AllColumbusData’s Most Popular Posts and Pages

most popular posts and pages

Next month, AllColumbusData.com will have its 10-year anniversary. Hard to believe! Here are some stats on just some of what the site now contains:
-338 published posts. 10 additional are already complete and scheduled over the next few months.
-105 specific content pages.
-Well over 2,000 individual and before and after series historic photos.
-143+ years of weather data for both Columbus and its suburbs.
-200+ years of demographic and population data for Columbus and its suburbs.
-Information and photos for hundreds of current and past development projects.
-100+ videos.

What has been the most visited page, the most popular post over the years? Unfortunately, visitor data was lost prior to 2015 for various reasons. However, here have been the top 10 most popular posts and pages since 2015.

Top 10 Posts and the Year Published
1. Before and After How Columbus Changed in 10 Years 2021
This 2-part series was extremely popular last year, and easily became the most visited in the past 7 years.
2. Questions Answered- Columbus Zip Codes 2014
This post was very popular into 2018, but is now defunct. The information on this post ended up becoming bits and parts of other posts and pages.
3. Columbus Retail History- Shopping Centers 2013
One of the oldest posts on the site, it still gets consistent traffic almost a decade later.
4. Columbus Historic Church Demolition 2021
This one detailed plans to demolish an old church on the South Side.
5. Columbus Area Murders by Zip Code 2008-2015 2016
Pretty explanatory. This post provided crude maps of murders by zip code.
6. Columbus’ Greatest Snowstorm 2021
This post gave an account of the March 7-8, 2008 blizzard.
7. Columbus Area Zip Codes and Their Economies 2013
Still a consistent hit after a decade, this post gave details on economic information by local zip code.
8. Winter 2020-2021 Review 2021
Review the 2020-2021 winter with stats and rankings, something that has been done for all winters since 2014.
9. Franklin County Gentrification Trends 1990-2015 2017
This post looked at how income and race changes were driving neighborhood gentrification around Columbus.
10. How We Should Develop Around Intel 2022
The most recent on this list, this post deals with how the area around the Intel project should have a development plan, and detailed a hypothetical map of what that development could look like.

Top 10 Pages
1. Columbus Tornado History
The most popular by far, this page covers historic tornadic events throughout the entire Columbus Metro Area.
2. Olde Towne East Historic Buildings
This has been the most popular of all the Historic Building Database pages to date.
3. Proposed Development
This regularly-updated development page highlights the region’s many proposed projects.
4. Other Residential Historic Buildings
This page was one of the very first to be included in what would eventually become the Historic Building Database. It is defunct now, as its photos were eventually divided into a much greater expansion of featured neighborhoods.
5. Development Under Construction
All the projects currently under construction at any given time.
6. Census Tract Maps
Demographics, population and other data at the census tract level are provided in interactive maps going back to 1930.
7. Winter Storms
This page chronicles significant winter weather events from the past.
8. Columbus Flood History
As above, but dealing with flooding events.
9. Columbus Crime Statistics
Violent and property crime data, maps and demographic data related to Columbus crime are provided going back about 40 years.
10. Completed Development
Buildings and projects that were completed at some point in the past are highlighted on this page going back to the 19th Century.

Any surprises in what has been the most popular? Any posts or pages you’d like to see more of? Let me know here or on the Facebook page if you are enjoying the content or would like to see something different!



Strange Columbus Atomic Bomb Evacuation Routes

In this short edition of Strange Columbus Things, we look at Ohio’s atomic bomb evacuation routes.
Back in the 1950s, many were still grappling with the implications of the birth of the Atomic Age. The US was busily testing bombs both on and outside of US soil, and souring relationships with international adversaries presented the threat of nuclear war. In March, 1955, the director of Ohio’s Civil Defense, Major General Leo M. Kreber, release evacuation routes for Ohio’s major cities should an attack take place.

Strange Columbus Atomic Bomb Evacuation Routes

For Columbus, it was either north or south. In the description of why these directions are preferred, it was suggested that it was to prevent conflict with evacuees from the Dayton area to the west, but in reality, the truth is much darker.
In the event of a nuclear attack, it wouldn’t just be Columbus. Dayton and Cincinnati would also be hit, and due to prevailing winds in this part of the world, fallout would generally move eastward. Therefore, the safest routes were thought to be up towards Morrow County or south and southeast towards Hocking County.
The logic hasn’t changed much in the past 70 years. North and south would still be the safest evacuation routes. However, evacuation from targeted locations would only offer temporary refuge. The cruel reality is that in the event of a true, global nuclear war, few places anywhere on the planet would be left unscathed. If not destroyed by bombs or irradiated by fallout, nuclear winter would bring incredibly devastation to most of the planet, even those completely untouched by bombs.
As true today as it was in 1955, the only way to really be safe is for no one to ever push the button.

To continue looking into local history, visit the history links page or Ohio’s role in the atomic bomb’s creation, Ohio History Central offers additional information.