Neighborhood Amenities

Neighborhood Amenities refers to indicators that demonstrate how neighborhoods are shaped by businesses, environmental assets, and economic factors. The following page explores jobs and population changes over time, the distribution of businesses by Zone, the location of key investment zones, and an analysis of tax values throughout Columbus. It examines a mix of data, including some from national sources, local sources, and original survey data. In the future, this page may expand to include more details on businesses and updated resident survey information.

Businesses by Zone

The bar graph below shows the number of businesses located in each zone in 2008 and 2018 based on local business license data. Note that Zone K (Fort Benning) does not appear.

Source: City of Columbus business license data.

Jobs in Zone vs. Population

Source: Data from US Census Bureau. Jobs data from LEHD Program .

Source: TAD locations from City of Columbus.

Source: Urban3

Activities, Events, and Culture

The Activities, Events, and Culture section of the dashboard examines how and why people gather together in Columbus — including residents and visitors. Below, we analyze the various events and activities located throughout the city — considering not only where they are located but also when they occur and for what area they are accessible by foot or bike (through a walkshed analysis). We also include data on tourism in Columbus, as well as of analysis of short-term/vacation rental properties in Columbus. In the future, we would like to expand the events and activities data, include additional features (such as public art), and update the tourism and visitor analysis.

Events and Activities Analysis

A vibrant community has events and activities for both residents and visitors. The map below captures a sampling of events and activities from around the city. It also includes key recreational and community amenities. In the future, we hope to expand this analysis to include more events, activities, and locations.

Walkshed Viewer

To show the walkshed for a particular event or activity, use the toggle below, and click on the map. Walksheds correspond to approximately 15 minutes of walking time. This also potentially represents a short (three- to five-minute) bike ride.

Source: Activities and Events data from Visit Columbus GA and other local sources. Other data from City of Columbus.

Tourism and Visitors

An estimated 1.9 million people visit Columbus each year, spending an aggregate of $352 million. The average visitor is 50 years old, and 30 percent of visitors are travelling with children; most tourists come from Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. While 65 percent of visitors come to Columbus either for business or a convention, or to visit friends and family at local Fort Benning, many engage in other activities while in the area. Uptown is a particularly lively area for visitors — overall, 74 percent of tourists dined out while visiting Columbus, 46 percent visited downtown restaurants and shops, and 34 percent visited a museum, attraction, or historic site while in town.

Source: Columbus State University, 2018; Gray Research Solutions, 2018

Short-term/Vacation Rental Properties in Columbus

Available rental properties in Columbus have been steadily on the rise since 2016. Data shows that the total number of active listings on Airbnb and Homeaway have increased 59% over the past year alone. Occupancy rate over the past year was 70%, with most domestic visitors from Atlanta and most international visitors from Shanghai, Sydney, and Hong Kong. The average daily rental rate over the past year was $118, with all revenue from rental properties in September 2019 totaling $403,672. The city adopted a Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance in October 2018, which may have affected the number of listings — demonstrated by the sharp dip in activity over the following months. Rental guest activity has since leveled off at around 1,000 guests per month, but the number of active listings has continue to grow.

Source: AirDNA

Mobility and Transportation

The dashboard’s Transportation and Mobility section analyzes how people get around town. To better understand how people travel within Columbus, we examine bus routes and ridership, bicycle amenities, local trail systems, and traffic patterns. Going forward, we hope to update these data, add more information on projects that are in the works, and incorporate additional place-based analysis on the alternative transportation in Columbus.

Transit Routes

METRA Transit has ten active bus lines in Columbus. The route of each is show below on the map. The thickness of the route corresponds to the amount of ridership, so thicker lines represent routes with more riders.

Bus Routes:

Transit Ridership

Source: Metra Transit, 2019

Alternative Transportation Infrastructure

The City of Columbus and local organizations have developed — and continue to plan and develop — infrastructure to support alternative transportation for reacreation, commuting, and daily transportation needs. This infrastructure increases both vibrances and connectivity by connecting people to amenities, providing venues for recreation and community, and encrouaging actiity that is healthy for both residents and the environment. In 2016, Midtown columbus completed the Minimum Grid plan with Gehl Stuio to support the development of an active transportation network in central Columbus. The key priority areas from that plan are highlighted below. The map below also shows the trail network at Fort Benning, which is available for public use. In the future, as more work is completed, the map will be updated with current trail location and possibly estimates of trail use.

Source: Bike Facilities data from city of Columbus. Gehl Mimimum Grid data digitized from Midtown, Inc. Fort Benning Trail data from US Army, Fort Benning Public Works.

Vehicular Traffic

The map below shows average daily traffic (represented by the size of the dots, with larger dots showing higher traffic counts) and change in average daily traffic from 2010 to 2018 (represented by the color of the dots). As might be expected, traffic appears heaviest along US-80 and I-185. Average daily traffic appears to have increased most heavily along US-80 and 185, particularly in the north of the city, as well as in the south near Fort Benning. Annual traffic levels appear to have decreased between 2010 to 2018 in parts of Uptown as well as more central areas of Columbus.

Source: Georgia Traffic Counts, Georgia DOT

Safety and Health

The Safety and Health section of the dashboard includes data on crime, traffic accidents, health outcomes, and code violations via the Columbus Code Case Dashboard, linked in to this site below. The analysis explores changes in the city’s crime patterns across time as well as how health outcomes — life expectancy and traffic fatalities — vary based on location in Columbus. In the future, we hope that this section will include local crime data that will allow us to compare incidents across different locations in the city, as well as additional measures of public health.

Crime in Columbus

Compared to the rest of Georgia and the US, Columbus faces higher rates of crime. However, the crime rate in Columbus has declined significantly in recent years. In a future update to this dashboard, we hope to include local crime data, offering a more detailed look at crime by location and type in Columbus.

Source: FBI Crime Statistics

Traffic Accidents

The map below shows all 2018 traffic accidents in Columbus. Click “show only serious accidents” to view accidents where fatalities or serious injuries occurred. The heaviest concentrations of accidents occurred in Uptown, particularly along 13th Street, as well as along the Manchester Expressway, Wynnton Road, and north near the shopping center on Whittlesey Blvd.

Source: Crash Data, Georgia DOT, 2019

Health Outcomes

Health outcomes vary significantly across the city of Columbus. This is true for specific conditions (for example, asthma rates) as well as broader health outcomes. More detailed information is available from regional health care providers and from the Georgia Department of Health . The map below shows the variation in life expectancy across the city's Vibrant and Connected Zones. Areas in the north have the highest life expectancy in the city, of around 80 years. Uptown and the areas just north and south of Uptown have the lowest life expectancies in the city, with averages ranging between 67 and 72.5 years.

Source: CDC, USALEEP Program , 2010-2015

Code Enforcement

The Columbus Inspections & Code Department has done extensive work to develop maps charting properties in Columbus from demolitions to zoning appeals to commercial and residential permits. The dashboard provides a snapshot of what is happening with property, and how it may change. Visit the dashboard here or use it below.