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I lived in central Ohio years ago, and liked the area very much. I've posted on the Ohio forum a couple of times, defending the state and relating my positive impressions when users have started Ohio-bashing threads. Now I have two questions about Columbus, a city I remember fondly from even before the time it had experienced the inner city gentrification of recent years.
The first question is short and simple. Has anyone heard any explanation, especially from professionals in the know on these matters, about why central Ohio has grown as rapidly as it has in the last few decades? The area stands out among metro areas in the Northeast and Midwest in this regard, but I've never heard or read any explanation for this healthy growth rate, and I'm curious.
Second question: Just how much of Columbus has become gentrified? When I left the area in the early '80's, the only upscale neighborhoods of condos and little restaurants I knew about in the central city were German Village and a small area up near the OSU campus, covering the first few blocks just east of High Street. Other than that, there was the center of downtown around the state capitol, with the big downtown stores along High Street and most of the skyscrapers located just to the north of the capitol. Most of the rest of the central city was either slummy residential neighborhoods or seedy commercial districts characterized by dive bars, strip joints, porno theaters, used furniture stores, pawn shops, and check-cashing places.
Back in the day, I never heard of Victorian Village or the Short North, for example. Maybe those neighborhoods were called by those names and I didn't know it. In any case, a lot of the nicer inner-city neighborhoods of today weren't so nice back then. I've never been back to Columbus since moving from the area, but I've read about the city's development, so I know where some of the neighborhoods are, and I can tell you, for example, that the area now called Short North was one of those faded commercial zones I described above.
So I'm wondering whether a good portion of the central city has been cleaned up, with perhaps only some pockets of the more seedy sections that used to cover much of the area, or it's more like pockets of nice neighborhoods in a central city that is still fairly run down.
Okay, so the way I describe the Columbus of a couple of decades ago, you might wonder why I was fond of the place. Hard to explain. I just liked the whole area in general. I liked the down-to-earth common sense and friendliness of the people around central Ohio, and Columbus itself had German Village and that neighborhood near OSU, as well as some good restaurants and nightspots scattered throughout the city. I left a part of myself behind when I moved from Ohio, and will always have fond memories of the area. I'd appreciate it if people could answer the two questions above, and give me a picture of what's happening today with a place that will always be kind of special to me. Thanks.
The area just north of downtown on High Street is considered the Short North with Victorian Village being the residential neighborhood off to the west of High St. Over the past 20 years both areas have grown from "fly town" or the white slum I remember as a teenager to one of the most progressive neighborhoods in Ohio, if not the midwest entirely. The gay community of Columbus really sunk their collective teeth and a ton of money into the big old houses and unique shops/restaurants that now line High Street. Most of the authentic growth of that area slowed down, however, when the new Hockey Arena and surrounding Arena District were built at the site of the old Ohio Penitentiary. Unfortunately, an amazing amount of regional/national chain restaurants and bars were then added to this connecting area that borders both the Short North and Downtown.
The most recent addition to the area is what is called The Sky Cap. The overpass that connects downtown to the Short North was actually reconstructed to house retail and more restaurants. You would hardly know you where on an overpass while walking around on it. It's pretty neat, but is also what I would consider the event that released the floodgate of suburbanites into the area and changed the Short North from a quirky little neighborhood into more of a trendy, high end suburb... Yep, I said suburb. Don't get me wrong though. It is still extremely nice and probably one of the few places in Columbus I would actually be excited to take an out of town visitor.
Thanks for the info, HuskerDu. Bouncin' a little rep your way in appreciation.
It sounds as if you remember when the area that is now the Short North was just ever so slightly on the trashy side. On the subject of some inner-city areas becoming like suburbs, well, everything's relative. Quirky neighborhoods are nice, but, given that you apparently know what a lot of central Columbus used to be like, you know that even a clean suburban look is a big improvement.
