Columbus is the capital and the major city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Columbus is situated within 550 miles (890 km) of partially of the population of the United States. The city has a varied economy based on education, insurance, health care, retail, and technology. In 1850 the Columbus and Xenia Railroad became the first railroad to enter the city, followed by the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad in 1851.

Columbus is home to numerous prominent buildings, including the Greek-Revival State Capitol, the art-deco Ohio Judicial Center and the Peter Eisenman-designed Wexner Center and Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Columbus used to have a major train station downtown called Union Station, most particularly as a stop along Amtrak's National Limited train check until 1977. The station itself was razed in 1979, and the Greater Columbus Convention Center now stands in its place.

The Columbus Museum of Art opened in 1931, and has a set focusing on European and American art up to early modernization.

COSI, (Center of Science and Industry), is a huge science museum. The present building, the previous Central High School, was accomplished in November 1999, opposite downtown on the west bank of the Scioto River.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is world well-known for its collections that comprise lowland gorillas, manatees, Siberian tigers, cheetahs, and kangaroos. Columbus is the home of many renowned performing arts institutions, including Opera Columbus, Ballet Met, the Columbus work of art Orchestra, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, the modern American Theatre Company (CATCO), Shadowbox Cabaret and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

The city also has a number of theatres downtown, including the historic Palace Theatre, the Ohio Theatre, the Southern Theatre, and the Riffe Center which houses The Capitol Theatre as well as two studio theatres. The building of the Crew Stadium, Nationwide Arena, Value City Arena, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and the standard of living Communities Pavilion are all projects completed since 1990.

The Ohio State Buckeyes college football team. The team is a member of the NCAA's Big Ten Conference, and plays home games at Ohio Stadium.

"Buckeye fever" permeates Columbus culture year-round and forms a major part of Columbus's cultural identity. During the winter months, the Buckeyes basketball team is also a major sporting attraction. Columbus has professional sports teams in hockey, association football (soccer), arena football, and minor league baseball.

Annual festivities in Columbus include the Ohio State Fair—one of the largest state fairs in the country— as well as the Columbus Arts Festival and the Jazz and Ribs Festival, both of which occur on the downtown riverfront. ComFest (short for "Community Festival") is an immense three-day music festival, the largest un-commercial festival in the US, in Goodale Park (just north of downtown Columbus and adjacent to the Short North) with painting vendors and live musicians on numerous stages, hundreds of limited social and political organizations, body painting.