Depending on the source, the first official Columbus Gay Pride event was held in either June 1981 or June 1982. Going through newspaper and other records, it does seem like the first official Pride Parade in Columbus occurred on June 26, 1982. There were smaller demonstrations prior to 1982, but nothing officially recognized. In the 1970s, before events became more commonplace, small marches would take place through Downtown. Some participants of those early events would wear bags over their heads so that they would not be recognized. Very few protections, if any, existed for the LGBT community then, so a public outing could be very detrimental to someone’s life. In 1982, Columbus City Council passed a resolution recognizing Gay Pride Week 13 years after the Stonewall Riots, and allowed the parade to take place. The City had been somewhat of an early adoptee of LGBT equality when, in 1974, it passed an ordinance expanding housing and other public accommodation protections based on sexual orientation.
The 1982 parade.
Between 500-1000 people showed up to Columbus’ first Pride. The group took a route from Goodale Park, down Front Street and eventually to Capitol Square for a rally. The first parade was somewhat low key compared to today’s enormous party atmosphere. Participants carried signs, sang songs and waved American flags. The now iconic rainbow flag had only existed since 1978 and was not yet in widespread use. The parade faced surprisingly few hecklers along the route for a time in which support for LGBT equality was very much a minority position within the greater population. Some local churches organized small protest groups that shouted at the crowd to repent, but were booed down by the parade- a scene that unfortunately continues to the present day.
These brave participants helped pave the way for what is now one the largest such events in the nation and possibly the world. From less than 1000 marchers and spectators, the still-growing event now attracts in excess of half a million. Based on global statistics, this would put Columbus’ Pride in the top 25 largest in the world and around 8th in the United States.
In Franklin County, the immigrant- or foreign-born- population has been growing rapidly for the last few decades. Latin American immigration was dominant for many years, but has recently taken secondary position to even faster Asian growth. But where does the immigrant population live, exactly? Where they end up in the county is perhaps not where common belief would always suggest. The interactive map below breaks down not only the main continent of origin for immigrants by census tract, but also gives the top 5 specific origin nations. While at first glance, the continents seem heavily grouped together, a deeper look at nations of origin indicate that immigrant populations are much more diverse and spread out much more evenly than it appears.
Happy day! The 2020 Census data is finally beginning to be released after months of delays, including 2020 census state populations. Let’s take a look.
In many cases, the 2020 estimates had significant errors. New York was found to have more than 800,000 people above what the estimate was. The estimate assumed the state had lost population the past decade, but it had actually gained well over 800,000. Ohio was also undercounted by more than 106,000. In general, the Census estimates had Northern states with either too large losses/too slow growth than reality, while Southern states were generally estimated to have grown more than they really did. This has been a long-standing bias within the Census estimates program.
Total Change By Region Between 2000-2010 and 2010-2020 South: -2,571,014 Midwest: -475,772 Northeast: +531,490 West: -2,104,601
Ohio moved into the top 25 in total growth and was one of the top states for the biggest improvement between the 2000s and 2010s. However, because it was already one of the most-populated states in the nation, its total growth still wasn’t enough for it to not lose another House district. The state will have to keep improving if it wants to maintain its level of representation in Congress. Meanwhile, the fast-growing South and West regions clearly slowed down in growth the past decade. Combined, they added 4.675 million fewer people the past decade than they did during the 2000s. The Midwest was more of a mixed bag, with more states improving, but Illinois cancelling out all of that positive momentum. Only the Northeast managed to add more people the past decade than it did during the 2000s, mostly led by a huge improvement in New York.
The Census will release 2020 population numbers for counties, cities and other places over the next few months, and will be posted here when they are.
For a long time, Columbus has had a reputation for having a relatively easy commute, at least in terms of driving. Its abundant highway and road system allowed commuters to travel to work quickly, with most commutes 20 minutes or less. However, as the city has grown and traffic has increased, the local commute may not be as quick as it once was. Story after story has shown that Columbus’ commute is steadily getting worse.
This post seeks to answer both how people are getting to work, how fast they get to work, and how commuters in Columbus differ from those in other cities. For this comparison, I used cities from metro areas most similar to Columbus’ size- 1.5-2.5 million- as well as major Midwest and Ohio cities.
First, let’s look at just how people get to work by the % of workers in 2019, the latest year available.
Out of the 31 cities looked out, Columbus is the 10th most car-dependent city. It is also the 3rd most car-dependent in Ohio after Akron and Toledo.
The heavy use of cars in Columbus did not translate to more people carpooling.
