Introduction
The Columbus Ohio Metropolitan Area grew around the City of Columbus Ohio, which was conceived and developed to be the state capital. In 1812 when the idea of making Columbus the state capital of Ohio, the city itself did not exist (Ohio History Central, 2018). It started growing as infrastructure was being put in place for the capital, and has maintained an almost steady growth ever since it begun. A unique attribute of the history of the Columbus OH metro center is its ability to adjust to historical events that would have affected its growth patterns. Indeed, the area's growth benefited from the Civil War, an event that negatively affected the growth of most cities (Hunter, 2012). The Columbus OH Metropolitan Area has gradually changed from a little town to a city, then to an industrial city, and finally to a services industry-oriented city, a pattern that reflects the textbook manner in which successful modern cities have grown.
The Advent of the City
The advent of Columbus as a city and later as a metropolitan area can be traced back to 1812 when it was planned as a capital for the State of Ohio. The name Columbus was derived from famous explorer Christopher Columbus. At the time, there was competition for the state capital with other cities such as Franklinton, Dublin, Worthington, and Delaware (Hunter, 2012). It is possible that had one of the other cities gotten the title of the state capital, the Columbus OH metro area would not have come into existence. By the time the infrastructure was being laid down for the state capital, Columbus was only a town of about 400 people (Ohio History Central, 2018). In 1824, Columbus officially became the political seat of Ohio, though it still had not attained city status. The city status would then be attained in 1934 when the Columbus passed the 4000 population mark. Expansion into a metro area was a formula from the growth of Columbus from the start as it begun absorbing other settlements as soon as it started to grow. Franklinton, a settlement much older than Columbus was among the first to be absorbed (Ohio History Central, 2018).
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Economic History
The story of the Columbus OH metro area begins with almost no economic history, as there were no historical activities in the area before 1812. Having being planned as a state capital, the first economic activities revolved around construction, then the services meant to run the city (Hunter, 2012). Among the first institutions to be constructed were a penitentiary, which was built in 1813 and a statehouse which begun in 1814. Health was an important factor to the city’s growth with all manner of hospitals being built soon after, including what was arguably the largest insane asylum in the world within the 19 th century. The penitentiary also grew rapidly, holding as many as 1400 prisoners. Other healthcare-related institutions included an Asylum for Feeble-Minded Youth and a Blind Asylum (Hunter, 2012).
The economy then gradually transited to one led by industrial growth and allied trade, buoyed by the existence of an eleven-mile feeder constructed in 1831 canal that connected the city to the Ohio and Erie Canal. By 1836, the national road had reached the area and would soon after be followed by the Telegraph and the railway line (Hunter, 2012). Among the most famous industries in the area was one that made horse-drawn carriages, which presented itself as the greatest manufacturers of horse-drawn carriages in the world. During the same period, there was growth in academia, mainly because of its status as a state capital (Hunter, 2012). Many major learning institutions were built within the area and have continued to grow to date, maintaining the status of Columbus as an academic center (Policy Matters Ohio, 2018). These institutions include Ohio State University, Columbus Medical College, and Capital University.
The Civil War and Beyond
The Civil War is arguably the greatest calamity in the history of the USA from an economic perspective, but the Columbus OH metro areas benefited and derived growth from it. For most of the war, Columbus was a major staging area for Union forces, before they proceeded south to the war front (Ohio History Central, 2018). Further, the city hosted a large prisoners of war camp for captured Confederate soldiers. Due to the war, massive industrial, services, and commercial enterprises, alongside associated infrastructure projects came to Columbus, thus the city continued to grow while other cities dwindled or were destroyed by the war (Hunter, 2012).
Post-War to Modern Times
After the end of the war, Columbus continued to grow, mainly in line with the economic segments which had seen its rise at its beginning (Ohio History Central, 2018). This included industrial growth, growth as an academic hub, and growth in the healthcare services industry. It had 125,000 people by the rise of the 20 th century. Massive flooding affected the city in 1913, but instead of limiting its growth, it buoyed it. Levees and walls were built to contain Scioto River, leading to the development of riverfront properties (This Week News, 2013). In the 1940s, a large aircraft plant was built in the area, further increasing its economic growth. Other industries such as motor vehicle and steel plants would soon follow (Policy Matters Ohio, 2018). In the modern times, Columbus Ohio has been making the transition from reliance on manufacturing to the services industry including finance and hospitality (Ohio History Central, 2018). The academic sector is also massive but still growing bigger.
Conclusion
It can be argued that the Columbus OH metropolitan area, grew out of an idea and never looked back. Some early 19 th century politicians picked Columbus as the spot where the capital of Ohio would be constructed. The decision was fateful as it resulted in what is today one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the world. A unique feature about Columbus is its resiliency that saw the city growing almost constantly since it was begun in 1812. For example, the Civil War increased, rather than reduced the rate of growth, so did flooding around the city’s first centenary. To date, Columbus Ohio metro area continues to grow, having moved from 400 in 1813 to the over two million people today.
References
Hunter, B. (2012). A historical guidebook to old Columbus: Finding the past in the present in Ohio's capital city . Athens, OH: Ohio University Press.
Ohio History Central. (2018). Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved from http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Columbus,_Ohio
Policy Matters Ohio. (2018). Manufacturing: Still vital to Ohio. Retrieved from https://www.policymattersohio.org/research-policy/fair-economy/economic-development/manufacturing-still-vital-to-ohio
This Week News. (2013, March 27). 1913 flood changed Columbus. Retrieved from http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/2013/03/26/as-it-were.html
