• Columbus Indiana was recognized as one of America’s Top 100 best places to live and launch a business by Fortune Small Business magazine, in its April 2008 issue.
• Columbus Indiana was named one of the nation’s "most walkable" communities in April 2008 by Dan Burden, Executive Director of Walkable Communities, after a visit to the city. He has given the title to just 100 of the 2,500 cities he has visited, and noted that Columbus Indiana has the cleanest alleys of any city he has visited, noting "That shows that you pay attention to detail."
• Columbus Indiana 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.
• 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.   www.columbusindiana.com
• According to the August 2006 edition of Wallpaper, an international magazine focusing on design interiors, Columbus Indiana 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 Sr. 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 Indiana "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 Indiana with photos. The article called Columbus Indiana a "veritable museum of modern architecture."
• Named to the 2005 list of U.S. Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.    www.historiccolumbusindiana.org
• Columbus Indiana 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 Indiana a "Commitment to Excellence" Award in 2004.

Attractions

• Columbus Indiana has 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 in Columbus Indiana, including two outlet malls, shopping centers and traditional malls, a huge antique mall and stores, and a vibrant downtown with specialty shops.
• Columbus Indiana  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.
• Columbus Indiana has 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.   www.thecip.org
• Other attractions in Columbus Indiana 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

• Columbus Indiana 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. Columbus Indiana Real Estate is a great investment. 
• The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America by John Villani, published by John Muir Publications, copyright 1996. Columbus Indiana 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 Indiana 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. This publication ranked small cities, that they labeled "micropolitans," with populations of 15,000-50,000 on 10 qualities. Columbus Indiana 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.

Locals

• Chuck Taylor, for whom the Converse All Star is named, was a basketball player, salesman, and shoe endorser from Columbus Indiana. He played on the Columbus High School Bulldogs team from 1914 to 1918. Until the mid-1970s, the beloved shoe design, nicknamed "Chuck's," comprised 50% of the athletic shoe market.
• Tony Stewart - 2007 Brickyard 400 Winner Tony Stewart is a local boy made good. What an unforgettable hero! He credits his return to his hometown with his success on the NASCAR circuit. See a mural of Tony at the downtown Dairy Queen, where the owner was an early Tony fan and sponsor. Tony owns several peices of Columbus Indiana Real Estate.
• Exploded Engine - The lobby of the world headquarters of Cummins, Inc. offers a mini-museum for car enthusiasts. Cummins is a world leader in diesel engine manufacturing. There are vintage cars and former Indy 500 race cars. The centerpiece of the exhibit is an exploded diesel engine by artist Rudolph de Harak. Each piece of the engine is artfully pulled away from the engine block by invisible wires, giving the piece a floating sensation.
• Chaos I - World-renowned Swiss sculptor Jean Tinguely's aptly-named Chaos I is large and loud. It spins and sputters slowly at first and, then, erupts as metal balls crash loudly down a wire chute. Formerly on public display in The Commons, it was built in 1974 from scrap metal Tinguely located in area junkyards. It is 30 feet high, weighing 7 tons. (Chaos will return, when the new Commons Mall re-opens.)
• Award-Winning Park - Enjoy landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh's award-winning park design in Mill Race Park, located just steps away from downtown Columbus. Its curving drive follows the line of the river. From the 42-foot observatory, you can view the river as well as the downtown rooftops and steeples. With the spring rains, the entire park can be submerged. Every plant and every fixture in the park is designed to withstand significant floods. www.columbus.in.gov/searchparks.phtml
  
• Over the River and Through the Woods - The 19-mile People Trail system takes you over the river, through the woods and under the interstate. Along the river, you're likely to see a blue heron in flight. Along the western stretch of trail, you'll notice butterflies inhabiting the wildflower gardens along State Road 46. As you journey westward, two tunnels take you safely under Interstate 65. The trail system takes you through the natural beauty of several parks, past significant modern architecture and through quaint residential areas.
• An Oasis in the City - Irwin Gardens, once the private gardens of a prominent family, are open to the public on the weekends from about May to October. It is a magical place with five water features, a walled herb garden, an elevated tea house and various pieces of sculpture. The flowers change with the seasons in this beautifully-maintained formal garden modeled after a garden in Pompeii, Italy in the early 1900's.
• Back Home In Indiana - Local boy Tim Grimm went to Hollywood to be in pictures (movies, TV), but returned to his roots in Columbus to raise his family. He organizes the Driftwood Valley Music Festival, featuring many folk artists, writes music, performs his folk music throughout the Midwest and back east as well as performs in live theater.

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