City: Columbus
State: Ohio
Best Cities Overall Rank: 61
About Columbus:
Columbus has plenty of learning opportunities with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) and the Franklin Park Conservatory. The city also has fun all over with the Zoombezi Bay water park and cultural festivals that are offered all summer.
Columbus has 45 NAEYC-Accredited preschools and a total of $14,995 expenditure per student. The city also boasts 11,889 acres of parkland, putting Columbus at 65 for overall recreation rank.
County: Franklin
Population: 754,885
Official website for city visitors' bureau/city: Visitors' bureau website
Newspaper with the largest circulation: Columbus Dispatch
Columbus blogs:
From the Newsroom to the Family Room
Columbus's Facebook page: Follow Columbus on Facebook
Columbus's Twitter page: Follow Columbus on Twitter
Education rank: 40
High School graduation rate 2008: 73.9%
Blue Ribbon Schools, 2003-2009: 3
Blue Ribbon Schools per 100,000 people: 0.38
NEAYC-accredited preschools: 45
NAEYC schools per 100,000 people: 5.96
NAEP State proficiency reading, grade 8: 269
Pupil/Teacher Ratio: 18.7
Total Expenditures Per Student: $14,995
Health rank: 51
Quality children's hospitals: 1
Hospitals per 100,000 people: 0.13
Quality Pediatricians: 3
Quality Pediatricians per 100,000: 0.4
Average number of Unhealthy Air Quality days between 2006-2008, by county: 0
Safety rank: 64
Violent Crimes, 2008: 5,821
Violent Crime Rate per 100,000: 771.11
Sex Offenders: 1,837
Sex Offenders per 100,000: 243.35
Economy rank: 73
Travel time to work, 2006-2008, in minutes: 20.7
Percent of labor force unemployed, January 2010: 9.8
Best Performing Cities Job Index: 1009.56
Median Home Sale Price: $121,200
5-Year Home Value Index: -1.98%
Percent of homes sold for a loss: 32.48%
Recreation Rank: 37
Parkland acreage, 2008 (includes pools and playgrounds): 11,899
Parkland per 100,000: 1,576.27
