The Short North is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, United States, centered on High Street just north of the Arena District and extending south to the University District and Ohio State University. It’s a short walk from the convention center or the Nationwide Arena district to the south along High Street, which runs from the north side of Goodale Street to the south side of 7th/King Avenue. Victorian Village to the west and Italian Village to the east flank it. The Short North is a densely populated commercial and residential district that sees a lot of foot traffic during its monthly “Gallery Hop” and other local and downtown events.
The Short North in Columbus, OH has been described as “colorful,” “offbeat,” and “trendy,” with many art galleries, specialty shops, pubs, nightclubs, and coffee shops. Most of its densely packed brick buildings date from the early twentieth century, with traditional storefronts along High Street (often with brightly painted murals on their side walls), old apartment buildings and rowhouses, and newer condominium developments in the surrounding blocks. Furthermore, the city installed 17 lighted metal arches across High Street throughout the Short North, evoking the early 1900s arches in the area.
History
Originally known as the “near north side,” the area along High Street became known as the “Short North” in the 1980s as part of the vernacular used by police and taxi drivers. This was a period of decline in the neighborhood. From the perspective of a suburban commuter, the area fell ‘just short’ of the central business district’s north end, both physically and economically. The Short North Tavern, the first to use this new name, opened in this area in 1981. Bed Bug Exterminator Columbus
The Short North has a reputation for diversity and an artistic, Bohemian atmosphere, with land prices and local rents steadily rising since its humble beginnings as a squatter’s neighborhood in the 1980s. However, before its gentrification by artists, this area had suffered from prolonged decay and latent, street-level crime and gang violence as Columbus‘ affluent residents followed the economic bubble outward—into the suburbs—during the 1960s and 1970s.
The neighborhood’s rebirth accelerated in the 1980s as galleries opened and flourished. “It was one of those neighborhoods that artists love to move into because the possibilities are there,” Maria Galloway (owner of PM Gallery, formerly the oldest gallery in the Short North) once said. In 1984, two Short North area galleries — the now-defunct Art Reach and PM gallery — opened new exhibits on the first Saturday of every month to help cross-promote their businesses and build a more unified community. This haphazard coordination evolved into the Gallery Hop, which is still held on the first Saturday of each month.
Check out other neighborhoods like Arena District