Thoughts on Columbus, GA

[ATLman1]

I have few pics of the older downtown part of Columbus, more street scenes than skyline shots.  You can get a decent skyline view from the parking lot of the Russell Co CH across the river in Phenix City.  I'll post them tomorrow.

Columbus feels hemmed in to me.  Fort Benning eats up the entire southern and eastern part of the county, physically separating the city from any potential suburban areas in Chattahoochee Co to the south (which is part of the metro area).  The more significant towers are sprinkled around the developed area, but if I remember right the tallest thing in town is the county CH. 

That interstate spur has got to connect to something else.  Running the proposed middle GA parkway from Macon to Columbus and then up to Auburn would be great for the city, as it wouldn't feel so isolated.  And, it would give you a way to go west from Savannah/Augusta/Columbia/Charleston etc without having to fight Atlanta traffic; lots more people would go through town, in other words.  Couldn't hurt.

This Columbus v. Augusta fight is silly.  Both cities have advantages and disadvantages.  Augusta, however, has made better use of their river than Columbus has, and any significant downtown redevelopment in Columbus needs to address that.

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Columbus's riverwalk is way better than Augusta's. It stretches 20 something miles! There is plenty of development going on along the river. Have you seen TSYS campus along the river, it's HUGE! Columbus State University is building a 30+ million dollar expansion along the river with a 5 story parking deck and a 5 story dorm for over 500 students. Plus, the dams are being torn down to allow kayaking. This is a huge development that is going on downtown and will bring plenty of tourists. Also, the Trade Center just finished its expansion which doubled its size. Synovus just completed its new HQ building along the river. A new marina is also proposed for the riverwalk a little ways away from downtown. There are plenty of other things in the works for the riverwalk area. Also, Phenix city across the river is undergoing a 300 million dollar revitalization of their downtown which will bring 2 new hotels and a convention center, stores, restaurants, riverwalk expansion, etc. Columbus and Phenix City have only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to the plans they have for the riverwalk area.

[Spartan]

Does Augusta have a univerity or any other intitution of higher education?

[Topher1]

There aren't any prestigious schools, but there are several smaller universities/colleges in the area...

EDIT: Wait, duh, I lied.. there is a prestigious school in Augusta (MCG)...

Medical College of Georgia (MCG) is a very significant part of the Augusta economy, and a pretty darn good school from what I understand...

Augusta State is a decent sized and growing university, located right outside of DT in the beautiful Summerville neighborhood...

Augusta Tech is a good tech school.

Paine College is the local HBCU...

And across the river, there's

Aiken Tech

USC-Aiken - which consistently ranks highly (top 3) as a "best value" school...

[Spartan]

USCA is one of 2 (soon to be 3) USC system schools that offer 4 year degrees.

[socaguy]

I have few pics of the older downtown part of Columbus, more street scenes than skyline shots.  You can get a decent skyline view from the parking lot of the Russell Co CH across the river in Phenix City.  I'll post them tomorrow.

Columbus feels hemmed in to me.  Fort Benning eats up the entire southern and eastern part of the county, physically separating the city from any potential suburban areas in Chattahoochee Co to the south (which is part of the metro area).  The more significant towers are sprinkled around the developed area, but if I remember right the tallest thing in town is the county CH. 

That interstate spur has got to connect to something else.  Running the proposed middle GA parkway from Macon to Columbus and then up to Auburn would be great for the city, as it wouldn't feel so isolated.  And, it would give you a way to go west from Savannah/Augusta/Columbia/Charleston etc without having to fight Atlanta traffic; lots more people would go through town, in other words.  Couldn't hurt.

This Columbus v. Augusta fight is silly.  Both cities have advantages and disadvantages.  Augusta, however, has made better use of their river than Columbus has, and any significant downtown redevelopment in Columbus needs to address that.

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The Augusta Riverfront area has grown tremendously in the past decade and a half. The first development (other than the first phase of the Riverwalk) was Port Royal, an 18 floor condo tower and a 2 floor, upscale mall, complete with Colette (a French Chain) department store. The Mall only survived a few years and was later turned into a large, interactive Childrens Science Museum. The next Phase, (a little farther down) was a new 12 floor Raddison Hotel, an 8 floor office building, and the Morris Museum of Art. They expanded the esplanade several more blocks and later came another new 5-6 floor hotel, and then the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. A new Marina was created about 6-7 years ago as well. On the other side of Reynolds street more development has been happening recently with two parks just created, one with a Huge sculpture (in Topher's Augusta images). Each of one the Riverwalks entrances has small boutiques, art galleries, outdoor cafes and pubs. It is amazing what they have done in the past decade. The other side of the River (North Augusta) is growing as well, with multimillion dollar homes, midrise condos, a golf course and retail all u/c or in the works.

