Columbus (Ohio) is the largest city in Ohio, capital of the state and seat of Franklin County. While most of Ohio's major urban centers were decreasing in population in the 1980s and early 1990s, Columbus was posting growth, in part due to its healthy mixed economy. The city is distinguished by its concentration of businesses engaged in information processing, and Columbus is home to The Ohio State University.
Columbus is situated near the geographical center of Ohio at the junction of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. The city lies on the rolling Central Lowland of the eastern Midwest at an elevation of 227 m (744 ft). Columbus has four distinct seasons. Winter and spring weather is influenced by cold air masses from Canada, and summer and fall weather by warm air from the south. The average high temperature in January is 0° C (32° F) and the average low is -8° C (18° F); average high in July is 28° C (82° F) and the average low is 16° C (61° F). Annual precipitation averages about 940 mm (about 37 in); driest months are January through March.
Columbus was named in honor of explorer Christopher Columbus at the time state legislators voted to create the city as the state capital.