Our Towns

“I have to see a thing a thousand times before I see it once.”
-You Can’t Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe

Last week, I had a chance to listen to the book Our Towns. It is the story of a couple’s 100,000 mile, five-year journey throughout America in a small plane. It will inspire and remind you of America’s greatness and give you hope for meeting your community’s challenges. It may also serve your curiosity as to how your “place” is represented by its small businesses and community leaders to traveling strangers.

If you don’t have time for the book, this podcast from the Commonwealth Club of California is also great.

The civic pride and economic and culture histories of places across America, and the energy and effort that is taken to improve them, is why I believe economic development matters more than ever. Kudos to authors James and Deborah Fallows for capturing this spirit.

-Kenny McDonald

Organization Name	Website
Alvis	https://alvis180.org/
Center for Employment Opportunities	https://www.ceoworks.org/
Color Coded Labs	https://www.colorcodedlabs.com/
Columbus Urban League	https://www.cul.org/mission-vision/
Columbus Works	https://www.columbusworks.org/
Community Refugee Immigration Services	https://www.crisohio.org/
Central Ohio Construction Accelerator Partnership	https://ncusolutions.org/
Central Ohio Manufacturing Partnership	https://www.centralohiomanufacturingpartnership.org/
Cristo Rey High School	https://www.crchsworks.org/
Damascus Second Chance Hiring	https://www.teamdamascus.com/
Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services	https://ethiotss.org/
Godman Guild	https://www.godmanguild.org/
Goodwill Columbus	https://www.goodwillcolumbus.org/
Greater Ohio Workforce Board	https://gowbi.org/
Impact Community Action	https://www.impactca.org/
Information Technology Accelerator Partnership	https://ncusolutions.org/ncus-tec/itap-ohio/
Jewish Family Services	https://jfscolumbus.org/
Knox County WorkDev	https://knoxadf.com/workforce-opportunities/
National Center for Urban Solutions	https://ncusolutions.org/
Ohio Department of Veterans Services	https://dvs.ohio.gov/
OhioMeansJobs	https://ohiomeansjobs.ohio.gov/
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities	https://ood.ohio.gov/
Our Lady of Guadalupe	https://colscss.org/our-lady-of-guadalupe-center/
Per Scholas	https://perscholas.org/locations/columbus/
Pickaway Works	https://pickawayworks.org
SHARE Mobility	https://www.sharemobility.com/
Somali American Chamber of Commerce	https://somaliamericancc.com/
South Central Ohio Workforce Partnership	https://scoworkforcepartnership.org/index.html
South Side Thrive Collaborative	https://southsidethrive.org/
Tech Elevator	https://www.techelevator.com/
Union County Talent Readiness Team	https://www.growunioncountyohio.com/talent
Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio	https://www.wdbco.org/
We Can Code It	https://wecancodeit.org/

