Franklinton, Columbus, OH
What Franklinton is actually like
Franklinton predates Columbus itself: surveyor and Revolutionary War veteran Lucas Sullivant laid out a village of 220 lots on the west bank of the Scioto River in 1797, naming it in honor of the recently deceased Benjamin Franklin, making it the first permanent white settlement in what is now Franklin County, per Wikipedia's Franklinton entry. Columbus itself was founded across the river 15 years later, in 1812, specifically to be the new state capital.
Franklinton's location on the low-lying Scioto floodplain earned it the local nickname "the Bottoms" and made it the epicenter of the Great Flood of 1913, the deadliest natural disaster in Columbus's history: wooden levees holding back the Scioto collapsed on March 25, 1913, and floodwater 7 to 17 feet deep engulfed the neighborhood, killing roughly 93 people, displacing about 20,000 residents, and destroying nearly 500 buildings, per Wikipedia's Great Flood of 1913 entry. Voters approved flood-control funding as early as 1916, but the definitive fix took until 2004: a 7.14-mile floodwall combining earth levees, concrete and sheet-pile walls and 14 gatewells, built at a final cost of about $139 million with roughly 70% federal funding, was dedicated that year and, per the Columbus Monthly, its completion removed Franklinton from FEMA's floodplain designation and lifted the building restrictions that had discouraged development in the neighborhood for decades.
That regulatory change reopened Franklinton to development: the Scioto Peninsula project, first planned in 2012, broke ground in September 2020 with an eventual scope of roughly 20 buildings and 1,800 residences, per Wikipedia, which also states Franklinton's current population at about 36,000 residents — up sharply from an estimated 8,132 in 2017, though still well below the neighborhood's 1950 peak of 26,500.
Home values in Franklinton
Redfin put Franklinton's median home sale price at $211,678 for the three months ending July 2026, up 24.9% year-over-year, per Redfin — still the lowest of the seven Columbus urban-core neighborhoods, though rising quickly as redevelopment continues.
Getting around
Franklinton is more car-dependent than downtown or German Village, though COTA's Route 10 runs West Broad Street through the neighborhood and a future bus rapid transit line on that same corridor has been under discussion for several years. The Scioto Peninsula redevelopment along the riverfront is being built with walkability toward downtown in mind, given its proximity across the Main Street and Broad Street bridges.
Franklinton FAQ
Does Franklinton flood?
It has the worst flood history of any Columbus neighborhood — the March 1913 flood killed roughly 93 people here — but a 7.14-mile floodwall completed in 2004 removed Franklinton from FEMA's mapped floodplain and lifted the building restrictions that came with it; confirm current flood-zone status for a specific address via FEMA's flood map tool regardless, since maps are periodically updated.
Is Franklinton a good place to live?
It's Columbus's lowest-priced urban-core neighborhood by home value — Redfin's median sale price was $211,678 as of mid-2026, up nearly 25% year-over-year — and it's seeing active redevelopment post-floodwall, including the Scioto Peninsula project, but it also lost its own hospital in 2019 and some blocks remain in transition.
Is Franklinton the oldest part of Columbus?
It's older than Columbus itself: Lucas Sullivant founded Franklinton in 1797, 15 years before the Ohio legislature created Columbus across the river in 1812 to be the new state capital.
Where is the nearest hospital to Franklinton?
OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, just across the river downtown at 111 S. Grant Ave. Franklinton's own hospital, Mount Carmel West, closed in 2019, and a later emergency department on that same site has since closed as well.
Nearby alternatives*We're not ranking these — every place has real trade-offs, and which ones matter is up to you.
Downtown & Arena District
Downtown and the Arena District sit directly across the Scioto River, connected by the Main Street and Broad Street bridges.
German Village
German Village is a short drive southeast, also across the river.
Grove City
Grove City, a major Columbus suburb, is where Mount Carmel West's inpatient services relocated to in 2019.
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