Columbus is the capital and biggest city of Ohio, a state in the United States of America. With a population of 850,106, it is the fifteenth biggest city in the United States (2015 estimate). It is the principal city in the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which spans 10 counties. After Cleveland and Cincinnati, it is Ohio’s third biggest metropolitan area.
The Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area was the 28th biggest in the United States under the Combined Statistical Area (CSA) methodology. The Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Region (which also includes Marion, Chillicothe, and Mount Vernon) has a population of 2,370,839 people, making it Ohio’s second biggest metropolitan area after Cleveland. Additionally, it is the fourth biggest state capitol in the United States and the third largest city in the Midwest.
Franklin County’s county seat is Columbus. Additionally, the city proper has grown and absorbed areas of neighboring Delaware and Fairfield counties. The city was created in 1812 at the junction of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers and became the state capital in 1816.
Education, government, insurance, banking, fashion, defense, aviation, food, clothing, logistics, steel, energy, medical research, health care, hospitality, retail, and technology all contribute to the city’s varied economy. Columbus is home to the Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest private research and development foundation; the Chemical Abstracts Service, the world’s largest clearinghouse of chemical data; NetJets, the world’s largest fractional ownership jet aircraft fleet; and The Ohio State University, one of the country’s largest universities. In 2013, the city was home to five Fortune 500 companies: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, American Electric Power, L Brands, Big Lots, and Cardinal Health. Wendy’s and White Castle are both headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan region.