Category Archives: Columbus History

Tract Demographic Changes Mapped

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One of the most interesting things about the last census- at least to me- was the data on what demographic groups were moving where in Columbus. The following series of maps show the central core of Columbus and how the 4 major racial/ethnic groups have been changing in the area, both in 2000 and 2010.

While I can’t directly post images, the best way to look at the following map series is to open the 2000 and 2010 versions and do a side by side comparison.

White Demographic
2000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/?custommap=1,0,1,0,40.00535,-83.0034,11
In the 2000 map above, you could almost count the number of urban tracts with a growing White population on one hand. Even as far out as the I-270 corridor, there was a distinct lack of tracts where this group was growing. The vast majority of the growth in this demographic was in the far suburbs.
2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/?custommap=1,0,2,0,40.00535,-83.0034,11
By 2010, there had been some interesting changes. First, the ring of strong suburban growth seems to have lessened some, or at the very least, spread out more. Meanwhile, the tracts that were losing the White demographic pushed further out as well into some of these suburban areas. In the city’s urban core, the White population has clearly also been on the rise. While there were just a few positive tracts in 2000, just about every tract between Merion Village and Clintonville was growing in White population by 2010, as well as strong growth in the Near East Side, the Easton area and Downtown. Even a few tracts in the southern portions of Linden saw increases.

The question is, how will the map look in 2020? If the trends continue, the urban core should continue to expand its growth in this demographic. Sort of a reverse donut hole growth pattern.

Black Demographic
2000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/?custommap=1,1,1,0,40.00535,-83.0034,11
In 2000, much of the urban core of Columbus was losing the Black demographic. While not nearly as stark as the 2000 map for Whites, the suburbs were once again the easy winner for this demographic’s best growth.
2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/?custommap=1,1,2,0,40.00535,-83.0034,11
The 2010 map does show improvement, with more urban tracts gaining. The area of losses are almost exclusively concentrated on the Near East Side and Southeast Side. These same areas have historically been largely African American neighborhoods, so it may just be a case of majority population shift.

Asian Demographic
2000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/?custommap=1,3,1,0,40.00535,-83.0034,11
In 2000, Asian growth was fairly widespread, even in the urban core. There were weak spots, but not nearly as bad as the ones above.
2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/?custommap=1,3,2,0,40.00535,-83.0034,11
By 2010, though, there were some big changes. Out of the 4 demographic groups looked at, Asians were the only group which looks to have left the urban core more in the 2000s than they did in the 1990s. While other groups are increasing their presence in the city, Asians are doing just the opposite. There are still strong pockets of growth, and it’s still not as bad as Whites, but clearly there is a different dynamic to their moving patterns than with the other 3.

Hispanic Demographic
2000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/?custommap=1,2,1,0,40.00535,-83.0034,11
Hispanics had the best overall growth map in 2000, with widespread, strong growth across most areas of the city. The inner West Side did the worst and the suburbs did the best, but overall it’s not bad.
2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/?custommap=1,2,2,0,40.00535,-83.0034,11
2010 showed an even stronger growth by Hispanics across the city. There were only about 15 tracts total between Downtown and the suburbs that did not see growth in this demographic, out of more than 200.

It seems clear from these maps that the urban areas of Columbus are starting to become more attractive, or at least were the previous decade. Recent years have only seemed to strengthen this trend.

To see census tract data for Columbus going back to 1930, visit here: Census Tract Maps


Columbus History Camp Chase

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Columbus history Camp Chase Columbus, Ohio
Not long after the firing on Fort Sumter, South Carolina on April 12, 1861, the act that would begin the Civil War, President Lincoln called on the North to supply tens of thousands of volunteers to fight. Ohio stepped up, and eventually would have nearly 320,000 soldiers, the 3rd highest total in the North. However, it would have the highest % of enlisted men of any state in the North. And of course, the state would supply some of the war’s most famous generals, including Grant, Sherman, Sheridan and the infamous George Armstrong Custer, who would die along with all of his men at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876.