School Name	Address	County	Enrollment	Website
The Ohio State University	281 W Lane Avenue Columbus, OH 43210	Franklin	61,677	https://www.osu.edu
Franklin University	201 South Grant Avenue Columbus, OH 43215	Franklin	6,815	https://www.franklin.edu
Capital University	2209 East Main Street Bexley, OH 43209	Franklin	2,820	https://www.capital.edu
The Ohio State University – Newark	1179 University Drive Newark, OH 43055	Licking	2,730	https://www.newark.osu.edu
Otterbein University	1 South Grove Street Westerville, OH 43081	Franklin	2,605	https://www.otterbein.edu
Hondros College	4140 Executive Pkwy Westerville, OH 43081	Franklin	2,541	https://www.hondros.edu
Denison University	100 West College Street Granville, OH 43023	Licking	2,321	https://www.denison.edu
Ohio University – Lancaster	1570 Granville Pike Lancaster, OH 43130	Fairfield	2,125	https://www.ohio.edu/lancaster
Mount Vernon Nazarene University	800 Martinsburg Road Mount Vernon, OH 43050	Knox	2,064	https://www.mvnu.edu
Ohio Christian University	1476 Lancaster Pike Circleville, OH 43113	Pickaway	1,900	https://www.ohiochristian.edu
Kenyon College	104 College Drive Gambier, OH 43022	Knox	1,875	https://www.kenyon.edu/
Ohio Wesleyan University	61 South Sandusky Street Delaware, OH 43015	Delaware	1,339	https://www.owu.edu/
Ohio Dominican University	1216 Sunbury Road Columbus, OH 43219	Franklin	1,335	https://www.ohiodominican.edu
The Ohio State University-Marion	1461 Mount Vernon Avenue Marion, OH 43302	Marion	1,047	https://www.osumarion.osu.edu/
Columbus College of Art and Design	60 Cleveland Avenue Columbus, OH 43215	Franklin	1,000	https://www.ccad.edu/
Mount Carmel College of Nursing	127 South Davis Avenue Columbus, OH 43222	Franklin	790	https://www.mccn.edu
Chamberlain Unviersity College of Nursing-Ohio	4111 Worth Avenue Columbus, OH 43219	Franklin	679	https://www.chamberlain.edu
DeVry University – Columbus	2 Easton Oval Suite 210 Columbus, OH 43219	Franklin	404	https://www.devry.edu
Ashland University – Columbus Center	1900 E. Dublin-Granville Rd. Columbus, OH 43229	Franklin		https://www.ashland.edu
Franklin University – Delaware Center	5100 Cornerstone Drive Room 244 Delaware, OH 43015	Delaware		https://www.franklin.edu
Ohio University – Dublin Medical School Campus	6775 Bobcat Way Dublin, OH 43016	Union		https://www.ohio.edu/dublin
Park University – DSCC	538 S. Yearling Rd Suite 101 Whitehall, OH 43213	Franklin		https://www.park.edu
Columbus State Community College	550 East Spring Street Columbus, OH 43215	Franklin	25,102	https://www.cscc.edu/
Marion Technical College	1467 Mount Vernon Avenue Marion, OH 43302	Marion	2,662	https://www.mtc.edu
Central Ohio Technical College	1179 University Drive Newark, OH 43055	Licking	2,636	https://www.cotc.edu
Fortis College	4151 Executive Pkwy Suite 120 Westerville, OH 43081	Franklin	904	https://www.fortiscollege.edu
Felbry College School of Nursing	6055 Cleveland Avenue Columbus, OH 43231	Franklin	329	https://www.felbrycollege.edu/
Daymar College	2745 Winchester Pike Columbus, OH 43232	Franklin	57	https://www.daymarcollege.edu
Central Ohio Technical College – Knox Campus	236 South Main Street Mt. Vernon, OH 43050	Knox		https://www.cotc.edu
Central Ohio Technical College – Pataskala Campus	8660 East Broad Street Reynoldsburg, OH 43068	Licking		https://www.cotc.edu
Columbus State Community College – Bolton Field	5355 Alkire Road Columbus, OH 43228	Franklin		https://www.cscc.edu/
Columbus State Community College – Delaware Campus	5100 Cornerstone Drive Delaware, OH 43015	Delaware		https://www.cscc.edu
Columbus State Community College – Dublin Center	6805 Bobcat Way Dublin, OH 43016	Union		https://www.cscc.edu
Columbus State Community College – Marysville Center	833 N. Maple Street Marysville, OH 43040	Union		https://www.cscc.edu
Columbus State Community College – Westerville Center	33 Collegeview Rd. Westerville, OH 43081	Delaware		https://www.cscc.edu