So, how much of central Columbus is more upscale now, whether quirky or suburban? Any of the old seediness still around, or is most of the inner city pretty nice now? Later last night, after posting this thread, I read something to the effect that as the inner city has improved, a lot of the area's former residents have been pushed out farther from downtown, so that now a lot of the outlying neighborhoods have become run down? Is that the case? Most of the outlying areas used to be fairly solid middle or working class suburbia, even though within the city limits. It would be a shame if the inner city improvements had simply shifted the locations of the shabby parts of town. What's the real story there?
Has anyone ever heard any professional opinions about the reason for central Ohio's growth in recent decades? I'm very curious about that, since it stands out so from most areas in the country's northeastern quadrant these days.
The gentrification vice is huge in central Columbus. From my experience, the most recent and continuing push is that of a neighborhood called Olde Towne East that is the recent target for renewal. The buildings are huge old mansions in many cases and you will see many-o-rainbow flag and scaffolding there. That area was once similar to Bexley (or so I would guess) many decades ago but as white flight took hold, it became a really rough area. I lived on Bryden Rd. during the late 90's and would be approached by prostitutes and strung out homeless folks on a daily basis upon arriving home from work. I hear it's getting better now and thats where the push starts. The poor, and almost exclusively black, population being removed from the area mostly moved east to the James Road area. The James Road residents were not happy and moved east to Whitehall (where I was born and raised incidentally). Whitehall residents then picked up and moved even further east out to Reynoldsburg to get away from the incoming Whitehall refugees (no pun). You can probably guess my next sentence, but here it goes... Reynoldsburg, which was kind of temporarily posh (like Powell or Dublin now) when I was a kid in the 70's, eventually emptied out into Pickerington and now Canal Winchester where low income housing was just introduced a few years ago.
Suburban sprawl also hit areas out that way so many of the houses and especially vinal sided condo-parks were not built well and are now in disrepair or being forclosed upon.
Outlook for East Columbus = bleak.
I'm sure Lancaster, Ohio will be included in this unfortunate mix before long. It's strange that everyone in Columbus hacks on my new home of Cincinnati, Ohio for having race problems when the push/flight mechanism in Columbus, however veiled, is equal to or even more substantial than that of the Queen City.
Another reason for the growth of Columbus proper has been the city's relentless annexation. Somewhere I read that in recent decades it's more than tripled its land area. Though I think in recent years the rate of annexation has slowed a bit.
Ohio's state government has exploded in size since the 1970's, with much of that growth being in Columbus. Ohio went from being a high growth state to being a low growth/no growth state, over the same period that it went from being a low tax state to a high tax state. Depending upon what your politics are, to some extent or a large extent, the state government in Ohio strangulates to the rest of the state to create growth in Columbus.
Also, Columbus houses the flagship Ohio State University, which grows whilst Ohio's other universities get neglected.
Of course it helps that Columbus wasn't as big into manufacturing as most other Midwestern cities, and has a lot of service/retail companies that have grown as the service sector has boomed.
Ohio's state government has exploded in size since the 1970's, with much of that growth being in Columbus. Ohio went from being a high growth state to being a low growth/no growth state, over the same period that it went from being a low tax state to a high tax state. Depending upon what your politics are, to some extent or a large extent, the state government in Ohio strangulates to the rest of the state to create growth in Columbus.
Also, Columbus houses the flagship Ohio State University, which grows whilst Ohio's other universities get neglected.
Of course it helps that Columbus wasn't as big into manufacturing as most other Midwestern cities, and has a lot of service/retail companies that have grown as the service sector has boomed.
It sounds like you have a mild case of regionalism. Columbus is not to blame for the poor economic/declining conditions of Ohio's other major and (now) minor cities.
Ohio State, actually, receives just as much or less than other universities in state assistance per student. It just may seem to an outsider like the beacon of hope, for the rest of state, is somehow to blame for your regional issues. I would like researched evidence that can even suggest that the declining economy of Cleveland is a result of actions performed by the city of Columbus.
