With a census population of ,, [ 10 ] it is the 14th-most populous city in the U. Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County ; it also extends into Delaware and Fairfield counties.
Columbus originated as numerous Native American settlements on the banks of the Scioto River. Franklinton , now a city neighborhood, was the first European settlement, laid out in The city was founded in at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and laid out to become the state capital. The city was named for Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.
Amid steady years of growth and industrialization, the city has experienced numerous floods and recessions. Beginning in the s, Columbus began to experience significant growth; it became the largest city in Ohio in land and population by the early s.
Growth has continued in the 21st century, with redevelopment occurring in numerous city neighborhoods, including Downtown. The city has a diverse economy without reliance on any one sector. 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.
The city of Columbus was named after 15th-century Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Since the late 20th century, historians have criticized Columbus for initiating the European conquest of America and for abuse, enslavement, and subjugation of natives. Between B. Remaining physical evidence of the cultures are their burial mounds and what they contained. Most of Central Ohio's remaining mounds are located outside of Columbus city boundaries, though the Shrum Mound is maintained, now as part of a public park and historic site.
