Living in Columbus

Columbus skyline

About Columbus

"Recently included on the New York Times' list of "52 Places to Visit in 2019", there's an energy and excitement in Columbus. Big things are happening here, and you're invited to join in... from COSI, the nation’s top science center, to LEGOLAND Discovery Center, to an incredible culinary scene which was named on Food & Wine's 32 Places to Go (and Eat) in 2019Neighborhoods on all sides of downtown are bursting with new places to eat and shop, and artists are shaping new areas of the city into dynamic spaces to explore."

Columbus, Ohio is America’s 14th-largest city. A diverse town with many festivals, die-hard sports fans, museums, nature centers, and a hearty food scene, Columbus has a lot to do. Both the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers flow through Columbus, creating a beautiful landscape. Home to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, there are many local gems to explore.

 

Public Transportation

 

Students on the Columbus campus can use the Campus Area Bus Service (CABS), a free transit service provided by The Ohio State University. CABS is dedicated to providing clean, reliable, and hassle-free transportation on and around Ohio State’s Columbus Campus - you can view the bus map here.

  • MC-Med Center Express goes from West campus directly to the hub near the Herrick Drive Transit Hub and back but does not go past our Midwest bus stop.
  • BL-Buckeye Loop: goes from the Buckeye lot (near Ackerman and Fred Taylor) in a loop that goes to the 4-H Center stop (new), Midwest campus stop (Woody Hayes), RPAC, and then back via Olentangy and Ackerman. It runs every 5 minutes during the day.
  • CC-Campus Connector: Goes as far west as Carmack 5 and east down Woody Hayes Dr., then past the Ohio Union and loops at the Herrick Drive Transit Hub.

If you are traveling to locations off campus, you can use the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), which provides public transportation within Central Ohio and the Greater Columbus area. Thanks to the OSU/COTA partnership, undergraduate, graduate and professional students have unlimited access to COTA’s entire bus system by swiping a BuckID when boarding. You must be enrolled in the current semester on main campus and have the COTA fee on your statement of account to use your BuckID on COTA.

Several COTA routes provide service between Ohio State's campus and locations throughout Columbus. Ohio State's Campus Area Bus Service (CABS) and COTA share multiple bus stops on campus, allowing for easy transfers between the two systems. View the COTA bus stop locations and map here.

Columbus is also investing heavily into its transportation via Smart Columbus. As the winner of the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) first-ever Smart City Challenge, Columbus was awarded $50 million in grant funding and the designation as America's Smart City. These dollars provide the seed funding for Smart Columbus—a region-wide Smart City initiative co-led by the City of Columbus and the Columbus Partnership.

Helpful links

Campus Map & Directions

Experience Columbus

Living on campus

Living off campus

Public Markets - Hidden Gems of Big Cities