🔎 6. How did Columbus become a modern city in the 1900s?

Building a Modern City

In the early 1900s, many African Americans moved from the South to the North where there were jobs and better opportunities. Almost 31,000 African Americans came to Columbus between 1900 and 1940. African Americans were often not welcome in white neighborhoods. So, they built their own communities on the eastside of Columbus. Music, art, and religion were important cultural practices in these communities. 

By 1920, Columbus had a population of 237,031. The Columbus Board of Education built five new high schools in the 1920s. Technology in schools has changed quite a bit since then. Typewriters, film projectors, and radios have been replaced by televisions, computers, and the Internet.

With population growth, cities needed to expand upward. The city began building tall skyscrapers with steel frames in the 1920s. 

In the 1930s, the U.S. suffered hard times. Many people could not find jobs. The federal government started programs to help people. They funded new sewers and storm drains in Columbus. They also funded a new housing option in the African American community in Columbus. There were new places to live for 400 families at rent prices that they could afford. 

During the two world wars the U.S. fought in, Columbus community members helped the country organize its resources to support the war. Many soldiers from Ohio came for training to Ft. Hayes in Columbus. Eddie Rickenbacker from Columbus became a famous airplane pilot in World War I. During World War II, the Curtiss Wright Company built airplanes at a factory in Columbus. 

Expanding a Modern City

The city of Columbus started downtown and expanded north, south, east, and west in the 1800s and 1900s. Columbus annexed (added) many township areas. Some villages also joined the city. 

Beginning in the 1950s, interstate highways were built to connect states and cities across the U.S. In the 1960s, I-70 came through Columbus going east and west. I-71 came through going North and South. Later, I-270 and I-670 were added.

Interstate highways are a much faster form of transportation than other roads. But there are also costs. When the highways came through Columbus, they went through the middle of African American neighborhoods. Many people in these communities moved away, and businesses were forced to close. Highways also made it easier for people to move out of Columbus and to the suburbs.

Columbus has seen much change since the 1960s. New malls came and left between the 1970s and early 2000s. Easton Town Center remains today. In downtown Columbus, you can now watch hockey, soccer, and baseball. There are also efforts to improve neighborhoods by repairing streets and sidewalks. People are building new homes and remodeling older homes in many neighborhoods. 

Today, there are over 900,000 people living in Columbus, and the population continues to grow. It is the largest city in Ohio in both population and land area. The city is also becoming more diverse. People from many countries are arriving daily in Columbus. In Columbus City Schools, there are students from 104 countries. There are 95 languages spoken by these communities. 

Questions for Review

1. How did African Americans change the city in the early 1900s?  

2. What new buildings were created in Columbus in the 1920s? 

3. How did the federal government help Columbus? 

4. How did Columbus expand its borders? 

5. What are the benefits and costs of Interstate highways? 

6. What are some of the features of Columbus today?