The Bottoms

This article is about the Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood. For other uses, see Bottom (disambiguation).

The Bottoms is the former and derogatory name for Franklinton, the oldest settlement in Central Ohio dating back to 1797 and incorporated into Columbus, Ohio in 1870. It is the area is bordered to the east and north by the Scioto River to the west by the Interstate 70 overpass by Rhodes Park and Brown Road on the southern border. The neighborhood originally got its name, Franklinton, from its founder, Lucas Sullivant. While many claim the nickname "bottoms" is derogatory, the neighborhood gets its nickname "The Bottoms" because much of the land lies below the level of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and a floodwall is required to contain the rivers and protect the area from floods. The low-lying bottom land was well-suited for farming, with the river serving as a direct connection to the Ohio River.

According to the Franklinton Area Commission:

• Though Franklinton is the last downtown neighborhood to be redeveloped, it is actually the birthplace of Columbus, settled 15 years before the city itself
• Since the completion of the flood wall, the community redevelopment has included more than 400 residential projects, a new firehouse, two new schools, new residential dorms at Mount Carmel Medical Center West and the exploration of countless commercial projects
• This neighborhood has easy and rapid access to all of Columbus' major highways

In popular culture

The neighborhood appeared on the FX television show 30 Days when the series did a show on living on the minimum wage. This is likely because of the poverty suffered in The Bottoms. The neighborhood is generally working class.

Crime

Crime can be very high in the Franklinton and Bottoms area, as it is in most of the west side of the city. The Bottoms are patrolled by police officers of the 8th Precinct of the Columbus Division of Police.

See also

• Franklinton (Neighborhood)
• West Side (Neighborhood)

Sources

• Columbus Division of Police Public Reports
• WBNS 10TV
• The Columbus Dispatch