No, Augustas riverfront area isnt 20 miles long, but the mile or two that is there is completely beautiful. You can walk on wide brick pathways either on top of the levee or at Riverlevel. There are tons of sculptures, playgrounds, an Amphitheater, the Marina. It really is quite amazing. Past the Riverwalk to the North are Riverfront homes, and above that, probably undeveloped swampland (Which needs to stay that way.) There are miles and miles of bike/walking paths along the Augusta Canal (which runs parallel to the Savannah River.)

[Topher1]

I'm interested in seeing some photos of the Columbus Riverwalk. I'd just like to know if its more of a trail, or an actual parklike setting, like Augusta's much shorter riverwalk. If its the latter, with its 20 mile length, that is certainly a tremendous asset to the city. Hell, even if it is just a trail-like project, its still a quality asset...

[ATLman1]

Go to www.visitcolumbusga.com. It has a good pick of what the riverwalk looks like downtown. It also has a description about it.

[thehappysmith]

Well, sorry to be so long on those photos, but I don't have any place to upload them to. Any ideas?

[Viper]

I'm getting 425,044 for Columbus metro.

Columbus has 2 skyscrapers over 12 storys.

Augusta has 7.

[Topher1]

I'm getting 425,044 for Columbus metro.

If you're getting those numbers, then you're not using the official census metro definition.

http://www.census.gov/population/estimates...ity/0312msa.txt

The official numbers obtained from these definitions are on page 2 of the thread... Feel free to share what methodology you used, however, so that we can compare the GA cities using that methodology as well.

[Topher1]

stinkin double post

But anyway... happysmith - I use imageshack for uploading photos. Its very quick and easy (and free) and it generates the code for posting in the forums for you. There are others of course, but Imageshack works for me.

http://www.imageshack.us

[Spartan]

Well, sorry to be so long on those photos, but I don't have any place to upload them to.  Any ideas?

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You can also use photobucket.

We also have a thread about image hosting here.

[Viper]

If you're getting those numbers, then you're not using the official census metro definition.

http://www.census.gov/population/estimates...ity/0312msa.txt

The official numbers obtained from these definitions are on page 2 of the thread...  Feel free to share what methodology you used, however, so that we can compare the GA cities using that methodology as well.

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I just used a few online population sites and most had that figure.

[thehappysmith]

Well... you poor souls, you've no idea the destructive power you've unleashed by telling me how to post photographs on blogs. My own blog has no chance at all.

Here are some Columbus photos; these are from February of 2002, around 10'30 in the morning. Someone who knows more about Columbus can describe them; as I've said, the best view of town is from across the river but it won't fit into a camera frame, at least not the one I had at the time.

This one, looking north, has a skyscraper in the far distance; that's pretty far away from the CBD there, but seems typical of the town.

This one appears to be a picture of a tree.

I rather liked this building; I remember there being quite a few fountains in the central strip park. It's a nice feature.

[Spartan]

I like those pics. The first and the last one are my favs. I look forward to more:)

2003 estimatefor Columbus GA MSA

Russell County, AL ------------- 7,170

Chattahoochee County, GA -185,702

Harris County, GA ------------ 25,891

Marion County, GA ----------- 19,333

Muscogee County, GA ------- 48,986

Total --------------------------284,082

(2000: 74,624)

[thehappysmith]

I'm not normally one to pick, but, those numbers are misrepresented. It should go like this:

Russell, Ala. 48,986

Chattahoochee, Ga. 19,333

Harris, Ga. 25,891

Marion, Ga. 7,170

Muscogee, Ga. 185,702

The sum was right; all the numbers were right; but they were lined up wrong.

I have pictures of the Muscogee, Russell, and Chattahoochee courthouses, but not a one of them is even remotely attractive...

[ATLman1]

Well...  you poor souls, you've no idea the destructive power you've unleashed by telling me how to post photographs on blogs.  My own blog has no chance at all.

Here are some Columbus photos; these are from February of 2002, around 10'30 in the morning.  Someone who knows more about Columbus can describe them; as I've said, the best view of town is from across the river but it won't fit into a camera frame, at least not the one I had at the time.

This one, looking north, has a skyscraper in the far distance; that's pretty far away from the CBD there, but seems typical of the town.

This one appears to be a picture of a tree.

I rather liked this building; I remember there being quite a few fountains in the central strip park.  It's a nice feature.

