The University District, is a 2.8-square-mile (7.3 km2) area located 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Downtown Columbus, Ohio that is home to the main campus of Ohio State University, the Battelle Institute, and Wexner Medical Center. It is generally accepted as the area bounded to the north by Clintonville at Glen Echo Ravine; to the south by the Short North at 5th Avenue; to the west by the Olentangy River and to east by the Conrail railroad tracks. Points of interest include, but are not limited to, the Ohio Stadium and Old North Columbus. The district is Columbus' most densely populated area and contains more than 650 businesses, human service agencies, churches, and schools. University District businesses include boutiques, mixed retail, several tattoo studios, the Gateway Film Center, and a diverse range of restaurants and bars.

Weinland Park is a neighborhood north of downtown Columbus, Ohio and encompassed by the boundaries of the University District. A development boom in the 1930s and 1940s resulting from new streetcar lines and the blossoming of factories brought working and middle-class families to the neighborhood. Current housing stock consists primarily of single family residential buildings that have been converted to rentals or multifamily housing. Row-homes and apartment buildings are also ubiquitous in the neighborhood. Renters currently outnumber owners. Commercial and entertainment facilities are concentrated on the North High Street corridor, but also pocket the inner part of the neighborhood as well. Weinland Park saw the sapping of its population and wealth with the rise of newer suburbs ringing the outer reaches of the city and the collapse of local industry and streetcar lines. The neighborhood has been plagued with crime and drug problems for decades but has recently seen a flood of new investment that has brought growth and revitalization to this long struggling neighborhood. Investment into the community includes the South Campus Gateway providing retail and residential finished in 2005, and a new food district and employment center.