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According to  “Columbus grows while rest of Ohio shrinks” written by Sherri Williams of the Columbus Dispatch,  Columbus grew 4.49% between 2006 and 2007.  The population of Columbus is now 747,755, according to census estimates.  The Columbus Dispatch article focuses on Cleveland shrinking as much or more than it does on Columbus growing.  Cleveland’s shrinkage is only second to New Orleans natioanlly… Enough about Northeast Ohio!

The Central Ohio  communities of Powell and New Albany have grown over 90% and 60% respectively, according the Columbus Dispatch.  Inner ring Central Ohio suburbs including Grandview, Upper Arlington and Worthington have lost about 5% in population.  The Columbus Dispatch says “It’s a common phenomenon as people have moved farther away from the city’s core seeking larger lots and, at least in perception, better schools. “ Better schools huh!?!

Speaking of affordable housing a Licking County couple won their lawsuit against a local builder.  The Cosners sued the builder in Franklin County because the builder is based in Franklin County. The home is in the Reynoldsburg area.

Due to water intrusion problems with the home, the home and all the families possesions were  covered in mold.

The Columbus Dispatch said :

“The list of problems included a defective foundation, an undersized heating and air-conditioning system, leaking plumbing and buckling roof shingles.”

Sadly the Cosner family is not likely to see the money awarded by the jury anytime soon… both the Columbus Dipatch and the Channel 10 News said the builder will likely appeal.

Channel 10 TV News  website said:

“But there is more than just one allegation against Maronda. The company has been the focus of 10 Investigates stories in the past for alleged deceptive practices and shoddy work, Aker reported.

Aker is a Channel 10 reporter. The TV station article online goes on:

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office confirmed that 52 complaints have been filed against Maronda in the past five years. “

 Affordable NEW Housing in Columbus

Columbus is number 21 on the list of America’s most literate cities… behind Cleveland (number 13, congratulations Cleveland!) and Cincinnati (number 11, congratulations Cincinnati!) ?

OK.

The Top Ten Cities in the US according to the study are:

Minneapolis, MN
Seattle, WA
St. Paul, MN
Denver, CO
Washington, DC
St. Louis, MO
San Francisco, CA
Atlanta, GA
Pittsburgh, PA
Boston, MA

The list is from Central Connecticut State University says:

“This study attempts to capture one critical index of our nation’s social health—the literacy of its major cities (population of 250,000 and above). This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.”

Link to page 2 of the list where Columbus is listed….

Congratulations to all the cities on the list…

Nationwide Realty Investors  will develop Grandview Yard at the old Big Bear
site in the City of Grandview Heights  according to the Columbus Dispatch, in ‘Grandview Yard’ development to replace former Big Bear site’  Wednesday.  In today’s Columbus Dispatch ‘Plan would transform old Big Bear property’  (both articles are written by Martin Rozenman) gives more details of work which should start in mid-2009.  

A mixed use development of commercial, retail and residential properties, Grandview Yard will have 600 to 800 residential properties according to the Columbus Dipatch article.  Brian Ellis of Nationwide Realty Investors described Grandview Yard as similar to the Arena Disctrict (another Nationwide Realty Investors project) without a sports theme in a presentation to the Columbus Metropolitan Club.  The development was presented in a public meeting Wednesday December 19, 2007 according to the Columbus Dispatch articles.

Reading the Dispatch articles proximity of the 100 acre development  to Ohio State University, Battelle and the OSU Medical Center and the developing “tech corridor” along 315 enticed Nationwide Realty Investors:

“100-acre site bordered by Goodale Boulevard on the south, 3rd Avenue on the north, railroad tracks on the east and an alley near Northwest Boulevard on the west.”

Grandview Heights 

Nationwide Realty Investors  

I went  out in the dark to get the Columbus Dispatch off the icy driveway this morning to read about Youngstown in the Columbus Dispatch series about Ohio’s cities.  After reading the article the old fashioned way I realized I would not have a link to the Dispatch story until I can find it online anyway…

It’s almost there… the Dispatch has put it on the series page.  The entire series On The Brink: Can Ohio’s big cities be saved? starts out:

“Ohio’s cities, as we have historically known them, are dead. Forget the past. Except for Columbus, Ohio’s big cities have endured vast population and job losses. “

It says “Day 7 - Youngstown
Saturday, Dec. 08, 2007″

No link to the article online yet…. but the slideshow of the history and the video interview with the mayor are online.   I am about “old pictured out”  on the seventh day of the series.  I like old photographs but old pictures don’t mean much to me unless I know the city…. but I looked at the 15 black and white photos of Youngstown’s glory days to kill time while waiting for the link to the Columbus Dispatch article this morning.

Youngstown is foreign to me.  I was in Youngstown once about nine years ago. I remember seeing lots of boarded up buildings then… People said Youngstown was controlled by “the mob.”  The article says it was, of course the corrupt government being dismantled was in the news.

Once a steel town, the City of Youngstown has lost about half their population since the demise of the American steel industry.  Youngstown’s mayor was just a kid back thirty years ago on “Black Monday,” when 5000 people lost jobs in a single day.

Youngstown has a plan now.  The 2010 plan.  The plan seems to mostly be about removing derelict buildings, adding green space downtown and controlling crime.

The Columbus Dispatch article says Youngstown is becoming a college town.  That’s wild with the lowest percentage  of college educated residents of all Ohio’s big cities.  The second biggest employer is Youngstown State University.  I thought of Youngstown State University being in the nitty, gritty city… not so as  the universities site describes campus.  It’s in a green area, lots of the university was built in the past 25 years.  It’s in a green area, lots of the university was built in the past 25 years.  ..The University is celebrating it’s Centennial… this year?  next year? the Youngstown State University website says: 

“A Proud Past
A Promising Future’

There’s the link… to today’s Columbus Dispatch article: Youngstown City finally making peace with loss of big steel  

After reading  about what Youngstown was and the steady decline and loss of jobs and population I was puzzled by this paragraph…

“city leaders prefer the image of Youngstown native Kelly Pavlik, knocked to his hands and knees in the second round of his Sept. 29 middleweight championship fight, only to recover to win the title by knockout in the seventh.”

I thought the year was missing… 1930s? 1950s?  What year?  What year?  That is Sept. 29, just a couple of months ago. 2007 that’s why there’s no year…

Known as  Kelly ”The Ghost” Pavlik according to his bio. Pavlik’s the reigning middle weight champ of the world.    NOW