Timeline of Columbus, Ohio

19th century

1812

Columbus founded.

Population: 300.

1816 - Jarvis W. Pike elected mayor.

1817 - Ohio State Library headquartered in Columbus.

1831 - Columbus connected to Ohio and Erie Canal.

1832 - Ohio State School for the Deaf established.

1833 - National Road in operation.

1834

Columbus chartered as a city.

John Brooks becomes mayor.

Ohio Penitentiary begins operating.

1837 - Ohio State School for the Blind established.

1840 - Population: 6,048.

1845 - Columbus Public Schools established.

1849 - State Convention of the Colored Citizen held in city.

1850

Columbus and Xenia Railroad begins operating.

Population: 17,882.

1851 - Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad begins operating.

1853 - Columbus Athenaeum founded.

1861 - Ohio State Capitol building completed.

1862 - Fort Hayes established.

1868

St. Mary's of the Springs school opens.

Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway in operation.

1870 - Columbus Circulating Library organized.

1871 - Daily Dispatch newspaper begins publication.

1872 - Public Library & Reading Room established.

1873 - Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College opens.

1875 - Union Station rebuilt.

1878 - Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts and Ohio State University Marching Band established.

1879 - Columbus Art School and Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery established.

1880 - Population: 51,647.

1887 - Franklin County Courthouse built.

1894 - "Ugly law" approved.

1895 - Franklin Park Conservatory opens.

1898 - First Neighborhood Guild organized.

1899

Columbus Citizen newspaper begins publication.

Masonic meeting hall built.

20th century

1900

Godman Guild House built.

Population: 125,560.

1904 - Governor's Mansion and Franklin County Memorial Hall built.

1905 - Indianola Park (amusement park) in business.

1906 - Columbus Public Library building constructed.

1910 - Streetcar strike.

1913 - Flood.

1919 - Spring Street YMCA opens.

1920 - Population: 237,031.

1922 - Ohio State University's Ohio Stadium built.

1927 - American Insurance Union Citadel built.

1929 - Battelle Memorial Institute founded.

1933 - Ohio State Office Building constructed.

1934 - U.S. Post Office and Courthouse built.

1936 - White Castle (restaurant) headquartered in city.

1940 - Population: 306,087.

1947 - National Auto Theatre (drive-in cinema) in business.

1952 - Ohio State University's Mershon Center for International Security Studies established.

1954 - Black Baptist Pastors' Conference organized (approximate date).

1955 - Sister city relationship established with Genoa, Italy.

1959 - The Columbus Citizen-Journal newspaper in publication.

1960 - Population: 471,316.

1964

Northland Mall in business.

Bank One Tower built.

1970 - Columbus Free Press begins publication.

1974 - Rhodes State Office Tower built.

1975 - Columbus Monthly magazine begins publication.

1976 - Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center established.

1977

QUBE television begins broadcasting.

One Nationwide Plaza built.

1978 - Community Development Task Force formed.

1980 - Sister city relationship established with Tainan City, Taiwan.

1984 - Huntington Center built.

1985 - Catco theatre company founded.

1987

King Arts Complex active.

Union Station (Mural) painted.

1988

Vern Riffe State Office Tower and Three Nationwide Plaza built.

Sister city relationships established with Hefei, China; Odense, Denmark; and Seville, Spain.

1989 - Columbus City Center (shopping mall) in business.

1990

The Other Paper begins publication.

William Green Building constructed.

Population: 632,910.

1991

City government computer network begins operating.

Carriage Place Movies 12 (cinema) in business.

1992 - Sister city relationship established with Dresden, Germany.

1996

Sister city relationship established with Herzliya, Israel.

Chamber of Commerce city portal online.

1998 - City government website online (approximate date).

21st century

2000

Michael B. Coleman is first elected as mayor.

Population: 711,470.

2001

Columbus Underground begins publication.

Miranova Condominiums built.

Arena Grand cinema and Polaris Fashion Place (shopping mall) in business.

2004 - The Northland Mall on Morse Road, which closed in 2002, is demolished to make way for a new commercial development, ultimately to be called Northland Village.

2008 - Sister city relationship established with Ahmedabad, India.

2010 - Population: 787,033.

2011

Columbus Commons (park) opens.

Steve Stivers becomes U.S. representative for Ohio's 15th congressional district.

2013

Population: 822,553.

Joyce Beatty becomes U.S. representative for Ohio's 3rd congressional district.

2014 - Sister city relationship established with Curitiba, Brazil.