Why is Columbus Doing So Much Better Than Other Cities in Ohio?

[JoeP]

People can bash Columbus for expanding its land, but at the end of the day, the county's population is growing as well as the surrounding counties in the metro.

No other Ohio metro's core county is growing though some other metro's have at least one suburban county that is gaining population (some at the expense of the core county).

The dynamics that shape these cities are much more complicated than feel good numbers.

Columbus never was a heavy industrial center and therefore didn't suffer those losses and the baggage that comes from those decades long issues.

Couple that with the fact that the region has the stability of state government and a very large university.

Additionally, the city has its share of large corporations.

Many think that Columbus is growing like crazy.

It's doing well. It has moderately good in migration and job growth, but by Ohio standards, that makes Columbus look like Atlanta.

As for suburbia, big boxes and chains, all of the cities have that, it's just that Columbus' steady growth and relative youth make it a little more obvious... perhaps.