People love to compare cities and pit them against each other in an attempt to understand strengths and weaknesses of places, analyze overall regional urban patterns, and try to learn from other place’s successes and failures. One comparison I always hear, see, and read is between Indianapolis and Columbus, two cities that often get a ‘twin cities of the eastern Midwest’ tag. I find this characterization particularly interesting given that I have lived in both places for an extended period of time and have thus developed an understanding of each. While I completely appreciate this comparison and can understand it, I can’t help but notice many dissimilarities as well, ultimately leading me to believe that Indianapolis and Columbus are twins on paper, yet opposites at their (urban) core.
As I said, the two regions appear very similar. Below is a breakdown of a few similarities and differences:
Indianapolis City Population: 798,382
Columbus City Population: 754,885
Indianapolis Metro Population: 1,715,459
Columbus Metro Population: 1,773,120
Indianapolis Population Growth (2009): 1.3% (22,862)
Columbus Population Growth (2009): 1.2% (22,026)
Indianapolis Net Migration (2009): 7,034
Columbus Net Migration (2009): 5,018
On top of this basic demographic data, other similarities exist, including the fact that both cities are capitals thriving in struggling states and blooming later than traditional powerhouse cities in the Midwest region, thus bucking the trend of the Rust Belt. Further, both feature similar transportation models with similar sized bypass highways, both intersected by I-70, both lacking rail transportation options, and both known for their dominant car-culture. Both regions also have a similar north-south divide, with the more prestigious, elite suburbs found on the north and the middle to lower-class suburbs found on the south. I could go on and on about other similar statistics and data (ie. each regions Hispanic population growth numbers are very comparable) but I think the point has been made: Columbus and Indianapolis, on paper, seem very similar and thus worthy of the comparison and scrutiny these two cities often face.
Ultimately though, I am more interested in the similarities and differences of what makes the two regions unique – their urban cores. From this perspective, I find the two regions quite dissimilar, both in physical form as well as social attitude. Below is a breakdown of a few key physical differences between Columbus and Indianapolis:
Indianapolis – Strong downtown, overall weak neighborhoods, mainly single family, wood-frame, housing, very spread out (as a metro).
Columbus – Weak downtown, overall strong neighborhoods, numerous brick-style row houses, relatively dense by Midwest standards (as a metro).
On top of these physical disparities, I believe the two cities have different attitudes that ultimately manifest themselves in each cities respective urban core. Columbus has an urban spirit not found in Indianapolis, resulting in places like the Short North, German Village, Victorian Village, and Harrison West – all independent oriented, arts inspired urban neighborhoods that feel authentic, progressive, and on-the-go. Indianapolis’s core is centered on its CBD – a regional center that celebrates conventions, sports arenas, shopping malls, and more traditional dining options that appeal to a wider audience. Places like Mass Ave and Fountain Square do bring their own uniqueness to the table, but they lack a sense of sophistication, urban intellect, and cosmopolitan outlook found in Columbus’s core. And ultimately, these attitudinal differences make the urban experience in each city quite dissimilar and unique in their own right.
There are a few reasons why I think these differences exist. First, Columbus has Ohio State, one of the nation’s largest universities and a significant source of energy and excitement towards progressive, urban-minded ideas and ways of life. Indianapolis has IUPUI and Butler, but each simply can’t compare to the size and strength of Ohio State. Second, Columbus has to compete with Cleveland and Cincinnati for attracting people, money, and resources, thus forcing them to ‘up their game’ and create neighborhoods that can compete with Mt. Adams or Clifton in Cincinnati and Ohio City or Tremont in Cleveland. Indianapolis has no such competition within the state. Third, Columbus’s gay and lesbian population is larger and more concentrated than in Indianapolis, providing a bigger population base that is more likely to live in urban cores. And fourth, Columbus is made up of a lot of ex-Clevelanders where Indianapolis has a large ex-Indiana rural population, providing Columbus a population base that is inherently more urban-minded.
What I find most interesting about these differences outside of why they actually exist is what they mean for each regions future. It is my belief that these differences will ultimately prove to be a huge economic and social advantage to Columbus since the American population increasingly desires more urban, unique, and diverse neighborhoods. In time, I expect Columbus to overtake Indianapolis in population and in-migration growth numbers, erase the ‘on-paper’ similarities, and become a true Midwest standout city.
Hmmm…hmmm…hmmm…I have NEVER visited Columbus, but would like to. I do know that if you look at the demographics even further, (i.e. racial breakdown, income, education, etc), the two cities appear even more like twins. Indy and Columbus are often “favorites” of marketing companies for testing products as both cities tend to mirror “America” more than many other large metros.
I have been looking for an Indianapolis – Columbus comparison. Other than a concert, a few trips down 70 and some google earth exploration I have no idea what Columbus is all about. I have noticed that DT Columbus embraces it’s river, whereas here in Indy it seems an afterthought.
