Quote:
Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown
Where is the growth in Columbus (proper) concentrated? Is it still annexing outlying areas?
I like Columbus. I've been 3 or 4 times over the years. I think it's probably the most under the radar city in terms of growth in the country (unless it's by annexation). To add 120K people in a decade is no small feat for any American city, let alone one that's not in the sunbelt.
As a visitor, I see the development in and around downtown but no way that accounts for a 100K+ increase in population in 10 years. The streets themselves are not that busy with people, etc.
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I'm no Columbus expert, but I know there has been impressive growth in the High Street corridor between Downtown and OSU's campus. Pretty crazy to see before and after pics of this area showing the bonanza of growth that's occurred in the last decade+. Here are a couple examples using streetview
2014
2024
2014
2024
Another area that has really sprung up from nothing is Franklinton, just across the river from Downtown. Streetview hasn't updated, but here's a look at how it looked as recently as
2019. Here's the aerial of
this area now.
I think core Columbus is definitely growing quickly, but it also obviously benefits from having such huge city limits, too. While annexation has largely stopped, or at least majorly slowed, a lot of the land that was annexed in years past is just now being developed. As a result, there are
new sprawly subdivisions being built adjacent to farms that all gets counted in the City of Columbus population figures. No doubt that significantly helps the Columbus growth narrative, though by no means does it explain all of it. The whole metro is growing and shows little signs of slowing. Columbus continues to be THE destination for people leaving depressed cities and towns around Ohio, of which there are many.
It's been a while since I've been to Downtown Columbus, but I agree it's very, very sleepy and lackluster for a city with such white hot growth. I'd love to see a Nashville or Austin style skyline boom there.