After Lincoln’s call to arms, Camp Jackson was established in Columbus for training and organization of these new recruits. I haven’t been able to find exactly where this was in Columbus, but it proved too small to handle the tasks it was supposed to, so the following month Camp Chase was commissioned, and on June 21, 1861 it was officially dedicated. Named after then Secretary of the Treasury Salman P. Chase, the borders of the camp were W. Broad Street, Westgate Avenue, Hague Avenue and Sullivant Avenue, so it encompassed a fairly large chunk of what would later become the Hilltop and eventually the Westgate neighborhood.
Columbus history Camp Chase barracks Columbus, Ohio
Over the next 4 years as the war raged on, over 150,000 Union soldiers came through Camp Chase, but so did 25,000 Confederate prisoners of war, with a peak of 9,423 of them held on the grounds by 1865. Conditions for them, of course, were not particularly great, nor was medical care. Food and clothing rations were too few, and there were so many POWs that overcrowding was a constant problem. Over the years, well over 2,000 of them died from disease, malnutrition, wounds or for attempts at escape. On the southern border near the intersection of Hague and Sullivant, a cemetery was established in 1863 for the detained Confederates who did not survive their imprisonment. By the time Camp Chase closed in July of 1865, 2,260 Confederates had been buried there.

Columbus history Camp Chase cemetery Columbus, Ohio

A large rock within the cemetery marking the graves.


Today, the cemetery is all that remains visible of the camp. After the war, the buildings were gradually dismantled until little trace remained of the land’s former use. Still, the site remained largely empty of development until the first decades of the 20th century when the Westgate residential neighborhood was constructed. The only other visible signs besides the cemetery today can be seen by aerial pictures. While Hilltop is a dense, residential area with hardly an empty lot to be found, the land within the former boundaries of the camp contain several school lots containing ball diamonds. When the Westgate neighborhood was built, the schools took advantage of the empty land for this purpose. Besides Westgate Park, which exists just outside of the former boundaries, there are very few other empty parcels of land in Hilltop.
Columbus history Camp Chase boundary Columbus, Ohio

The approximate location of Camp Chase between West Broad Street and Sullivant in Hilltop.

The History Links takes a look back at all sorts of other history for the Columbus area.



Cool Link Columbus Job Density

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The Brookings Institute recently released a study on job density, or basically where jobs are most heavily concentrated within metro areas.

Here is how Columbus job density compared to other Ohio metros.

Total Jobs Located within 3 Miles of the Central Business District (Downtown) in 2010, Most to Least
1. Columbus: 157,193
2. Cincinnati: 151,956
3. Cleveland: 127,846
4. Dayton: 75,481
5. Akron: 66,247
6. Toledo: 59,552
7. Youngstown: 54,368

% of Total Metro Jobs Located within 3 Miles of the Central Business District (Downtown) in 2010, Highest to Lowest
1. Youngstown: 27.3%
2. Akron: 24.9%
3. Dayton: 24.5%
4. Toledo: 23.8%
5. Columbus: 21.2%
6. Cincinnati: 17.7%
7. Cleveland: 15.4%

So Columbus has the highest total number of jobs within 3 miles of the CBD, but is in the bottom half for % of total metro jobs in that area.

Jobs Change from 2000-2010 for all Jobs Located within 3 Miles of the CBD, Best to Worst
1. Toledo: -15,412
2. Akron: -16,700
3. Youngstown: -17,307
4. Columbus: -30,338
5. Cincinnati: -31,717
6. Dayton: -32,420
7. Cleveland: -54,134

% Jobs Change from 2000-2010 for all Jobs Located within 3 Miles of the CBD, Best to Worst
1. Cincinnati: -1.9%
2. Cleveland: -2.1%
3. Akron: -2.5%
4. Columbus: -2.5%
5. Toledo: -2.5%
6. Youngstown: -2.9%
7. Dayton: -3.9%

At first glance, this may seem like horrible news, and while it’s not necessarily good, almost all metros lost jobs in this area, even high growth cities like Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, etc. This has a lot to do with the suburbanization of the nation over the last several decades, including during most of the 2000s. Jobs left the central core to spread out into the suburban areas people were moving to.