School Name	Address	County	Website
Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County	150 Price Road Newark, OH 43055	Licking	https://www.c-tec.edu
Central Ohio Technical College	1179 University Drive Newark, OH 43055	Licking	https://www.cotc.edu
Central Ohio Technical College – Knox Campus	236 South Main Street Mt. Vernon, OH 43050	Knox	https://www.cotc.edu
Central Ohio Technical College – Pataskala Campus	8660 East Broad Street Reynoldsburg, OH 43068	Licking	https://www.cotc.edu
Clark State Community College (Classes at Ohio Hi Point and Bellefontaine High School)	2280 State Route 540 Bellefontaine, OH 43311	Logan	https://www.clarkstate.edu
Columbus City Schools Adult and Community Education	2323 Lexington Avenue Columbus, OH 43211	Franklin	https://www.ccsoh.us/ace
Columbus Downtown High School & Career Center	364 S 4th Street Columbus, OH 43215	Franklin	https://www.columbusdowntownhs.ccsoh.us/
Columbus State Community College	550 East Spring Street Columbus, OH 43215	Franklin	https://www.cscc.edu/
Columbus State Community College – Bolton Field	5355 Alkire Road Columbus, OH 43228	Franklin	https://www.cscc.edu/
Columbus State Community College – Delaware Campus	5100 Cornerstone Drive Delaware, OH 43015	Delaware	https://www.cscc.edu
Columbus State Community College – Dublin Center	6805 Bobcat Way Dublin, OH 43016	Union	https://www.cscc.edu
Columbus State Community College – Marysville Center	833 N. Maple Street Marysville, OH 43040	Union	https://www.cscc.edu
Columbus State Community College – Westerville Center	33 Collegeview Rd. Westerville, OH 43081	Delaware	https://www.cscc.edu
Daymar College	2745 Winchester Pike Columbus, OH 43232	Franklin	https://www.daymarcollege.edu
Delaware Area Career Center	4565 Columbus Pike Delaware, OH 43015	Delaware	https://www.delawareareacc.org
Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools – Eastland Career Center	4300 Amalgamated Place Groveport, OH 43125	Franklin	https://www.eastlandfairfield.com
Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools – Fairfield Career Center	3985 Coonpath Road NW Carroll, OH 43112	Fairfield	https://www.eastland-fairfield.com
Felbry College School of Nursing	6055 Cleveland Avenue Columbus, OH 43231	Franklin	https://www.felbrycollege.edu/
Fortis College	4151 Executive Pkwy, Suite 120 Westerville, OH 43081	Franklin	https://www.fortiscollege.edu
Knox County Career Center	308 Martinsburg Road Mount Vernon, OH 43050	Knox	https://www.knoxcc.org/
Marion Technical College	1467 Mount Vernon Avenue Marion, OH 43302	Marion	https://www.mtc.edu
Ohio Hi Point Career Center	2280 State Route 540 Bellefontaine, OH 43311	Logan	https://www.ohiohipoint.com
Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center – Circleville Campus	424 East Mound Street Circleville, OH 43113	Pickaway	https://www.pickawayross.com
Roadmaster Driving Institute	977 Frank Road Columbus, OH 43223	Franklin	https://www.roadmaster.com/
Robotics & Advanced Manufacturing Technology Education Collaborative – RAMTEC	2222 Marion-Mt. Gilead Road Marion, OH 43302	Marion	https://www.ramtecohio.com/
South-Western Career Technical Academy	4750 Big Run South Road Grove City, OH 43123	Franklin	https://swca.swcsd.us/
Techskills Columbus (MyComputerCareer.edu)	2400 Corporate Exchange Drive Columbus, OH 43231	Franklin	https://www.MyComputerCareer.com
The Computer Workshop Inc.	5200 Upper Metro Place, Suite 140 Dublin, OH 43017	Franklin	https://www.tcworkshop.com
The Electrical Trades Center	947 Goodale Boulevard Grandview, OH 43212	Franklin	https://www.electricaltrades.org/
The Ohio Media School-Columbus	5330 East Main Street Whitehall, OH 43213	Franklin	https://www.beonair.com
Tolles Career and Technical Center	7877 US Hwy 42 S Plain City, OH 43064	Madison	https://www.tollestech.com
Tri-Rivers Career Center	2222 Marion-Mt. Gilead Road Marion, OH 43302	Marion	https://www.tririvers.com
Tri-Rivers Career Center – Adult Healthcare Campus	1563 Marion-Mt. Gilead Road Marion, OH 43302	Marion	https://www.tririvers.com