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The first picture is looking east. I am not sure what street that is. The tall building in the picture above the trees in AFLAC's HQ at 20 story's. AFLAC also has another building on its campus that is 8 storys. The second picture is looking down broadway. This area is now under a $10 million dollar renovation with more parking, lighting, landscaping, etc. This is the area that has grown a lot in the last few years. It looks a lot different now compared to the picture. There are a lot of new restaurants, clubs, bars, lofts, etc that have moved in. The third picture is the Ledger-Enquirer building. That is Columbus's newspaper. It is a very old building that has a Spanish look to it. The fourth picture is looking at the Ralston Towers and the Professional Building. Both of those buildings are 10 story's I believe. These pictures only show a little of DT. There are other buildings such as the Government Center, a glassy 14 story building, and the Wyndham Hotel which is 8 or so story's. The TSYS campus is on the northern border of DT along the river. It is a beautiful campus with over 1,000,000 sq ft. of office space. Also, the new Rivercenter is a beautiful new concert hall that is one of the best in the Southeast. Synovus just finished its new HQ along the river. Columbus State University has started construction on its new $30 million dollar DT campus along the river that will bring some nice building to the DT area. If anyone has any more pictures please post them. Thanks for the pictures thehappysmith! Keep posting if you have more.

[ATLman1]

Here is some new information on the DT redevelopment of a mill that will turned into condos, retail, and restaurants. This is from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. It is a long article.

Modern mill

Development to bring residences, restaurants, retail and office space to historic site

BY CHUCK WILLIAMS

Staff Writer

A historic Columbus mill site dating back to the mid-1800s is on the verge of dramatic change.

The old Eagle & Phenix Mill that sits on the east bank of Chattahoochee River in downtown Columbus will be converted to residences, restaurants and office space. The project is projected to cost more than $50 million and take up to 10 years to complete.

The mill and 16 acres of prime riverfront real estate was purchased from the bankrupt Pillowtex Corp. for $5.8 million by the W.C. Bradley Co. more than a year ago.

Now, the Columbus company, with its partner Columbus-based Flournoy Development Co., is moving forward with plans to tear out non-historic chunks of the mill. That work began earlier this month.

That demolition -- which will leave six historic mill structures standing -- will open up a world of possibilities for reuse of the city's oldest industrial site.

"We hope at the end of the day it is a community within itself," W.C. Bradley Real Estate Division President Mat Swift said.

It is another significant investment step being made along the river.

Consider the recent riverfront expenditures:

[ATLman1]

Here are some great images of Columbus. The images include some of the highrises throughout the city. Also, there are some pictures of some new developments that are already under construction or finished. I couldn't figure out how to post the pictures, but if you click on the link it will pull it up. I used the imageshack website. If anyone could tell me how to post the images I would greatly appreciate it.

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=synovus4pf.jpg

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=cancer20c...exterior7og.jpg

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=corpoverviewhq2sg.jpg

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=csuuptown20pf.jpg

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=csuuptown40yc.jpg

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=cunningha...terlarge1gh.jpg

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=governmen...tersmall9md.jpg

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=renovationpic31th.jpg

http://img1.echo.cx/my.php?image=tsys9un.jpg

[Spartan]

You have a dynamic link, which UP does not support. You need to get the direct link from ImageShack and use that with the IMG tags.

[ATLman1]

A 2.3 mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River will turn into the one of the largest, if not the largest, urban whitewater rapids in the nation. Federal funding for breaching 2 dams in DT Columbus has won approval. More funding for the project is on the way. Construction is set to begin in 2006. This will be a huge boost for DT Columbus economic growth.

[ironchapman]

^ What about about the waterfalls in Minneapolis, aren't they bigger? Or are these two dfferent things?

[Donny James]

@ Columbus being bigger than Augusta.

I saw those numbers posted, but Im pretty sure the size and population rankings are like this:

1. Atlanta (of course

2. Augusta

3. Savannah

4. Columbus

5. Macon

[Spartan]

@ Columbus being bigger than Augusta. 

I saw those numbers posted, but Im pretty sure the size and population rankings are like this:

1. Atlanta (of course

2. Augusta

3. Savannah

4. Columbus

5. Macon

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Cities:

Atlanta 423,019

Augusta 193,316

Columbus 185,702

Savannah 127,573

Athens 102,498

Macon 95,267

MSA:

Atlanta: 4,112,198

Augusta: 477,441

Macon: 322,549

Savannah: 293,000

Columbus: 274,624

Athens: 153,444

Urban Area:

Atlanta: 3,499,840

Augusta: 335,630

Columbus: 242,324

Savannah: 208,886

Macon: 135,170

Athens: 106,482

[ATLman1]

Isn't Augusta losing population? That is what I have heard. Columbus should take over Augusta in city population by the next census. Don't forget, between 18,000-25,000 new residents will be moving into Columbus within the next 2 years with Fort Benning's massive expansion. It should be interesting to see the new census figures. Also, if Lee County, Ala (Auburn/Opelika) becomes part of Columbus's metro, Columbus will probably be the second largest metro as well in the coming years.