Another reason to like the Columbus, OH RE market
You've probably heard that Columbus, OH is a city to keep your eye on. You might have also heard that it is "up-and-coming." I'm here to tell you, it's already up. In what is already becoming a hyper-competitive market, Columbus is welcoming some of the biggest tech corporations and other major brands and is retaining its talent. Columbus already has the headquarters of national brands like Nationwide, Cardinal Health, Big Lots, L Brands, CoverMyMeds, Wendy's, just to name a few. And Columbus can thank The Ohio State University for providing a steady stream of the talent that has made those companies thrive. And for the first time, recent graduates are beginning to heavily consider staying in Columbus after graduation. Why? The job market is steadily growing year after year, the cost of living is far more reasonable than the likes of a Chicago or Manhattan, and because of Columbus' central location, travelling to those major cities is quite easy. But this post is about why to like Columbus, OH even more in addition to those above.
In 2017, Amazon entered the Columbus market and pumped $1.1B into facilities here. Later that year, Facebook followed suit by purchasing 415 acres to build a $750M data center (which opened this week). Then in November (2019), Google got in on the fun and broke ground on a $600M data center that is scheduled for completion in 2021. And if that isn't enough for you, just yesterday, Facebook announced an expansion that would add two more buildings to it's campus. That expansion will add 1M square feet to bring Facebook a total of 2.5M square feet in the Columbus market.
When I graduated high school, I couldn't wait to leave Columbus. It was small, not a lot of action, the weather is a mystery (I wore shorts last week in 65 degree weather, and as I write this today it's snowing). What I'm trying to communicate is that Columbus is no longer some small cow-town with potential. It's a city that I can't imagine leaving now (even with the weather systems). It's a city that has garnered the attention of major industry, and it's a city to, not just "keep your eye on," but to dig into. Love my city!
