Columbus is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest after Chicago, and the third-most populous U.S. state capital after Phoenix, Arizona and Austin, Texas.
Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties. It is the core city of the Columbus metropolitan area, which encompasses ten counties in central Ohio. It is the largest metropolitan area entirely in Ohio and 14th-largest city in the U.S.
The city has a diverse economy based on education, government, insurance, banking, defense, aviation, food, clothes, logistics, steel, energy, medical research, health care, hospitality, retail and technology. The metropolitan area is home to the Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest private research and development foundation; Chemical Abstracts Service, the world's largest clearinghouse of chemical information; and the Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in the United States.
Take a look at these amazing photos to see what street scenes of Columbus looked like in the 1900s.
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| High St. south from Chestnut St., Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900s |
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| A view of the southeast corner of East Long and North Pearl Streets in downtown Columbus, Ohio, 1900 |
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| Broad & High Streets looking northeast, Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900s |
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| City Hall, E. State St. and Pearl Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900s |
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| High St. at night, Arch City, Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900s |
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| High St. north from State St., Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900s |
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| Hotel Star, 227 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900 |
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| Looking north toward State Street, one sees the Thomas Shirt Co., and the Goodale Hotel, S. High Street, Columbus, Ohio, 1900 |
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| N.E. corner, High and Broad Sts., Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900s |
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| S. High St. looking north from around Fulton St. Court House area, Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900s |
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| Savings and Trust Building, Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900s |
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| South High Street looking south from Broad Street Columbus, Ohio, circa 1900 |
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| The Schmidt Building at S. High St. and Fulton St. Engine House No. 2 is the building in the background, Columbus, Ohio, 1900 |
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| Chittenden Hotel, Columbus, Ohio, 1904 |
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| E. Long and N. High Streets, Columbus Ohio, 1904 |
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| Electric arch frames along S. High Street and Town Street, Columbus, Ohio, 1904 |
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| N. High St. Viaduct looking north from Naghten St., Columbus, Ohio, 1904 |
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| Northeast Corner of West Broad and North Front Streets Columbus, Ohio, 1904 |
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| Ohio Statehouse, South High St. at State St., Columbus, Ohio, 1904 |
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| Union Station, North High St., Columbus, Ohio, 1904 |
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| Busy Bee Restaurant and Candy Kitchens Building, S. High St. at W. State St., Columbus, Ohio, circa 1905 |
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| Great Southern Hotel at 310 S. High St., Columbus, Ohio, 1905 |
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| North High Street looking north from Lynn Street, Columbus, Ohio, 1915 |
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| The McCune Block located at the corner of Gay and North High Streets, Columbus, Ohio, 1915 |
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| North High Street looking south from Hickory Street, Columbus, Ohio, 1906 |
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| West Broad St. looking west from May St. in Columbus, Ohio, July 17, 1906 |
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| N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio, 1908 |
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| North High Street looking north from Vine Street, Columbus, Ohio, 1908 |