With only the COTA bus system available, the portion of the population that uses public transit is also in the bottom half. This despite the city seeing strong bus ridership growth over the last several years.
Columbus sat right in the middle of cities with the number of walking commuters. Several parts of the city lack sufficient walking infrastructure. For example, large parts of Linden and the South Side were built without sidewalks of any kind. Crosswalks and other safety features are also lacking in many areas.
Columbus is again in the middle of the pack on biking commutes, and again infrastructure is the likely reason. There is only a single section of one bike lane that is protected anywhere in the city. Creating more bike lanes, let alone protected ones, remains a low priority for the city. Instead, they have relied on “Shared Use” type signage, along with painting sharrows.
Columbus was in the top half of at-home workers. These numbers were all prior to the pandemic, so it’s likely that there will be significant increases in long-term or permanent home workers in post-2019 numbers.
Other types of commuting include everything from taxis to commercial airline flights.
Columbus was in the bottom half of cities for the average commute time. Like almost everywhere else, that time has been increasing, however. Columbus saw the 11th biggest commute time increase and had the 2nd largest in Ohio. With its far larger population growth recently and predicted, that commute time is only going to get worse.
It’s pretty clear that Columbus has significant car dependency. With increasing commute times, it is crucial to plan for how people will get to work in the future. That is why it’s so important that new development is built to be walkable and dense while the average commute is still relatively short. This will promote walking, biking and new transit forms, all of which is better for a more vibrant, healthier city. It will also perhaps keep the number of cars on the road from growing as much. To assist in this process, the city must invest in more pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure, while also writing building codes that promote better planning in development.
To be fair, Columbus has made some progress. In 2010, the % of the population that drove alone was 80.76%, 1.38 points above where it was in 2019. Furthermore, the city has promoted more bus usage with its CPASS program. That said, the culture changes could’ve been much better had more policy and infrastructure been in place years ago like many other cities have had. Columbus has a lot of work to do.
Is North Linden the best neighborhood for a starter home in Columbus? For many local residents, when they hear “Linden”, they may only think of negatives such as crime and neighborhood condition. Like many other parts of urban Columbus, the area is changing as development forces and population growth have begun pushing in from all sides, however.
With the Columbus market on fire, supply low and prices skyrocketing due to heavy demand, Linden homes are being looked at with a new perspective. Linden homes are some of the most affordable anywhere in Columbus, and while the neighborhood can be hit or miss to say the least, North Linden has begun to emerge as a destination for first-time home buyers.
Although the southern part of Linden was constructed before WWII, the vast majority of the remaining area was built in the 1950s and 1960s as former soldiers looked to start new lives. Because of the era in which many of the homes were built, most are single-story ranches or Cape Cod style cottages. The square footage of many of these homes tends to be around 1000 square feet or less. Until recently, the small relative size, among other issues, kept buyers away. The aforementioned tight real-estate market has given these homes potential new life.
North Linden is generally the part of the neighborhood that is to the between I-71 and Cleveland Avenue west to east and between Hudson Avenue and Cooke Road south to north. Let’s take a look at some of the homes currently on the market in this area to get a feel for what is available there.
1541 Genessee Avenue: $25,000 Square Footage: 1,056 This pre-WWII home is an example of many in the area that need some level of renovations- in this home’s case- major renovations. For those willing to take on a challenge, these types of inexpensive purchases could be a consideration.
1130 Pauline Avenue: $185,000 Square Footage: 1,412 Built in 1955, this home is much more typical of the housing stock that exists within the neighborhood, but on the larger side. Unlike the home above, this one has been fully renovated and shows the potential of what they can become. This type of home represents the top of the market in terms of price in the neighborhood, showing just how affordable the area really is. https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1130-Pauline-Ave_Columbus_OH_43224_M37110-45745
Beyond the less expensive prices and variety of quality fixer-uppers and renovated starter homes, North Linden is also well-situated near popular areas such as Easton, Clintonville, OSU Campus and the Morse corridor, which is rich in locally-owned restaurants and markets that specialize in foods and products from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. While there are many positives, some negatives might be higher crime in some spots- particularly closer to Cleveland Avenue- lack of walkability to amenities, and lower ranked schools within the Columbus district. As with any neighborhood, prospective residents must weigh the pros and cons according to their own lifestyles and needs. If one is a current Columbus resident looking to downsize, or a new family to Columbus looking to purchase their first home in an extremely difficult market to break into, North Linden does offer some opportunities that other neighborhoods do not.
