The Hilltop is one of the largest neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio, United States, located west of Franklinton and Downtown Columbus. The Hilltop spans approximately and encompasses a collection of distinct sub-neighborhoods, parks, schools, and commercial corridors. The broader planning area is known as The Greater Hilltop—a name that reflects both the geographic scope of the community and an aspiration to shape the area's future growth together.

The Hilltop is bounded by Interstate 70 to the north, the CSX railroad on the east, and Interstate 270 to the south and west. Its principal thoroughfares are West Broad Street (U.S. Route 40), Sullivant Avenue, and Hague Avenue. Within these bounds, the area includes the city of Columbus, the city of Urbancrest, the village of Valleyview, and portions of Franklin County, Franklin Township, Jackson Township, and Prairie Township.

Name and identity

"The Hilltop" derives its name from Lucas Sullivant, who was among the first to be granted a deed to this land. For a time the area was known as Sullivant's Hill; as ownership transferred across generations the name evolved into The Hilltop. Because the area comprises an assortment of smaller neighborhoods, the term "The Greater Hilltop" has been used in planning publications to describe the full extent of this community, while "The Hilltop" remains the name most beloved by residents and best known to the wider city.

"The Greater Hilltop" also signals an opportunity for the community to help shape and direct the pattern of growth and the character of future development in the neighborhood.

History

Indigenous and early settlement

The first inhabitants of the area were Native Americans, whose presence is evidenced throughout the region. The hill that gave the neighborhood its name, along with the surrounding fertile land, made this a desirable location for early settlement.

Lucas Sullivant arrived in the area in 1795 and became one of the first men to hold a deed to this land. Sullivant himself chose to reside in the Franklinton area, granting approximately 1,600 acres to his sons, who became the first landowners in what would become The Hilltop. The land remained within the family for over a century, passing from heir to heir.

Farming and the National Road

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, The Hilltop remained a largely rural landscape, with farmers cultivating corn, clover seed, and hay while raising livestock. The construction of the National Road—later known as West Broad Street or U.S. Route 40—in the 1830s was the first major development to transform the area. This thoroughfare quickly became home to notable landmarks such as the Four-Mile House and the Jaybird Hotel.

Camp Chase and the Civil War

One of the most historically significant features of The Hilltop is Camp Chase, a Union military staging and training camp established in May 1861, shortly after the outbreak of the American Civil War. Named after then-Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, the camp's boundaries corresponded roughly to present-day West Broad Street (north), Westgate Avenue (west), Hague Avenue (east), and Sullivant Avenue (south). Over the course of the war, more than 150,000 Union soldiers passed through Camp Chase. The facility also functioned as a prisoner-of-war camp; by February 1865 it held over 9,400 Confederate prisoners—making it among the largest such facilities in the North.

Four future U.S. Presidents passed through Camp Chase: Andrew Johnson, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and William McKinley. The camp closed in July 1865, and its buildings were gradually dismantled. The land was later redeveloped as a residential and commercial area known as Westgate.

The Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery, established in 1863 on the southern border of the camp, is the sole surviving above-ground remnant of Camp Chase. It contains the graves of 2,260 Confederate soldiers. The Confederate Soldier Memorial arch was dedicated in 1902. Camp Chase is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hilltop Historical Society now sponsors an annual memorial service at the cemetery each June.

Columbus State Hospital

The Hilltop was also once home to the Columbus State Hospital for the Insane, constructed in 1870. Bordered by Broad Street to the south and Wheatland Avenue to the west, this imposing structure followed the Kirkbride Plan—a 19th-century architectural philosophy designed to provide patients with "air and sunlight" as part of their treatment. Similar in design to the Athens Lunatic Asylum but significantly larger, the hospital along with the Columbus State Institute employed nearly 450 people, many of whom lived in The Hilltop. The hospital closed in the 1980s and was demolished in 1997. The site is now occupied by offices of the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Early 20th century growth

The early 20th century marked The Hilltop's transformation from a farming community into a thriving urban neighborhood. Residential subdivisions began to emerge around the Columbus State Institution, and new streets were laid along former rural roads. A streetcar line connecting High Street to the Columbus State Hospital accelerated urban growth, and businesses blossomed along West Broad Street. By 1900 the neighborhood counted over 2,000 residents, primarily young families.

This era also saw The Hilltop become home to many prosperous African-American families who owned land used for farming and other entrepreneurial activities. One notable example is the Carter family, who migrated from Virginia to Ohio and, between 1900 and 1940, raised eleven children—many of whom became civic leaders in Columbus, Dayton, and beyond. Among the most distinguished were Mary Carter Glascor and her brother Judge Russell Carter, both graduates of The Ohio State University who went on to earn advanced degrees, including from Harvard University.

