About Columbus

Columbus, Indiana Area Guide

The Jeff Finke Realty Team, serving Columbus’ metropolitan area, invites you to explore the communities and townships of the area—and discover the land described as "authentic, unique, and unspoiled" by National Geographic magazine—for yourself!

Bartholomew County’s Columbus is located within the Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati triangle. Columbus is currently ranked 11th in the United States on the list of safest cities per population and is located at the junction of the Driftwood and Flatrock Rivers, where the East Fork of the White River forms. This region is a community that appreciates and upholds small-town values while benefiting from big-city efficiencies and a more cosmopolitan world view.

The Columbus metro area is convenient to everything nearby, with most neighboring cities under an hour’s drive away, making our townships, cities and neighborhoods convenient bedroom communities for commuters who prefer a semi-rural quality of life with easy access to city conveniences. The Columbus metropolitan area is well-known regionally, nationally and world wide for its public art, gardens, landscaping and a first-rate park system. Columbus’s architecture, ranked sixth in the U.S. for architectural innovation and design by the American Institute of Architects, is what truly makes the city and region distinct and in a class of its own. Columbus’s history is a rich tapestry that reaches back to Barthlomew County’s nomenclature in honor of the Battle of Tippecanoe’s hero, Lt. Col. Joseph Bartholomew. However, Columbus’s more modern history has earned the city the nickname " Athens of the Prairie".

Cummins Engine Company co-founder J. Irwin Miller instituted the Cummins Foundation in 1954. An industrialist and patron of modern architecture, Miller was instrumental in giving his hometown international stature with its buildings. In 1957, Miller made an offer to the city of Columbus that the Cummins Foundation would pay all the architects fees for new public buildings in Columbus; Columbus is now high-ranked as a “Modernist Mecca”, with works by luminaries like Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Robert Venturi, Cesar Pelli, and Richard Meier located throughout the city. Over 60 structures and buildings sustain Bartholomew County seat's reputation as a showcase of modern architecture, with six buildings built between 1942 and 1965 designated as National Historic Landmarks.

Public art sculptures also contribute to the landscape and architectural innovation Columbus has come to be world-renowned for. Additionally, Columbus is one of the vibrant stops on Indiana’s “Glass Trail”, connecting communities rich in Indiana’s tradition and history of glass arts, a showcase for the artisans of our state. Columbus is proud to publicly host two works by world-class glass artist Dale Chihuly. Columbus is proud of our regional diversity: in addition to our world-class architecture, our region also offers residents and visitors the preserved natural beauty of our parks and wildlife, upscale shopping and dining destinations, and a diverse choice of entertainment opportunities. With everything from nightclubs and spas to world-class art galleries available, Columbus area residents have a busy calendar to choose from. Whether you’re exploring history at Camp Atterbury or canoeing down the Flatrock, Driftwood or White River, Columbus has an Indiana adventure waiting. Anderson Falls Park and State Nature Preserve and Clifty Falls State Park’s waterfalls—Anderson Falls, Little Clifty, Hoffman Falls, or nearby Hanover’s Deadman Falls —invite guests to picnic, observe the wildlife, and enjoy the peaceful sound of water rushing over the ledges of our unique natural geography.

Columbus’s area park system also features 600 acres of park land and 19 miles of People Trails to enjoy at your leisure—hiking, biking, bird watching, and outdoor photography are all popular recreational activities. For rainy days or quieter tastes, choose a visit to the Crump Theatre, Indiana’s oldest historic theater, built in 1889, shop the 85 stores of the Edinburgh Premium Outlets or enjoy the glass-enclosed park at Columbus Commons Centre. The indoor playground, Kidscommons children’s museum and Nugent-Custer Performance Hall musical venue guarantee both kids and parents hours of enjoyment. Or take the challenge to follow the Yellow Trail to “A Surprising Little Town" called Hope. Hope’s unique history is on display in The Yellow Trail Museum and local businesses Strawberry Fields Mercantile and Aunt Amiee’s Tea Room are two stops on the “Indiana Chocolate Trail” that offer a taste of Indiana’s sweetness. For more of Indiana’s flavor, enjoy a full tour of chocolate shops on the “Chocolate Trail”, sample the wines and microbrews during a tour of Simmons Winery or Power House Brewing Company or savor country flavors at Stream Cliff Herb Farm.

No Columbus visit (or summer night!) is complete without a trip to Zaharakos, where history and confectionary meet. Zaharako’s Victorian Soda Shoppe is a fully restored turn of the century ice cream parlor—lovingly decorated with Tiffany-styled lamps, double soda fountains, carved oak, stained glass and marble. A local favorite since 1900, the ice cream parlor invites guests to learn about the history of its soda fountains and the mechanical music of its Welte orchestrion at the adjoining Zaharakos Museum. Bartholomew County is ideal for both families, professionals and retirees alike, offering a wide variety of services catering to residents from all walks of life. Columbus’s mild weather, affordable cost of living, low crime rates, convenience to other nearby communities, city amenities, numerous recreational opportunities and highly rated school systems ( Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation and the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation) make life in Columbus a neighborhood experience that’s close to everything. The experienced professional agents of the Jeff Finke Realty Team are available by phone, e-mail and newly implemented resources Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to better serve their clients and new neighbors. Come find your new neighborhood in Columbus; let The Jeff Finke Realty Team hand you the keys and be first to welcome you home!