Columbus is the capital and largest city of the US state of Ohio. The city’s prehistory started in 1803, when Ohio became a state and had to have a capital. Chillicothe and Zanesville were the first capitals, and other cities were considered before it was decided to build a new city in the center of the state as the capital, and it became Columbus, founded in 1812.

In the following decades, the city grew after the opening of the National Road and the Ohio and Erie Canal, both of which provided Columbus with good transportation routes, and that was further strengthened with railroads from 1850. In the mid-1830s, Columbus had about 4,000 inhabitants, a number that increased to 125,000 by the end of century, when many large industries were established in the city with production of, among others steel and horse-drawn vehicles. Columbus continued its growth throughout the 20th century, with a building boom in the 1920s and again in the 1970s with modern office buildings.

Today, Columbus is a big city with many attractions and a fine location on the Scioto River. You can start a city tour at Capitol Square, which is the center of the city. The skyscrapers stand side by side around the Ohio Statehouse, which is the government building of the state of Ohio. The Ohio Statehouse is the seat of the Ohio General Assembly, which consists of the state Senate and the House of Representatives. The building was constructed 1839-1861 and has a beautifully decorated interior.

In the northeast corner of Capitol Square, you can see the Trinity Episcopal Church, which was built in neo-Gothic style in 1866. From here, you can continue west along Broad Street, where you come to the Palace Theater, an elegantly decorated cinema from the golden age of the movies in the 1920s. The Palace Theater is in the Art Deco skyscraper LeVeque Tower, which was built in from 1924 to 1927. When it opened and until 1974, the building was the tallest in Columbus. After the LeVeque Tower you can see the city’s town hall.

West of downtown, the Scioto River flows through Columbus, and there are a series of parks along the river, forming The Scioto Mile. The parks are connected by paths, where you can enjoy a wonderful walk in the green space, and along the way you can enjoy breathtaking views of Columbus’ downtown skyscrapers. You can also visit places such as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, which is the US national museum for veterans of the US armed forces.

There are quite a few other sights to explore in the city’s streets. Northwest of downtown is McFerson Commons Park, which houses the Union Station Arch at the northern end. The Union Station Arch is the only surviving part of Columbus’ old Central Station, which Daniel Burnham designed in 1893. The arch was moved to its current location in connection with the demolition of Union Station in 1976.

You can also see a series of arches in the Short North neighborhood, centered along High Street north of downtown. The Short North is characterized by low-rise brick buildings from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, and the area is a major asset with many galleries, shops, cafes and eateries. There are 17 arches spanning the High Street. These were installed to symbolize the arches that from 1888 carried streetcar cables in Columbus.