After the devastating flood of 1913, The Hilltop's established infrastructure enabled it to absorb a large influx of displaced residents, and the population surged. By 1924 the community had grown to 15,000 people and was effectively self-sustaining, with its own schools, employers, and services.

Mid-20th century and Industrial Era

The Hilltop continued to prosper through the mid-20th century. General Motors (Fisher Body and Delphi divisions) became a major employer for local residents, bringing stability and economic vitality to the neighborhood. A strong sense of civic pride pervaded the community—at one point the mayor of Columbus was a Hilltop resident. Local businesses thrived and community political engagement was at its peak.

Growth slowed during World War II but resumed in the postwar period. However, like many urban neighborhoods nationally, The Hilltop experienced the effects of deindustrialization as manufacturing jobs departed and residents moved to newer suburbs. This gradual economic shift prompted community leaders and city planners to develop strategies for renewal.

Geography and layout

The Greater Hilltop covers approximately 9,917 acres on the west side of Columbus. The area spans several ZIP codes, including 43204, 43222, 43223, and 43228, and encompasses multiple municipalities and townships.

The development of The Greater Hilltop followed an east-to-west pattern. The eastern portion—the oldest—was first settled in the early 1800s and contains the community's earliest neighborhoods, parks, and commercial uses. Moving south and west, the development pattern takes on a distinctly suburban character, with larger auto-oriented retailers and winding subdivision streets replacing the traditional urban grid.

Land use

The Greater Hilltop features a diverse mix of land uses. Residential land accounts for 51% of the total, with the majority dedicated to single-family homes (81%); multifamily (14%) and two-to-three-family units (5%) are concentrated along major corridors such as West Broad Street and Sullivant Avenue. Industrial land (16%), primarily located in the northwest quadrant, provides important employment for the region. Commercial uses (9%), more than half of which are community-scale, are clustered along West Broad Street, Sullivant Avenue, and Georgesville Road. Institutional uses, parks and open space, vacant land, office, and agriculture and utilities make up the remaining quarter of land use.

Neighborhoods of The Greater Hilltop

The Greater Hilltop is not a single neighborhood but a mosaic of distinct communities, each with its own character, history, and boundaries. Because Columbus does not officially define neighborhood boundaries, some borders are approximate and may vary across sources. The neighborhoods below span the eastern historic core through the postwar western suburbs of The Greater Hilltop.

North Hilltop

North Hilltop is the northernmost residential sub-neighborhood of The Greater Hilltop, situated north of West Broad Street and cradled between U.S. Route 40 (West Broad Street) to the south and Interstate 70 to the north. Located approximately 4.4 miles west of Downtown Columbus and neighboring North Franklinton to the east, North Hilltop falls within ZIP code 43204.

The neighborhood is primarily residential, with a characteristic housing stock of Cape Cods, Craftsman bungalows, and Colonial Revival homes, the majority of which were built in the 1920s on quarter-acre lots along narrow, tree-lined streets. The area developed during the same early 20th-century building boom that shaped much of The Greater Hilltop, and retains a cohesive streetscape of historic architecture.

North Hilltop is served by COTA bus line 10, which runs along West Broad Street, providing direct transit access to Downtown Columbus and points east and west. Key recreational anchors include Rhodes Park, a large park with sports fields that draws visitors from across The Hilltop and broader Columbus, and the Holton Community Center, which provides a fitness center, game room, and gymnasium to neighborhood residents. The Camp Chase Trail multi-use path also passes through or near the neighborhood, connecting residents to the broader trail network.

The North Hilltop Neighborhood Association (NHNA) is the active civic organization serving the area. The NHNA's mission is to improve the North Hilltop neighborhood by raising awareness of community issues, seeking solutions actively, and bringing equity, inclusivity, civility, and security to residents. The association operates through committees focused on trash and safety, economic development, and community events.

Highland West

Highland West is considered the historic core of The Hilltop and one of the area's oldest established neighborhoods. Its boundaries run from the I-70 corridor to the east, Hague Avenue to the west, the railroad tracks to the north, and Sullivant Avenue to the south. The neighborhood encompasses the West Broad Street commercial district that took root in the early 20th century and is home to some of the oldest residential and institutional architecture on The Hilltop, including St. Aloysius Church on West Broad Street. The Highland West District was formally designated by the City of Columbus in 2004 as a special focus area for economic revitalization along the West Broad Street corridor.

The Highland West Civic Association is the neighborhood's active civic organization, working toward inclusive revitalization of the area and supporting the goals of the City of Columbus's planning documents for West Broad Street.

Glenwood Heights