Columbus, the largest city in Ohio (and also the capital) is home to 787,033 people, making it the 15th most populated U.S. city. Columbus’ climate tends to have cold, dry winters and hot, muggy summers. In 2012, BusinessWeek ranked Columbus as one of the 50 best American cities. Most people get around Columbus by car but other options include a municipal bus service, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), car shares (ZipCar) and bicycle shares (CoGo). COTA is a free to local college students. Biking in the city has become a popular option because of recent bike path expansion. Several colleges and universities also offer their own free bus systems, including The Ohio State University (CABS).
There are 14 four-year colleges and universities located in Columbus, Ohio enrolling more than 75,000 students annually. The Ohio State University, the largest public institution in Columbus, Ohio was founded in 1870 and sits on 1,700 acres in the downtown area. Ohio State currently has over 475,00 living alumni located around the world, including George Steinbrenner, former owner of the New York Yankees. Columbus College of Arts & Design (CCAD) is one of the state’s largest, private institutions offering Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts to over 1,300 students annually.
Columbus is known for being a ‘football town’ in the fall months where much of the city can be found at Ohio Stadium (102,329 seating capacity) on Saturday’s cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Columbus boasts a wide selection of museums from the Columbus Museum of Art to the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), a large science museum. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium located in the city has been ranked as the best zoo in the United States features world-renowned collections and exhibits.