New Albany at a Glance: A Columbus-Area City Shaped by Growth

New Albany is a city in central Ohio located roughly 15 miles northeast of Columbus. Most of the city lies in Franklin County, while a smaller section extends into neighboring Licking County. Its location places it within the Columbus metropolitan area and connects its story to the wider development of the region.

The community was established in 1837, when Nobel Landon and William Yantis founded it near the center of Plain Township. The original plan divided the land into residential lots measuring 50 feet by 100 feet, which were offered to settlers. The name New Albany may have reflected the origins of some early residents who had moved from the Albany, New York, area. Another Ohio community, Albany, had already been laid out in 1832. During part of its history, the settlement was also known as Hope.

New Albany became incorporated in 1856, when its population was 50. S. Ogden was elected its first mayor. The community’s early commercial history included a mill that opened in 1881. It was initially known as The Wilkins Lumber Mill and later became known as the New Albany Mill.

For much of its history, New Albany remained a small community within the Columbus metropolitan area. That began to change during the 1990s, when businessman Les Wexner made significant investments in the town. The investment was followed by rapid growth in population and business during the decades that followed.

The 2020 census recorded 10,825 residents. That figure reflects the scale of a place that has changed considerably from its incorporation-era population of 50, while remaining tied geographically to Columbus and administratively divided between two counties.

For readers tracking the Columbus region, New Albany offers a concise example of how a once-small settlement developed alongside metropolitan growth. Its history includes planned lots and early local institutions, a shift from a small incorporated community to a city, and a later period of substantial population and business expansion. The city’s position northeast of Columbus, together with its presence in both Franklin and Licking counties, is central to understanding its place in the area.

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Further links listed by the Wikipedia page (not independently checked): - https://web.archive.org/web/20100516190007/http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/04/11/NA_MILL.ART_ART_04-11-08_C10_QO9T55P.html - https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/google-to-break-ground-on-600-million-data-center-in-new-albany/ - https://musicbrainz.org/area/95d09d26-30ce-44c3-b06b-a9edc867393a - https://www.cityscenecolumbus.com/api/content/c3135628-5749-11ea-a637-1244d5f7c7c6/ - https://www.cityscenecolumbus.com/api/content/4450fd98-f756-11e9-96a3-1244d5f7c7c6/ - https://newalbanyhistory.info/ Image rights Photograph description: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets - November 7, 2009 Creator: Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States. License: CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). Original image page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AColumbus_Blue_Jackets_2009-11-07.jpg. The image was resized for display; no other changes were made.