I agree that Indianapolis will probably fall behind and mostly because we have all of our eggs in one basket, but really there is no basket. As you stated, Sports, Conventions and big box eateries. But, we lack transit, (that would be the basket). Indygo does not count. IndyConnect is… sporadic (and imaginary). I don’t know how Columbus fares in that department but a quick look at the COTA map and it looks a bit more comprehensive. I don’t know, you tell me. Also I hear Ohio is on top of it’s “high speed” rail with Columbus being the middle ground.
I don’t think Indiana is moving on rail and that is too bad. I believe we are missing out on an opportunity to be regional transportation hub. We are the “Crossroads of America” and while Union Station used to be the place I look towards our big new underutilized airport.
Anyway I came across your blog a few weeks back and it immediately went into my reader, I like your POV.
Excellent analysis – very similar to my thinking.
What I’d say on the future is that the most likely scenario is that Columbus ends up doing better than Indianapolis. (In fact, Columbus is my number one pick for “most likely to succeed” among large Midwest metros). However, I think Indianapolis has a higher potential than Columbus. In short, I think Indianapolis has a “fat tail” distribution with a somewhat lower media percentile achievement level than Columbus. I think the likely scenario for Columbus is moderate outperformance of the nation. For Indianapolis, I think it’s much more likely to either be really good or really bad.
I’m an Indiana-born Columbus-resident, so I found this article interesting. I need to visit Indianapolis sometime (hopefully this summer) to take it all in myself for the sake of comparison.
Ultimately, I’d love to see a stronger regional collaborative effort between cities like Indianapolis and Columbus. Forget about the fact that we are in different states and that we compete for similar businesses or attracting residents and figure out how our cities can play off each others’ strengths to compliment each other.
I mean… we’re only separated by a quick 3 hour drive. There’s got to be some beneficial partnership opportunities between cities.
Walker, I agree. The obvious opportunity for Indianapolis and Columbus (and Cincinnati, Louisville, Cleveland, etc.) is to link ourselves with high speed rail. The Midwest has a true economic advantage over every city in the South and West….our proximity to eachother. We need to recognize that and start creating synergy between each region.
I agree, but that’s more of a long-term project. I’m wondering what we can start doing collaboratively within the next 5 years.
Your Columbus bias is showing. I think Indy will continue to thrive and has most of the components in place to really take off, the way Atlanta did in the 70s. Indy’s going to be the true stand-out in the Midwest.
Your Indy bias is showing.
I do prefer Columbus to Indianapolis, but for no particular reason (I am not from Columbus) other than because I think the city provides better urban amenities and energy than Indianapolis does. And for that reason, I think Columbus’s future looks brighter.
Greg,
You’ve won a new reader with your intelligent observations and urban dedication. This kind of participation in the discussion of urban issues is a positive move in attracting attention to critical decision making. Many thanks!
“Places like Mass Ave and Fountain Square do bring their own uniqueness to the table, but they lack a sense of sophistication, urban intellect, and cosmopolitan”
What about the Sutler-Tarkington-Meridian/Kessler-College Ave.-Broad Ripple corridor? Indianapolis has two cores: 1) A business and tourism core in the mile square, and 2) a “local core” with relatively dense housing (more residents per square mile than downtown), walkable neighborhood and “sophistication and urban intellect” stretching from Butler to Broad Ripple.
Perhaps a difference between the two is that in Indy the perceived urban amenities are more easily found in streetcar suburbs.
Sulter=Butler.
Sutler=Butler.
Thanks a lot Paul. I appreciate the compliment and the readership.
I think you hit the nail on the head with Ohio State. My first impression of Columbus when I visited a few years back was exactly that. If Indianapolis and Bloomington were merged I think you’d find much of the same dynamic in Indy. The university definitely creates a lot of energy.
There is one negative attribute though to having the university in the city though. The energy of the university gets a little subdued because of the size of the city surrounding it. Contrast that with Bloomington which is probably one of the best college towns in the nation where the economy revolves around the university 100%. IU doesn’t have to compete with the larger city economy in Indianapolis yet both cities are close enough that the can draw off of the advantages they provide (B-Town provides an highly educated nearby population while Indy provides close-by city amenities that people depend upon).
And while Columbus is ahead of the game with its urban minded population, I think Indy is growing in that category. If Indy can get the Near Eastside turned around we might see Indianapolis much more competitive with Columbus in that realm.
One thing you didn’t mention was the comparison of the city markets. The Columbus market seems very similar to Indy’s except for one small detail..It was packed when I visited..on a Sunday morning! I can’t think of a better individual example the expresses the differences of the 2 cities.
Greg;
Great comparison. I have lived in Columbus for 12 years, and never in Indianapolis. I did have a friend that lived there for several years and visited him many times. My impression is that your take is just about right on the money. Indy has more “sex appeal”, but Columbus may have more depth.
I am definitely biased, but throwing my hat into the ring, I have always thought that in the long run Columbus has more “talent” than Indy to become a stand-out success. Indy has done a GREAT job of planning for economic development and downtown renewal over the past 30 years. They have been well ahead of the curve in terms of building a brand for the city and encouraging growth. They have shown strong leadership in this regard.
