Columbus was created and laid out to be the capital of Ohio; it is attractive, with broad, tree-lined streets; parks; Ohio State University; and a handsome Greek Revival capitol. Both Chillicothe and Zanesville had previously been capitals, but, in 1812, two tracts were selected on the banks of the Scioto River, one for the capitol, the other for a state penitentiary, and construction began immediately. The legislature first met here in 1816.

By 1831, the new National Road reached Columbus, and stagecoach travel stimulated its growth. The first railroad reached Columbus in 1850 and, from then on, the city grew rapidly. Floods in 1913 made it necessary to widen the channel of the Scioto River. Levees, fine arched bridges, and the Civic Center were built.

Transportation equipment, machinery, fabricated and primary metals, food, printing, and publishing are among the principal industries, but education and government are the most important functions of Columbus. Its people are civic-minded, sports-minded, and cultured. The city has more than 1,130 churches and congregations and 12 colleges and universities.