Columbus, Ohio is a vibrant city with a rich history and culture. Located on the banks of the Scioto River, Columbus is home to a diverse population and a wide range of attractions. From the Miranova Corporate Center to the Condominiums at North Bank Park, Columbus has something for everyone. The city's climate is humid continental, transitioning with the humid subtropical climate of the south.
This means that winters are cold and dry, while summers are warm and humid. The average age in Columbus is 31.2 years old, with 23.2% of residents under 18 years of age, 14% between 18 and 24 years old, 32.3% between 25 and 44, 21.8% between 45 and 64 and 8.6% of 65 years of age 65 and over. The gender composition of the city is 48.8% men and 51.2% women. Columbus is home to many performing arts institutions, such as the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Opera Columbus, BalletMet Columbus, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, CATCO, Columbus Children's Theater, Shadowbox Live, and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Throughout the summer, the Columbus Actors Theater offers free performances of Shakespeare's plays in an outdoor amphitheater in Schiller Park. Annual festivities in Columbus include the Ohio State Fair, one of the largest state fairs in the country, as well as the Columbus Arts Festival and Jazz & Rib Fest.
During the first weekend of June, the bars of Columbus' North Market District host the Park Street Festival. On the penultimate weekend of June, one of the largest gay pride parades in the Midwest, Columbus Pride is held. During the last weekend of June, Goodale Park hosts ComFest (short for Community Festival), a huge three-day music festival that touts itself as the largest non-commercial festival in the U. S.
The Greek Festival is celebrated in August or September at the Greek Orthodox Church in the center of the city. The Hot Times Community Arts & Music Festival is held every year in Olde Towne East neighborhood. The Juneteenth Ohio festival is held every year in Franklin Park on Father's Day weekend. Started by Mustafaa Shabaz, Juneteenth Ohio is one of the largest African-American festivals in the United States and includes three full days of music, food, dance and entertainment by local and national artists. The festival celebrates Father's Day by honoring local parents. Columbus is also home to many museums such as North Market (a public market and food hall), Thurber House (which documents the life of cartoonist James Thurber), Jack Nicklaus Museum (which documents golfer's career), Kelton House Museum and Garden (a historic house-museum commemorating three generations of Kelton family), Ohio Central Fire Museum, Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum and Ohio Museum of Crafts. As the capital of Ohio and county seat, Columbus is home to numerous federal, state, county and municipal government offices and courts.
Franklin County operates the Franklin County Government Center at southern end of downtown Columbus which includes municipal county court, common causes court, correctional center, juvenile detention center and sheriff's office. Several weekly and daily newspapers serve Columbus and Central Ohio such as The Columbus Dispatch (main daily newspaper), ThisWeek Community News by Dispatch Printing Company, Columbus Messenger, Clintonville Spotlight and Short North Gazette. Alternative arts/culture/politics-oriented newspapers include ALIVE (formerly independent Columbus Alive now owned by Columbus Dispatch), Columbus Free Press and Columbus Underground (in digital format only). The city also has magazines such as The Lantern & 1870 (for Ohio State University community), The Columbus Magazine CityScene 614 Magazine & Columbus Monthly. The address system covers almost all Franklin County with address scale of 700 per mile bringing addresses closer to 10,000 at county borders but they don't usually reach them. Rickenbacker International Airport in southern Franklin County is a major cargo facility used by Ohio Air National Guard while Allegiant Air offers nonstop service from Rickenbacker to Florida destinations. The Ohio State University Don Scott Airport & Bolton Field are other major general aviation facilities in Columbus area while Franklin County earns high marks as desirable community for its many opportunities & services for residents & visitors. Columbus is currently fourteenth largest city in US with 922200 inhabitants & home to attractions such as Columbus Museum of Art, Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Garden, Columbus Symphony Orchestra Short North Arts District & sports teams like Columbus Blue Jackets (National Hockey League) & Columbus Crew Soccer Club (Major League Soccer).