Total Jobs Located Between 3 and 10 Miles from the CBD in 2010, Highest to Lowest
1. Columbus: 321,508
2. Cleveland: 317,128
3. Cincinnati: 252,789
4. Dayton: 164,453
5. Toledo: 137,339
6. Akron: 117,986
7. Youngstown: 89,711

% of Total Metro Jobs Located Between 3 and 10 Miles from the CBD in 2010, Highest to Lowest
1. Toledo: 54.8%
2. Dayton: 53.4%
3. Youngstown: 45.1%
4. Akron: 44.3%
5. Columbus: 43.4%
6. Cleveland: 38.1%
7. Cincinnati: 29.5%

% Jobs Change 2000-2010 for all Jobs Located Between 3 and 10 Miles from the CBD, Best to Worst
1. Dayton: +1.5%
2. Youngstown: +1.1%
3. Akron: +0.7%
4. Toledo: -0.1%
5. Cincinnati: -1.4%
6. Cleveland: -1.4%
7. Columbus: -2.4%

The positive % changes even while the area lost jobs has to do with how many the share of total metro jobs. While the area may have lost jobs, its share of the entire metro grew as other areas shrank faster.

Finally, the far suburbs…

Total Jobs Located between 10 and 35 Miles from the CBD in 2010, Highest to Lowest
1. Cincinnati: 452,895
2. Cleveland: 386,727
3. Columbus: 262,003
4. Akron: 82,260
5. Dayton: 67,838
6. Youngstown: 54,709
7. Toledo: 53,736

% of Total Metro Jobs Located Between 10 and 35 Miles from the CBD in 2010, Highest to Lowest
1. Cincinnati: 52.8%
2. Cleveland: 46.5%
3. Columbus: 35.4%
4. Akron: 30.9%
5. Youngstown: 27.5%
6. Dayton: 22.0%
7. Toledo: 21.4%

% Jobs Change 2000-2010 for all Jobs Located Between 10 and 35 Miles from the CBD, Best to Worst
1. Columbus: +5.0%
2. Cleveland: +3.5%
3. Cincinnati: +3.3%
4. Dayton: +2.5%
5. Toledo: +2.5%
6. Akron: +1.7%
7. Youngstown: +1.7%

So what do all these numbers show? Well, the larger the metro, the more spread out it seems to be as far as where jobs are located. Smaller metros like Akron and Dayton are more compact. Columbus is the most compact of the 3-Cs and has the most total jobs, by far, within 10 miles of its core of any metro, but not by %. None of the metros saw real jobs growth within 10 miles of their cores, which is to be expected. However, in recent years, urban development has exploded, and companies seem to be shifting jobs closer to the center. It remains to be seen if these are long term trends or just a blip.



March 2013 Jobs Data

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March 2013 jobs data Columbus, Ohio

March 2013 jobs data has been updated for the greater Columbus Metro. The numbers reflect an economy still in long-term recovery from the Great Recession.

Columbus City
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%
Unemployment Rate Change since March 2012: -0.5
Unemployment Rate Change since January 2013: -0.7
Civilian Labor Force: 424,700
Civilian Labor Force Change since March 2012: -100
Civilian Labor Force Change since January 2013: -1,700
Employment: 398,800
Employment Change since March 2012: +1,900
Employment Change since January 2013: +4,000
Unemployment: 25,900
Unemployment Change since March 2012: -2,000
Unemployment Change since January 2013: -4,900

Franklin County
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%
Unemployment Rate Change since March 2012: -0.4
Unemployment Rate Change since January 2013: -0.7
Civilian Labor Force: 621,100
Civilian Labor Force Change since March 2012: +0
Civilian Labor Force Change since January 2013: -2,600
Employment: 583,300
Employment Change since March 2012: +2,700
Employment Change since January 2013: +5,900
Unemployment: 37,900
Unemployment Change since March 2012: -2,700
Unemployment Change since January 2013: -4,700

