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Food & Beverage Industry

Cities that Sizzle

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan, 2001

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By comparison, Chicago, Boston and Cleveland all lost population.

Ranked No. 20 on the 1999 "America's Hottest Cities" list by Expansion Management magazine, Columbus is undergoing a massive building boom, with more than $2.5 billion worth of development either planned, under way or recently completed.

Several development milestones distinguish the city:

The only stadium in the country designed for soccer opened in Columbus in May 1999. The city's major league soccer team, the Columbus Crew, plays in the $28 million, 22,500-seat facility.

Last September, the $125 million Nationwide Arena opened in downtown Columbus as home to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the city's new National Hockey League team.

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The $110 million Jerome Schottenstein Center on the Ohio State University campus opened in late 1998 and is home to several OSU sports teams as well as a wide variety of concerts and entertainment.

In June 1999 the Easton Town Center opened in the northeastern part of the region. More than a mall, the innovative outdoor shopping and entertainment complex features a 30-screen movie theater, cabarets and comedy clubs, farmers' markets, art festivals and 17 restaurants. A $110 million phase-two expansion is on tap.

More than 7 million square feet of new shopping and entertainment is planned for the Polaris Fashion Place, to be completed this year. The new, $125 million home of one of the nation's top science attractions, COSI, the Center of Science and Industry, is located on the city's downtown riverfront. COSI features eight learning worlds and a 230-seat domed theater.

A $75 million expansion of the 6-year-old Greater Columbus Convention Center is planned to accommodate growing demand. Columbus hosts more than 1 million conventioneers and meeting attendees annually.

Columbus is a youthful city, with a median age of 31, compared with the national median of 35. Proportionally, more residents are in the 25-to-34 age category than in any other city. And Columbus is a smart city as well. Home to the nation's largest university, the 50,000-student Ohio State University, Columbus also is the headquarters for the Battelle Memorial Institute, a think tank credited with innovations ranging from compact discs and advanced golf ball coatings to xerography and UPC codes.

Eighty-four percent of Columbus' adults have at least a high-school degree, and 28 percent have at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 23.8 percent for the country as a whole.

Business diversity is the core strength of the Greater Columbus economy. Home to seven Fortune 500 companies and four Inc. 500 companies, Columbus thrives on a diverse mix of government, service, retail and manufacturing.

According to local attorney and restaurant reviewer Richard Terapak, the city often is referred to as a 20-20 town: 20 percent of business is government, 20-percent university, 20-percent manufacturing, 20-percent retail and 20-percent financial.

The city's base of industries has given central Ohio economic prosperity and stability, and the region's growth is expected to continue, especially fueled by high-tech professional services.

Food & Beverage Industry

Cities that Sizzle

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan, 2001

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