Downtowns again booming in Ohio's big cities

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - After many years and a combined investment of about $10 billion, Ohio's three largest cities — Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati — are enjoying downtown booms.

All three cities have added residents, jobs, economic impact and vibrancy.

Cleveland State University professor Edward Hill called it "an overnight sensation 30 years in the making."

The Columbus Dispatch reports that even in the midst of the recession, Ohio's "three Cs" moved forward with major projects, many of them initiated with public money.

In Cleveland, a bus-rapid transit system ignited development along the important downtown artery of Euclid Avenue. In Columbus, the Arena District rose on the blighted site of an old prison.

And in Cincinnati, the rebirth started with Fountain Square and the historic Over-the-Rhine district.