Columbus Metro Area
Unemployment Rate: 6.2%
Unemployment Rate Change since March 2012: -0.4
Unemployment Rate Change since January 2013: -0.8
Civilian Labor Force: 963,200
Civilian Labor Force Change since March 2012: +300
Civilian Labor Force Change since January 2013: -4,700
Employment: 903,900
Employment Change since March 2012: +4,200
Employment Change since January 2013: +3,400
Unemployment: 59,300
Unemployment Change since March 2012: -3,900
Unemployment Change since January 2013: -8,100

Ohio Overall
Unemployment Rate: 7.1%
Unemployment Rate Change since March 2012: -0.3
Unemployment Rate Change since January 2013 : +0.1
Civilian Labor Force: 5,744,000
Civilian Labor Force Change since March 2012: -26,000
Civilian Labor Force Change since January 2013: +4,200
Employment: 5,388,000
Employment Change since March 2012: -8,000
Employment Change since January 2013: -3,000
Unemployment: 407,000
Unemployment Change since March 2012: -18,000
Unemployment Change since January 2013: +7,200

Non-Farm Jobs
Total: 943,300
Change from March 2012: +5,000
Change from January 2013: -300

By Industry
Mining/Logging/Construction Total: 26,800
Change from March 2012: -900
Change from January 2013: -100

Manufacturing Total: 65,200
Change from March 2012: -200
Change from January 2013: +200

Trade/Transportation/Utilities Total: 179,300
Change from March 2012: -500
Change from January 2013: -2,900

Information Total: 16,400
Change from March 2012: -300
Change from January 2013: -100

Financial Activities Total: 71,700
Change from March 2012: +700
Change from January 2013: +0

Professional and Business Services Total: 155,900
Change from March 2012: +700
Change from January 2013: +300

Education and Health Services Total: 140,000
Change from March 2012: +4,000
Change from January 2013: +500

Leisure and Hospitality Total: 90,100
Change from March 2012: +200
Change from January 2013: +1,600

Other Services Total: 35,900
Change from March 2012: +200
Change from January 2013: -300

Government Total: 162,000
Change from March 2012: +100
Change from January 2013: +1,500

March was another mediocre month for the Columbus area, and Ohio in general. All indications are, however, that April really began to turn around the downturn that began in December.

The Columbus MSA Economy at the Bureau of Labor Statistics was the source of this data.



Columbus and Segregation 1970 and 2010

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Columbus and segregation history

A cool interactive map has come out showing how cities/metros have changed over time in terms of segregated census tracts. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2013/04/new-interactive-graphic-charts-integration-268-cities/5336/ Here are the results for Ohio’s metros.

The number is based on the dissimilarity index, with 0 being the most racially integrated and 100 being the most racially segregated. They are for the entire metro area’s census tracts.

Most to Least Segregated Metros in 1970
1. Cleveland: 88.3
2. Dayton: 86.5
3. Toledo: 84.3
4. Cincinnati: 80.8
5. Columbus: 79.2
6. Youngstown: 77.2
7. Akron: 76.8
8. Canton: 74.4

So in 1970, it’s pretty clear that all of the metros were very segregated, with Cleveland, surprisingly, being the most segregated of the bunch.

Most to Least Segregated Metros in 2010
1. Cleveland: 72.1
2. Cincinnati: 66.4
3. Youngstown: 64.9
4. Dayton: 62.9
5. Toledo: 62.7
6. Columbus: 59.2
7. Akron: 57.3
8. Canton: 53.0

Fast forward 40 years and they’ve all become less segregated. Cleveland is still the worst and Canton is still the best. Every other metro has shifted positions. Columbus dropped a spot.

Change from 1970-2010, Best to Worst
1. Dayton: -23.6
2. Toledo: -21.6
3. Canton: -21.4
4. Columbus: -20.0
5. Akron: -19.5
6. Cleveland: -16.2
7. Cincinnati: -14.4
8. Youngstown: -12.3

Dayton has seen the biggest improvement, Youngstown the least.