Image 15Milo-Grogan is a neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The neighborhood was settled as the separate communities of Milo and Grogan in the late 1870s. Large-scale industrial development fueled the neighborhood's growth until the 1980s, when the last factories closed. The community has received urban renewal efforts in recent years fueled by the Columbus Department of Development and Milo-Grogan Area Commission. (Full article...)
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Image 16AmeriFlora '92 was an international horticultural exhibition held in Columbus, Ohio, United States from April 20 to October 12, 1992. Taking place on 88 acres (356,123 m2) of landscaped grounds at Franklin Park, the exhibition cost $95 million to produce and attracted 5.5 million visitors. The exhibition was billed as the first international flower show in the United States. (Full article...)
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Marble Cliff is a village in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 634 at the 2020 census.
Marble Cliff was one of the first suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, settled as a community in 1890 and incorporated as the "Hamlet of Marble Cliff" in 1901. It took its name from the Marble Cliff Quarry Co. (still in use today), and at this time stretched all the way from the Scioto River to the Olentangy River. In 1902, it detached all land but its present area, and the area that separated became Grandview Heights in 1906. The village was named "Arlington" for a short time, which led its new neighbor to the north, incorporated in 1918, to name itself Upper Arlington. Marble Cliff is bordered by the cities of Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, and Columbus.
Most of the village's public services are provided by contract with Grandview Heights, including police and fire, and it is included in the Grandview Heights School District and public library system. (Full article...) -
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Newport Music Hall is a music venue located in the University District of Columbus, Ohio, across the street from the Ohio Union of the Ohio State University. It is "America's Longest Continually Running Rock Club". (Full article...) -
Image 19Northwest Columbus is a region in Franklin County, Ohio. It has about 45,000 residents, according to the 2010 U.S. census.
Northwest Columbus is bounded by the Scioto River on the west, the Olentangy River on the east, State Route 161 on the north, and Highland Drive and Henderson Road on the south.
The region includes parts of Perry Township, Sharon Township, the City of Dublin, and the City of Worthington. (Full article...) -
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Bexley is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,928 at the 2020 census. The city is a suburb and geographic enclave of Columbus, situated on the banks of Alum Creek next to Driving Park and Wolfe Park, just east of the Franklin Park Conservatory. It is horizontally bisected by the National Road (Main Street), serving as a reminder of Bexley's origins as a merger between the Bullitt Park neighborhood to the north, and the community of Pleasant Ridge to the south.
The suburb is home to large houses and estates, located primarily in Bullitt Park. The most famous of these include the Jeffrey Park Mansion (a.k.a. "Kelveden"), the home of the president of Ohio State University, and the Ohio Governor's Mansion, the official residence of Ohio governors since 1957. (Full article...) -
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Columbus Union Station was an intercity train station in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, near The Short North neighborhood. The station and its predecessors served railroad passengers in Columbus from 1851 until April 28, 1977.
The first station building was the first union station in the world, built in 1851. Its replacement was built from 1873 to 1875, just before demolition of the first station building. After traffic problems on High Street, as well as increased rail traffic became problematic, a new station was planned by Daniel Burnham beginning in 1893. The new station opened in 1897, and its arcade along High Street was finished in 1899. By 1928, part of the arcade was demolished. Passenger service significantly declined from the 1950s to the 1970s. The arcade was demolished in 1976 to make way for a new convention center, although it had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places two years prior. Train service stopped at Union Station in 1977, and the remaining portions of the station were demolished in 1979. The demolished arcade was delisted in 1999. A portion of the arcade was saved, the Union Station arch, which is the focal point of the McFerson Commons park in the nearby Arena District. (Full article...) -
Image 22
Westgate is a community within the Hilltop area of Columbus, Ohio. It was partially constructed on land that formerly housed the American Civil War Camp Chase and a Confederate prison. After the Civil War, the land was purchased by Joseph Binns and his associates with the intent to start a Quaker community. These plans failed to materialize and the land was developed as a "streetcar suburb" in the 1920s. Located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of downtown, the neighborhood is home to Westgate Park and Recreation Center, Westgate Alternative Elementary School, St. Mary Magdalene Church and school, and Parkview United Methodist Church. 4,500 residents live within the Westgate boundaries, most in single family houses.
The Columbus Dispatch named Westgate one of the most affordable neighborhoods in the City of Columbus in October 2008.
