Dublin, OH

The Dublin Link makes the Scioto River part of the city center. Its 760-foot deck bends in an S curve between Historic Dublin on the west bank and Bridge Park on the east, supported by a single 169-foot tower. When it opened on March 17, 2020, it became the world's longest single-tower, S-shaped suspension bridge. The deck is reserved for foot and bicycle traffic, and public plazas meet it at both ends. Historic Dublin's older streets and buildings face the newer mixed-use blocks of Bridge Park across the water. The Link joins them as one downtown route, turning the river from a dividing line into the center of a trip between districts. Dublin itself began at this river crossing.

The Sells family selected a site along the Scioto about 1803, and John Sells laid out the village in 1810. Surveyor John Shields chose the name of his hometown, Dublin, Ireland. Mills, quarries, farms, and small businesses supported the settlement for much of its early history. Its scale changed sharply in the 1970s, when Interstate 270 access, Muirfield Village development, and Ashland Chemical's arrival drew housing and workplaces to the former village. Dublin attained city status in 1987. In 2020, 49,328 people lived in a municipality reaching into Franklin, Delaware, and Union counties on the northwest side of the Columbus region. The outerbelt-era economy remains a defining part of working life.

In 2026, Dublin had over 4,300 businesses and over 20 corporate headquarters. Cardinal Health, Wendy's, Stanley Steemer, and Perio are based here, and their offices share the city with the shops, restaurants, and services concentrated downtown. OhioHealth and Dublin Methodist Hospital employed 3,354 people locally in 2023. Muirfield Village adds another nationally visible institution. Its golf course has hosted the Memorial Tournament since 1976, bringing an annual professional event into a residential part of northwest Dublin. These workplaces and destinations are dispersed across a suburban road network, making the connected downtown riverfront one concentrated setting for errands, meals, events, and time outdoors. Dublin's Irish name appears most visibly at the annual Dublin Irish Festival, held at Coffman Park from July 31 through August 2 in 2026.

Public art provides a year-round counterpart. Dublin Arts Council began the Art in Public Places program in 1988, and its collection now contains over 60 works across the city. The best-known may be Field of Corn, a 1994 installation of 109 human-sized concrete ears that marks the area's agricultural past with deliberate humor. In summer, the Saturday Dublin Market brings over 140 farmers, bakers, makers, and food vendors to Bridge Park. After dark, multicolor LEDs illuminate the Link's hanger cables, keyhole, and tower; its 2026 schedule changes the colors for holidays, festivals, and civic observances throughout the year. From those market streets, the Link leads across the Scioto to Historic Dublin, connecting two commercial districts and the river between them in one continuous outing.