New Albany is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is located 15 miles (24 km) northeast of the state capital, Columbus. Most of the city is located in Franklin County and a small portion extends into adjacent Licking County. New Albany had a population of 10,825 at the 2020 census.
Founded in 1837, it was a small town in the Columbus metropolitan area, until businessman Les Wexner invested significantly in the town during the 1990s, which led to rapid population and business growth in the succeeding decades.
At a Glance
- Counties: Franklin County and Licking County
- State: Ohio
History of New Albany
The land of New Albany was founded in the center of Plain Township in 1837 by Nobel Landon and William Yantis. The land was split into lots measuring 50 ft (15 m) by 100 ft (30 m) and sold to new settlers. One theory about the name is that some of the original settlers migrated from the Albany, New York, area. Albany, Ohio was laid out in 1832, prior to the founding of New Albany. During its history, the community has also been known by the name of Hope.
In 1856, New Albany was incorporated with a population of 50, and S. Ogden was elected as the first mayor. Initially known as The Wilkins Lumber Mill, the New Albany Mill opened in 1881. The first female mayor of New Albany, Mrs. Edward Babbitt was elected in 1922.
In 1970, New Albany was much smaller, consisting of a small part of Plain Township that did not touch Columbus. The first annual New Albany Founders Day Celebration was held in 1976. As late as 1980, the census only listed 414 residents in the village. Rapid growth in New Albany began in the 1990s, partly due to the expansion of the Les Wexner clothing empire and Wexner’s construction of his mansion (the second largest in central Ohio behind the Longaberger mansion in the village). State Route 161 and access to 161 from Interstate 270 was reconfigured around this time, allowing freeway access into and out of town.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article New Albany, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.