To get back on the original topic of this poster: ogre I would love to meet and discuss the Columbus you knew from before. I grew up in this fine city and now am in my mid20s living in the short north area. In my early years, my family would rarely come to the central city, so i really never got to see how different the central city was then.
Some of your assumptions are correct. Gentrification has TRANSFORMED the short north/victorian village areas. The area is one of the biggest transformations any innercity neighborhood has made in the US.
German Village has increased in its property values. And the once working class neighborhood, Merion Village, south of German Village, is now nearly gentrified.
Specifically, the neighborhood west of the short north (victorian village) had homes selling for 10,000 dollars in the 1980s. Now, a non renovated home in VV can sell for 400,000. The same house. There are million dollar condos along Goodale Park.
Around 2000; the neighborhood east of the short north Italian Village, is now gentrified and the move is making its way up to the Ohio State south campus area.
The near east side has gotten a lot of reinvestment. The commercial strips of Parsons Ave., East Main & Livingston, and West Broad st. have seen little changes, if anything there's less local shops. These commercial strips are my target for the next areas to gentrify after the Short North. Especially south parsons ave as Merion and German village are now both nice.
The only innercity area that has seen almost no change is the Franklinton (bottoms) neighborhood on the west side of downtown.
Now you are right that the areas outside of the traditional innercity have much higher poverty rates. This day in age immigrants moving to columbus do not move to downtown in large numbers. They are living in the apartments and smaller homes that were middle class neighborhoods when you last lived here.
A 2006 dispatch article showed how in the 70s poverty was isolated to the innercity. Now it extends way past out the outerbelt and to the suburban school districts.
Another reason for the growth of Columbus proper has been the city's relentless annexation. Somewhere I read that in recent decades it's more than tripled its land area. Though I think in recent years the rate of annexation has slowed a bit.
I have noticed that the city's land area has increased, so, yes, annexation has added some to the population of the city proper. However, it seems that the whole central Ohio area is growing faster than is the case in most frost belt areas. For example, I've read several times in the last year or two that Delaware County is the 12th (I believe that's the number) fastest growing county in the country. I keep wondering what is drawing people. I really liked the area when I lived there, but it doesn't seem to have too many of the charactristics (warm weather, magnificent natural scenery, low taxes) found in many areas that are having fast population growth. I'm glad to see that a place I recall fondly is doing well, but I am curious about the reason for a growth rate that's uncharacteristic for the country's northeastern quadrant.
Ohio's state government has exploded in size since the 1970's, with much of that growth being in Columbus. Ohio went from being a high growth state to being a low growth/no growth state, over the same period that it went from being a low tax state to a high tax state. Depending upon what your politics are, to some extent or a large extent, the state government in Ohio strangulates to the rest of the state to create growth in Columbus.
Also, Columbus houses the flagship Ohio State University, which grows whilst Ohio's other universities get neglected.
Of course it helps that Columbus wasn't as big into manufacturing as most other Midwestern cities, and has a lot of service/retail companies that have grown as the service sector has boomed.
I think your last paragraph is onto something up to a point. It's true that Columbus is not suffering the kinds of serious economic problems found in cities that used to be industrial giants and have lost much of the industry that was once their economic mainstay. When other Midwestern cities were in their industrial heyday, Columbus was attractive at the time because the lack of heavy industry meant that it was a relatively clean city. Now it's attractive because the lack of past dependence on faded-out industries means its economy is in good shape. A lot of this may explain why Columbus is not experiencing so many of the negatives found at present in many other cities in the region, but I still wonder about the reasons for the fast growth, as opposed to a mere lack of negatives. I wonder how many new arrivals are from various regions across the U.S. and how many are from nearby states. If many are from nearby states, that might explain a lot of the growth. Could be that people from the Midwest are moving to one of the region's nicer areas, so they can leave behind their depressed old industrial cities for a more pleasant, economically healthy metro area, yet still remain fairly close to home.
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