Timeline of Columbus, Ohio facts for kids

This is a timeline of important events in the history of Columbus, Ohio. It shows how the city grew and changed over the years. You'll learn about when Columbus was founded, when big buildings were built, and when its population grew.

Early Years: The 18th Century

• 1797: Lucas Sullivant started Franklinton. This was the first lasting settlement in Central Ohio. It's also the oldest neighborhood in Columbus.

Growth and Development: The 19th Century

• 1803
  • Ohio became the first state created from the Northwest Territory.
  • Franklin County was formed.
• 1805: Franklinton got its first post office. A preacher also arrived in the settlement.
• 1806: The first schoolhouse was built. It was a small log building.
• 1811: The first church was built near what is now the Old Franklinton Cemetery.
• 1812
  • Columbus was officially founded.
  • The population was about 300 people.
  • Plans for High Street were made.
• 1813: Columbus's first post office opened.
• 1814
  • William Ludlow was chosen to manage the building of Columbus.
  • The first market house was built. It later became known as Central Market.
  • The first newspaper, The Western Intelligencer, started in Columbus.
• 1816
  • Columbus became the capital of Ohio. The state government met in its first statehouse here.
  • The Village of Columbus was set up. Jarvis W. Pike was elected as the first mayor.
• 1817
  • James Monroe visited Columbus. He was the first U.S. President to do so.
  • The Ohio State Library made Columbus its main location.
• 1824: The main office for Franklin County moved from Franklinton to Columbus.
• 1826: The first public schools opened in Columbus and Franklinton.
• 1831: Columbus was connected to the Ohio and Erie Canal by a special feeder canal.
• 1832: The Ohio School for the Deaf was started.
• 1833
  • The National Road began operating through Columbus.
  • A serious sickness, cholera, caused 100 deaths. About 1,000 people moved away.
• 1834
  • Columbus officially became a city. Its population was 3,500.
  • John Brooks became mayor.
  • The Ohio Penitentiary (a prison) started working.
• 1837: The Ohio State School for the Blind was established.
• 1840: The population grew to 6,048.
• 1845: Columbus Public Schools were established.
• 1849
  • A state meeting for Black citizens was held in the city.
  • Green Lawn Cemetery was created.
• 1850
  • The Columbus and Xenia Railroad started running. The first passenger train arrived.
  • Work began on Franklin Park.
  • The population reached 17,882.
• 1851
  • The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad began operating.
  • Union Station (a train station) opened. It operated until 1977.
• 1853
  • Saint Patrick Church was founded.
  • The Columbus Athenaeum (a cultural group) was founded.
• 1857: The Ohio Statehouse (the state capitol building) opened for use.
• 1861
  • The Ohio Statehouse was fully finished.
  • Camp Chase (a military camp) was established.
• 1862: Fort Hayes (another military post) was established.
• 1865: Abraham Lincoln's funeral train stopped in Columbus.
• 1868
  • St. Mary's of the Springs school opened.
  • The Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway began operating.
• 1870
  • Columbus added a lot of land, including Franklinton.
  • The Ohio State University was founded. It was first called the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College.
  • The Columbus Circulating Library was organized.
• 1871
  • The Daily Dispatch newspaper started publishing.
  • The public water system was first set up.
  • The population reached 32,000.
• 1872: The Public Library & Reading Room was established at Columbus City Hall.
• 1873: The Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College opened its doors.
• 1874: The Ohio State Fair found a permanent home in Columbus. Before this, it moved to different cities each year.
• 1875: Union Station was rebuilt.
• 1878
  • The St. Joseph Cathedral building was completed.
  • The Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts and the Ohio State University Marching Band were established.
• 1879: The Columbus Art School and the Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery were established.
• 1880: The population was 51,647.
• 1887: The Franklin County Courthouse was built.
• 1890: The population was 88,150.
• 1895: Franklin Park Conservatory opened.
• 1898: The first Neighborhood Guild (a community group) was organized.
• 1899
  • The Columbus Citizen newspaper began publishing.
  • The Masonic Temple was built.
  • The Hocking Valley Railway operated from 1899 to 1930.
• 1900
  • The Godman Guild House (a community center) was built.
  • The population reached 125,560.