Westgate is located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Downtown Columbus and is bounded by W. Broad Street to the north, Wilson rd to the west, Sullivant Avenue to the south, and Hague to the east. (Full article...) -
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The architecture of Columbus, Ohio is represented by numerous notable architects' works, individually notable buildings, and a wide range of styles. Yost & Packard, the most prolific architects for much of the city's history, gave the city much of its eclectic and playful designs at a time when architecture tended to be busy and vibrant. (Full article...) -
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Weinland Park is a neighborhood north of downtown Columbus, Ohio and encompassed by the boundaries of the University District. A development boom in the 1930s and 1940s resulting from new streetcar lines and the blossoming of factories brought working and middle-class families to the neighborhood. Current housing stock consists primarily of single family residential buildings that have been converted to rentals or multifamily housing. Row-homes and apartment buildings are also ubiquitous in the neighborhood. Renters currently outnumber owners. Commercial and entertainment facilities are concentrated on the North High Street corridor, but also pocket the inner part of the neighborhood as well. Weinland Park saw the sapping of its population and wealth with the rise of newer suburbs ringing the outer reaches of the city and the collapse of local industry and streetcar lines. The neighborhood has been plagued with crime and drug problems for decades but has recently seen a flood of new investment that has brought growth and revitalization to this long struggling neighborhood. Investment into the community includes the South Campus Gateway providing retail and residential finished in 2005, and a new food district and employment center. (Full article...) -
Image 25
The Kelton House Museum and Garden is a Greek Revival and Italianate mansion in the Discovery District of Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The museum was established by the Junior League of Columbus to promote an understanding of daily life, customs, and decorative arts in 19th-century Columbus and to educate visitors about the Underground Railroad. (Full article...)
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Selected images
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Image 7The LeVeque Tower was the tallest building in Columbus from 1927 to 1973. (from List of tallest buildings in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 8Home in Old Oaks (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 10Map of land surveys and city boundary growth, 1812–1920 (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 13Camp Chase as it stands today, a memorial to fallen soldiers from the American Civil War. (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 15Four of the city's five tallest buildings are around Capitol Square (from List of tallest buildings in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 17Lou Berliner Sports Park (from List of parks in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 19Arcade of the third Union Station, the city's rail station from 1897 to 1977 (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 21The Santa Maria Ship & Museum, a Santa María replica, was docked downtown from 1991 to 2014. (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 23Located in the Arena District, McFerson Commons is home to the Union Station arch. (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 28Taylor House on Bethel Rd. (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 29The Columbus Museum of Art collects and exhibits American and European modern and contemporary art, folk art, glass art, and photography. (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 30The Merion Village arch (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 31St. Mary Magdalene Church in Westgate (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 32Map of the Ohio Country between 1775 and 1794, depicting locations of battles and massacres surrounding the area that would eventually become the U.S. state of Ohio (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 34Bird's eye view map of Columbus in 1872 (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 35The historic Lincoln Theatre (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 36Hilltop signage (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 37Old North Columbus Arch (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 38Brewery District Scene (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 43Columbus in 1936 (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 45Map of the Ohio Country between 1775 and 1794, depicting locations of battles and massacres surrounding the area that would eventually become Ohio (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 461954 urban renewal map of Columbus (from List of demolished buildings and structures in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 49Municipal offices, including the Columbus Division of Police Headquarters, in the city's Civic Center (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 52Aerial satellite image of Columbus (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 54Hungarian Reform Church, in Hungarian Village (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 56The city in 1936 (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 57The iconic arches of the Short North (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 58Historic Home in Harrison West (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 61COSI (east entrance pictured) features themed, interactive science exhibits. (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 62Holy Rosary and Saint John Church (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 64The Pontifical College Josephinum (1888-1931) (from List of demolished buildings and structures in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 66Racial distribution in Columbus in 2010: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Other (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 67I-71, part of the innerbelt around downtown, bridged by numerous overpasses (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 68Italian Village rowhouse (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 69Aerial view of Reeb-Hosack (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 70Big Run Sports Complex, in Big Run Park (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 72Victorian-style homes located along Goodale Park (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 75Audubon nature center at Scioto Audubon Metro Park, the first built close to a major city's downtown (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 762010 Census-based map: red dots indicate white Americans, blue dots for African Americans, green for Asian Americans, orange for Hispanic Americans, yellow for other races. Each dot represents 25 residents. (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 78The city c. 1924 (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 79Skyline of Columbus (Use cursor to identify buildings) (from List of tallest buildings in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 80Dutch Colonial Style residences in Hungarian Village (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 83Eastern side of Olentangy Commons (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 84Homes in German Village (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 85The Scioto Mile includes nine parks along both banks of the Scioto River between downtown Columbus and Franklinton. (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 88Bird's eye view map of Columbus in 1872 (from History of Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 89Ohio Stadium, on the campus of Ohio State University, is the 5th-largest non-racing stadium in the world. (from Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 90Barlouie (from Neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio)
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Image 91Locations of numbered streets and avenues (from Columbus, Ohio)
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