That said, Columbus hasn’t done as well in those areas until recently. When I first moved here, I was amazed at how much the city grew with relatively little guidance, aside from Columbus’ “Grow or Die” annexation policy. The city seemed to have an almost mono-focus on annexation and new development on the fringe as the main economic development plan. There were exceptions, like the now demolished City Center mall, but even that was built like a downtown fortress, not integrated into the streetscape as the Circle Center mall is. Then the City did not support development around the mall. The city also didn’t have a very comprehensive economic development path until recently.
The fact that Columbus has kept up with Indy in terms of demographic and economic growth to me says that Columbus has more natural growth potential. Indy has been a stand-out and Columbus not so much, but Columbus hung with them.
Now the story is different. The 2001 recession was a wake-up call to this region. Columbus was supposedly “recession-proof”, but that downturn hit us hard. I have seen a steady and consistent development of efforts to change the framework here. Columbus has invested heavily in its downtown and urban neighborhoods over the past several years, and those investments are just starting to take root.
More significantly, Columbus has really upped its game in the economic development realm. It has formed the Columbus Partnership, a think tank of the region’s business titans to guide economic growth. They have studied the region, picked certain industries upon which to focus and are moving forward, much as Indy has done for 30 years. The final light bulb went on when we almost lost NetJets, one of our growth companies, to Raleigh. The City went into overdrive to keep them here, and succeeded. In that process, they realized that they were WAY behind Raleigh in terms of their economic development “infrastructure”. They vowed to change this. Yesterday CODA automotive, a start-up electric car maker, announced a new electric car battery plant in Columbus. This was a direct result of the organizational efforts that developed out of the NetJets incident. The City targeted this company, and went from “not on the radar” to “you’re the one”. We’ve not done that in the past.
Additionally, there has been massive investments in infrastructure growth areas recently. Ohio State is becoming a research titan, and just beginning to try to commercialize research done there. They didn’t put any effort into it before. Nationwide Children’s is becoming one of the preeminent pediatric research hospitals in the nation. A few years ago the tech booster organizations and the incubator firm (there were three in all) merged, finally giving the region on e tech voice and eliminating infighting. Finally, the City is poised to be a logistics growth area, with the completion of the Norfolk-southern Multimodal terminal and the Heartland Corridor project.
These are just a few of the things happening here. I see now that I ended up rambling a bit, but the point is this-Columbus is on the cusp of finally fulfilling its substantial potential and becoming a break-out city.
Indianapolis has been doing a stellar job (whether or not on it’s on purpose) of attracting younger, college aged proffessionals. Center Township (downtown) continues to grow in population, even though residential building has slowed since the start of the recession.
People have mentioned that Ohio State is a great asset for the Columbus region, and I don’t disagree, but a lot of people over look how IUPUI (IU’s main medical research campus) is growing fast. Along with the growth of Ivy Tech’s campus, the city is transforming from a rust belt city, to major life sciences hub.
All in all, I agree with Aaron Renn. If Indianapolis can get their act together, their potential for growth is immense.
I think that before the Arena District and the Cap which now connects the convention center to the Short North vs. a drab highway bridge, visitors here just wouldn’t get a good impression. It seems like people tend to get their perception of a city from its downtown and in our case that doesn’t work in our favor. It’s Monument Circle vs. a state house surrounded by office buildings and a few parking lots: there’s no competition. When you throw in neighborhoods like German Village, the Short North, and the University District (except for Weinland Park, that’s quite rundown and dangerous) those are top notch urban neighborhoods.
The downside to that though is that all the focus is on our gentrified neighborhoods, even when those that aren’t in the best shape aren’t really that bad. As a result we have only seen very small incremental improvements in Olde Towne East, Franklinton, Hilltop, etc. If just a handful of entrepreneurs would set their sights on an up-and-coming neighborhood business district instead of insisting only on the Short North and then folding soon after the high rent crushes them, we’d have more great neighborhoods with much more to offer.
I don’t know what the situation is like in Indy as to how far-gone some neighborhoods are, but if a real effort were made it would be curious to see how they stack up when turned completely around.
It will likely be really bad for Indianapolis in the future, as their downtown focus has been a local Ponzi scheme (which they are attempting to continue by obtaining funds from the rest of the state).
I travel between Downtown Indianapolis and Downtown Columbus on a very regular basis. Although Columbus has a “professional” football team with Ohio State, the sports and convention center in downtown brings tons of services to us residents that live downtown that Columbus just doesn’t have.
Most importantly, the central concentration of housing among all the uses is a huge plus for Indianapolis. The fact that I can walk from my condo in downtown Indy (in a neighborhood of several thousand units) to a Colts game, to Nordstrom, to Victory Field, Grocery Store, bank, my office, Easley Winery and a multitude of restuarants, Avenue on the Square, Indiana Repretory Theatre, etc. is something I have not seen anywhere in Columbus.
In Columbus it seems like the housing has been very spotted in the Central Business District, and in neighborhoods not adjacent together, so you have to have a car to get around to all the different stuff which in Indianapolis is all a short walk away. This lack of Synergy I think that is a big disadvantage.
However, I have a very vested investment interest in both locations, so I hope they both do well and thrive!!!!!