Modern Era: The 20th Century

• 1903: The Columbus, Delaware and Marion Railway operated from 1903 to 1933.
• 1904: The Governor's Mansion and Franklin County Memorial Hall were built.
• 1905: Indianola Park (an amusement park) opened.
• 1906: The Columbus Public Library building was constructed.
• 1910
  • There was a streetcar strike.
  • The population was 181,511.
• 1912: A Woman Suffrage parade took place.
• 1913: The Great Flood of 1913 hit Columbus.
• 1914: The Columbus City Charter (a set of rules for the city) was adopted.
• 1917: Women were given the right to vote in city elections.
• 1919: The Spring Street YMCA opened.
• 1920
  • Planning began for buildings in the Columbus Civic Center.
  • The population was 237,031.
• 1922: Ohio State University's Ohio Stadium was built.
• 1924: Central High School was completed. It was the first building in the new Columbus Civic Center.
• 1927: The American Insurance Union Citadel was completed. It was one of the tallest buildings in the world at that time.
• 1928
  • Columbus City Hall was completed. It replaced the old City Hall that burned down in 1921.
  • The Ohio Theatre opened.
• 1929
  • The present-day John Glenn Columbus International Airport was established.
  • Battelle Memorial Institute (a research organization) was founded.
• 1933: The Ohio State Office Building was constructed.
• 1934: The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse was built.
• 1936: The White Castle restaurant chain moved its main office to Columbus.
• 1937: The Spanish–American War Memorial was dedicated.
• 1940: The population reached 306,087.
• 1947: The National Auto Theatre (a drive-in movie theater) opened.
• 1952: Ohio State University's Mershon Center for International Security Studies was established.
• 1954-1958: Columbus added many new areas, growing significantly in size.
• 1955
  • Franklin Heights High School was founded.
  • Columbus began planning its interstate highways with state and federal help.
  • A sister city relationship was started with Genoa, Italy.
• 1959: The The Columbus Citizen-Journal newspaper was published.
• 1960: The population was 471,316.
• 1964
  • Northland Mall opened.
  • The Bank One Tower was built.
• 1969: The first Wendy's restaurant was founded by Dave Thomas.
• 1970
  • The Columbus Free Press began publishing.
  • Columbus's population became larger than Cincinnati's.
• 1974: The Rhodes State Office Tower was built.
• 1975: Columbus Monthly magazine began publishing.
• 1976
  • Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center was established.
  • Union Station was torn down.
• 1977
  • QUBE television began broadcasting.
  • One Nationwide Plaza was built.
  • The Clippers baseball team began playing in Columbus.
• 1978: The Community Development Task Force was formed.
• 1980: A sister city relationship was started with Tainan City, Taiwan.
• 1982: Columbus became the largest city in Ohio by population, passing Cleveland.
• 1984
  • Huntington Center was built.
  • The Ohio Penitentiary (prison) closed.
• 1985: The Catco theatre company was founded.
• 1987
  • The King Arts Complex became active.
  • The Union Station mural was painted.
• 1988
  • The Vern Riffe State Office Tower and Three Nationwide Plaza were built.
  • Sister city relationships were started with Hefei, China; Odense, Denmark; and Seville, Spain.
• 1989: Columbus City Center (a shopping mall) opened.
• 1990
  • The Other Paper began publishing.
  • The William Green Building was constructed.
  • The population was 632,910.
• 1991
  • The city government's computer network began operating.
  • Carriage Place Movies 12 (a movie theater) opened.
• 1992: A sister city relationship was started with Dresden, Germany.
• 1996
  • The Columbus Crew soccer team began playing in the new Major League Soccer.
  • A sister city relationship was started with Herzliya, Israel.
  • The Chamber of Commerce's city portal went online.
• 1998: The city government's website went online.
• 1999
  • The Columbus Crew moved to the newly built Columbus Crew Stadium.
  • Easton Town Center opened.
  • The Columbus Ohio Temple was built.
• 2000
  • Michael B. Coleman began his first term as mayor of Columbus.
  • Nationwide Arena opened. It became home to the new Columbus Blue Jackets hockey team.
  • The population was 711,470.

The 21st Century

• 2001
  • Columbus Underground began publishing.
  • Miranova Condominiums were built.
  • The Arena Grand cinema and Polaris Fashion Place (a shopping mall) opened.
• 2004: The Northland Mall, which closed in 2002, was torn down. A new shopping area called Northland Village was planned for the site.
• 2008: A sister city relationship was started with Ahmedabad, India.
• 2009: Huntington Park opened in the Arena District. It became the new home for the Columbus Clippers baseball team, replacing Cooper Stadium.
• 2010
  • The population was 787,033.
  • Columbus City Center (the shopping mall) was torn down.
• 2011
  • Columbus Commons (a park and event space) opened.
  • Steve Stivers became a U.S. representative for Ohio.
• 2013
  • The population reached 822,553.
  • Joyce Beatty became a U.S. representative for Ohio.
• 2014: A sister city relationship was started with Curitiba, Brazil.
• 2016
  • Columbus became the second largest city in the Midwest, passing Indianapolis.
  • Andrew Ginther began his first term as mayor.
• 2018: Columbus became the 14th-largest city in America, passing San Francisco.
• 2020
  • The COVID-19 pandemic reached Columbus.
  • George Floyd protests took place in Columbus and many other U.S. cities.
  • The population was 905,748.
• 2021: Lower.com Field, the new Columbus Crew stadium, opened.
• 2023: The Columbus Crew won its third MLS Cup, which is their second in four years.