Living in Columbus
Columbus has an estimated population of 898,553 in 2019, making it the most populous city in Ohio and the 14th most populous city in the country. The Columbus metropolitan area has an estimated population of about 2.1 million. A wide variety of industries make up the Columbus economy, including education, government, insurance, banking, food, clothes, energy, logistics, and health care. Columbus is a relatively diverse city, with nearly 40% of residents identifying with one or more racial/ethnic minority groups. In addition, Columbus has repeatedly scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s annual rating of cities on LGBTQ inclusion.
Columbus has a wide variety of things to do, including:
Professional sports
- Columbus Crew-Major League Soccer
- Columbus Blue Jackets-National Hockey League
- Columbus Clippers-AAA Minor League Baseball
A large Metro Park System, including 19 natural parks with 230 miles of trails and over 27,700 acres of land
Multiple museums and public art galleries, including
- Columbus Museum of Art (https://www.columbusmuseum.org/)
- Center of Science and Industry (COSI)
- Wexner Center for the Arts, located on OSU campus
- Franklin Park Conservatory
- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
- National Veteran’s Memorial and Museum
Performing arts venues that regularly host a wide range of concerts, musicals, ballet, and other shows
- Columbus Symphony Orchestra
- BalletMet Columbus
- Nationwide Arena
- Jerome Schottenstein Center
- Newport Music Hall
- Lincoln Theatre
- Palace Theatre
- Ohio Theatre
The cost of living in Columbus is moderate. Additional up-to-date information about cost of living can be found here. Graduate student housing is available on campus, although most students live in off-campus apartments (some of which are available within walking distance of campus). There is a bus system in Columbus (cota.com), but no light rail and having a car is recommended to access many parts of the city.