We regularly hear reports about how rapidly both the city of Columbus and the Central Ohio region are growing, but rarely do we see a deeper dive into what that means for our suburbs and other regional cities. Local information analysis site AllColumbusData.com recently published a report on the mid-decade 2015 US Census Estimates, which revealed that nearly all of the major suburbs and cities in the region are indeed growing.
Following Columbus, the fastest growing local cities since 2010 include Hilliard, Grove City, Dublin, Delaware and Westerville.
“Hilliard is actually the fastest growing major suburb in terms of both total growth and percentage growth, so certainly it is one to watch,” explained Jon Seymour, founder of AllColumbusData.com. “On the larger scale, the top 25 Ohio cities have long been dominated by those around Cleveland. The Columbus metro only has three in the top 25, including Columbus itself. That will very likely change in the coming years as Grove City, Hilliard, Westerville, Gahanna, Delaware and even Upper Arlington continue to grow. It’s mostly about bragging rights, but this trend in some ways mirrors the reality of the Columbus metro passing up Cleveland’s in the next few years.”
While Hilliard currently leads the pack, most of the fastest growth is concentrated on the north and east sides of the region, with eight of the top ten being located in those areas. Northwest suburb Dublin is expected to become the second largest Central Ohio city before the end of the decade, which they attribute to both rapid residential and business growth.
“In 2015, the Division of Building Standards provided the health and safety reviews and inspections for over 400 commercial and residential buildings within the City of Dublin,” said Dublin Development Director Donna Goss. “And, in the first quarter of 2016, the Planning Division reports project activity for numerous commercial building and expansion efforts, as well as single-family and multi-family residential developments.”
On the opposite end of Columbus, Grove City is another fast growing suburb, which has doubled its population since 1990.
“Grove City realized more housing starts than other Central Ohio suburb in six of the last nine years, and that growth requires continuous planning,” said Grove City Business and Community Relations Representative Don Walters. “We anticipate that growth for the next 35 years will match and possibly outpace the past 35 years.”
While the growth patterns for suburbs over the past several decades have largely been based on land acquisition and low-density sprawl, many are now planning for smart growth and dense infill. Dublin is moving forward with their Bridge Street Corridor master plan, the City of Newark is making a combined total of $80 million in investments in its historic Downtown area, and others are following suit.
“Last year we commenced GroveCity2050, an exciting and vital planning initiative to proactively shape where and how the community grows,” added Walters. “GroveCity2050 will expand on the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s insight2050 initiative. It is designed to enable the community to capitalize on central Ohio’s growth and changing demographics to ensure the City continues to enhance its successes as a desirable place to live, work and play.”
The Top 10 Fastest Growing Central Ohio Suburbs and Cities from 2010-2015:
- Hilliard: +5,214
- Grove City: +3,813
- Dublin: +3,347
- Delaware: +3,242
- Westeville: +2,264
- New Albany: +2,155
- Powell: +1,472
- Pickerington: +1,454
- Gahanna: +1,342
- Reynoldsburg: +1,265
- Upper Arlington: +1,136
- Lancaster: +986
- Worthington: +923
- Grandview Heights: +792
- Marysville: +723
- Canal Winchester: +717
- Sunbury: +708
- Whitehall: +632
- Bexley: +597
- Circleville: +543