The 3rd biggest metropolitan area within the state of Ohio, behind the cities of Cleveland and Cincinnati is the wonderful city of Columbus. There are about 800,000 people based on 2008 numbers and is the 16th largest city within the United States and the third most populous state capital. Based on the U.S. Census, the metropolitan area has a 1.7 million population and the Combined Statistical Area (which even consists of Chillicothe and Marion) has a population of around 2 million.
Within the city now; people can find a lot of museums including the The Columbus Museum of Art, which has a great collection of European and American art up to early modernism. Furthermore, there is the Wexner Center for the Arts, that is an art gallery concentrating on contemporary pieces. This center is situated on the campus of Ohio State University. The COSI, or the Center of Science and Industry, is a science museum that is located on the former Central High School. The Ohio Historical Society has a flagship museum named the Ohio Historical Center located north of downtown. The Kelton House Museum and Garden is a museum that showcases the Victorian life. The house belongs to three generations of the Kelton Family.
There are various outdoor attractions for those who like parks. Among the many to pick from are the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District has the Battelle-Darby Creek Metro Park, Inniswood Metro Gardens, and Highbanks Metro Park. One of the more popular is the Big Darby Creek in the southwestern portion of the town, that is noted for its beauty and ecological diversity. The Whetstone Park, that includes the Park of Roses, is a beautiful rose garden situated in Clintonville. The Chadwick Arboretum features a big and diverse collection of plants. It is situated on the OSU campus. The new Metro Park on the Whittier Peninsula includes an Audubon nature center that is focused on bird-watching.
There are likewise lots of popular performing arts institutions comprising the BalletMet Columbus, Columbus Children's Theatre, Shadowbox Cabaret, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, the Contemporary American Theatre Company (CATCO), Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Opera Columbus, and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. The Actors' Theatre offers free performances of open-air ampitheatre located in the German Village. Additionally, it also provides free performances of Shakespearean plays. The Columbus Youth Ballet Academy celebrates the artistic direction of Shir Lee Wu, a discovery of Martha Graham. At present, Wu is the artistic director of the Columbus City Ballet School. For concert locations, the list includes: Nationwide Arena, Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, Veterans Memorial auditorium, the Newport Music Hall, and Jerome Schottenstein Center. Theatre-lovers could visit the Lincoln Theatre, previously a center for Black culture within Columbus. There is even the King Arts Complex, that hosts different cultural events. There are likewise various downtown theatres in the area, like for instance the Ohio Theatre, the Palace Theatre, the Riffe Centre and the Southern Theatre.
Columbus City has a diverse and strong economy, which has been ranked as high as number seven as the best place to operate a business in the United States, according to Market Watch during 2008. The magazine fDi, ranked the city in the third position for "Cities of the Future" and ranked 5th in the country for being the headquarters for Fortune 500 companies. Among the biggest businesses in the Columbus MSA as of 2004 are: The State of Ohio Government, The Ohio State University, United States Government, JPMorgan Chase, OhioHealth, Nationwide, City of Columbus Government, Columbus City Schools, Honda of American manufacturing, Inc., Limited Brands Corp., Wal-Mart Stores, Franklin County Government, Mount Carmel Health System, Kroger Company, and Wendy's International, Inc.