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• Columbus ranks in top 100 "Best Places to Live and Launch" a business by Fortune Small Business Magazine.
  
  

• The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce was awarded the 2008 Chamber of the Year Award by the Indiana Chamber Executives’ Association (ICEA).  The criteria for the Chamber of the Year award include financial stability, marketing & communication, overall strategic planning, member relations, industry benchmarks, member benefits and overall community impact.
  
  

• Columbus won the highly competitive 2006 America in Bloom national competition for the population category 25,001-50,000. Eight core categories were judged, such as heritage, urban forestry and floral displays. The city won on its first attempt, which is a very uncommon achievement. It was also chosen “Best of the Best” for landscape design, citing Irwin Gardens, national landscape design awards and the city’s park and trail system. The community is entered in the international 2007 Communities in Bloom competition.
  
  

• Bartholomew County was named one of 2007’s 100 Best Communities for Young People by America’s Promise - The Alliance for Youth. The award recognizes communities that provide children with exposure to caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others.
  
  

• According to the August 2006 edition of Wallpaper, an international magazine focusing on design interiors, Columbus is a “modernist hot spot.”
  
  

• Otter Creek Golf Course was voted the No. 1 public course in the state by the Indiana Golf Association, announced June 25, 2006. In the survey, Otter Creek was “head and shoulders above the rest,” said the director of the IGA-PGA.
  
  

• Otter Creek Golf Course made Golfweek magazine’s top ten list for Indiana’s public access courses in March of 2007. The course, which features 18 holes designed by Robert Trent Jones and nine holes designed by Rees Jones, ranked 5th among Indiana courses.
  
  

• The July/August 2006 issue of Dwell magazine, a national publication that promotes innovative design and architecture, said Columbus “has one of the country’s most prized collections of buildings by modern architects.”
  
  

• The December, 2005 issue of Smithsonian Magazine had a two-page article about Columbus with photos. The article called Columbus a “veritable museum of modern architecture.”
  
  

• Named to the 2005 list of U.S. Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
  
  

• Columbus was featured in the June 3-5, 2005 issue of USA Today in the article, “10 great places to discover Midwest charm.” It was the only Indiana city mentioned in the article. The story was written by Dan Kaercher, editor in chief of Midwest Living magazine.
  
  

• Named to the “62 Reasons to Love Your Country” in the July 2005 issue of GQ Magazine.
  
  

• Selected in 2004 as one of the Ten Most Playful Towns in America by Nick Jr. Family Magazine.
  
  

• The United States Specialty Sports Association gave Columbus a “Commitment to Excellence” Award in 2004.
  

Architectural and Design Distinctions

• Columbus, Indiana (population 39,000) is ranked sixth nationally for architectural innovation and design by the American Institute of Architects. The list also includes Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
  
  

• In the February 2002 issue of International Design (I.D.) Magazine—the premier forum for international designers, industrial engineers, architects, and graphic artists—Columbus was named as one of “40 Cities Where Design Rules” for its design philosophy. Columbus was included with the likes of Milan, Paris, Copenhagen, New York, London, Tel Aviv, Antwerp, Stockholm, Zurich, and thirty other world-class cities.
  
  

• Hundreds of acres in a city park system ranked number one in the U.S. by the National Recreation and Park Association for cities the size of Columbus. Parks feature such unusual facilities as an ice skating rink, a skateboard park, an observation tower and an ivy covered tunnel to the more typical – yet fun -- activities such as fishing, walking, hiking and biking.
  
  

• Most of the downtown is listed with the National Register of Historic Places. In a highly unusual move, the more exclusive National Historic Landmarks program honored the city by accepting six locations simultaneously.
  
  

• The Columbus Architecture Tour was selected as one of Rand McNally’s Best of the Road in 2003. The tour is part of the “Indiana: Hills and Architecture” trip of approximately 260 miles.

Attractions

• More than 70 buildings and pieces of public art by internationally noted architects and artists, including I.M. Pei, Dale Chihuly, Eliel Saarinen, John Carl Warnecke, Henry Moore, Harry Weese and Eero Saarinen.
  
  

• Mill Race Park was recognized by Landscape Management Magazine as one of the top 100 properties in the U.S. Complete with an ivy-covered tunnel, pond, walking trails, covered bridge, observation tower, and an outdoor amphitheater, the park features family oriented performances and movies and playground.
  
  

• Shopping, including two outlet malls, shopping centers and traditional malls, a huge antique mall and stores, and a vibrant downtown with specialty shops.
  
  

• City tours including bus tours, step-on guide services, extended architecture tours, downtown walking tours, self-guided tours, video presentations and exhibits.
  
  

• Dining at fine restaurants, ethnic establishments and locally owned eateries.
  
  

• A full schedule of community events, including bluegrass, pop, art, Scottish heritage, ethnic cuisine and culture, the Electric Lights Parade, symphonic performances and many, many, many family activities.
  
  

• Other attractions include: a winery, a national and international distributor of specialty popcorn, greenhouses (one of which is one of the largest producers of chrysanthemums and poinsettias in the Midwest), outdoor markets and museums featuring aviation, art and more.
  

Quality of Life

• Ranked as one of the U.S.’s safest metropolitan areas (Ranked 6th out of 339) by America’s Safest (and Most Dangerous) Cities for 2005.
  
  

• The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America by John Villani, published by John Muir Publications, copyright 1996. Columbus ranks #56.
  
  

• Demographics Daily, on-line newsletter published by American City Business Journals. Using 20 sets of statistics to rate the quality of life in 632 small cities, Columbus scored 98.8 out of a hundred and ranked 4th in the US in cities of 10,000-50,000. Published, September 18, 2000.
  
  

• The New Rating Guide to Life in America’s Small Cities, Prometheus Books. This publication ranked small cities, that they labeled “micropolitans,” with populations of 15,000-50,000 on 10 qualities. Columbus tied with Port Angeles, WA for seventh place. The top six cities were Ames, IA, Morgantown, WV, Ithaca, NY, Traverse City, MI, and Sandusky, OH. Published, 1997.