Columbus IN, A Quintessential Character Town.

 THE TOWN. Columbus was settled in the 1820s by James Harrod and Daniel Boone; incorporated on June 28, 1864. The City has a population approaching 50,000. Columbus is approximately 50 miles south of Indianapolis. 

The major employer is Cummins Inc.: established 1919, $25 billion capitalization, #65 on Fortune 500, 62,500 employees worldwide. The primary product is diesel engines. Cummins, Inc. is a big benefactor of the city and its urban development. 

J. Irwin Miller, 2nd CEO and a nephew of a co-founder of Cummins Inc., established the Cummins Foundation. It instituted a program that paid the architects’ fees for new schools, provided the client selected a firm from a list compiled by the Foundation. The plan was so successful that the Foundation decided to offer such design support to other non-profit and civic organizations. As a result, Columbus is known for its modern architecture and public art.