A city started its journey just 45 years ago and in comparison to Kolkata where I am living, began its journey much later and is a newcomer. But now it acquires a remarkable position and has created an example of an ideal city in front of the whole world with own resources, culture, heritage, policy and ethnicity. Various recent surveys portray that this is one of the best and happiest places to live. According to the survey done by Movoto Real Estate, this is the top ranking city after comparing suburbs of the nation’s largest 50 cities.
If you are wondering, which city I intend to discuss here, well, the name of the country is U.S.A. and name of the city is Dublin, located in the state of Ohio.
“This confirms what we have long believed and what businesses have been discovering – there is no place like Dublin”, said city manager Marsha Grigsby. Neighborhoodscout twice ranked Dublin one of the safest 100 cities in America.
I was there for a month but experienced a lot of things like amazing city planning, maintaining greenery, disciplined city life and preservation of the diversity of population and local culture coupled with advanced development.
In the past this area was mainly inhabited by the Native American population. Many streets and neighbourhood of this city were named after them. It was then was just a countryside. Native Americans – Hopewell, Adenas, Delaware, Shawnee and Wyandot – were the first inhabitants. Native Americans mainly settled in the northern part of the Ohio. Today's downtown Dublin is originally part of the 2000 acres of land which was rewarded to Lieutenant James Holt by the U.S. Government for his excellent service in the Revolutionary War. After some years Holt’s family sold their property to the local farmers and shifted from there. In the year 1795 The Treaty of Greenville played an important role with respect to minimizing the acrimony between Native American tribes and white settlers in the region and this actually helped to increase the population strength in this area by maintaining its cultural variety and rapid growth.
Arrival of the Sells family from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania was the crucial landmark in the history of Dublin. Brothers Peter and Benjamin Sells purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land on the west bank of the Scioto River (now known as Historic Dublin) as a gift for their brother John. Early 19thcentury architecture and dry limestone fences bordering its roads enhance the flavor of Irish attitude in the Historic Dublin’s heritage. The Dublin Vision for the 21st Century recognizes Historic Dublin as a special place which “…graciously welcomes both residents and visitors to a unique blend of historic preservation and modern vitality…”. In the year 1808, Sells family permanently shifted here. It was the best option to be settled in the entire region because of safe navigable rivers, flood protecting natural elevated cliff and natural spring (which still exits todaybelow the Bridge Street bridge that crosses the Scioto). Since the year 1810, Sells began to expand his settlement at the neighborhood villages, with the help of his Irish friend John Shields.
There is a story of Irish influence behind the name of the city Dublin. According to historians, with the help of Shields, Sells surveyed the land and in honour of his friend, he named the town. So Shields is responsible for naming the town after his birthplace: "If I have the honor conferred upon me to name your village, with the brightness of the morn, and the beaming of the sun on the hills and dales surrounding this beautiful valley, it would give me great pleasure to name your new town after my birthplace, Dublin, Ireland."
Wyandot Native American of Olentangy region named Chief Leatherlips was the unsung hero who created the base for peaceful living in Dublin. He was familiar with Sells and Shields. He was a great missionary who tried to bridge the gap between the white landowners like Sells and the Native Americans. However, during that time-period, he failed to establish this belief of fraternity and brotherhood among the local population. His opinion created so much controversy even among his own people that his own brother conspired for his death. In spite of this, his work paved the way for peaceful co-existence and living among the white landowners and the Native Americans.
Gradually Dublin entered in the phase of urbanization and industrialization during the early 19thcentury. Industrial revolution was also started in Europe at the same time. By 1818, Sells published an advertisement of 200 town lots for sale in the Columbus newspaper. He listed the excellent building stone, clay for brick and pottery, and an offer of three years’ credit as inducements to purchase lots in the new town. The first post office was established in 1820. In the year 1833, several mills, factory, residential building, gristmill, distillery, sawmills were established for local people and farmers. With demographic growth, there was an urgent need of better transportation and communication. Due lack of railway Dublin was mainly dependent on road. There was a urgent need for a bridge to connect Worthington in the east and Columbus to the south. In 1840 a wooden bridge was constructed. Later it was replaced by steel span bridge in 1880. The construction of a covered bridge across the Scioto River attracted more people to settle in Dublin and huge amount of state capital. In 1881, the local govt. was established in Dublin for betterment of public life. In 1888, Gas Street Lamps were installed. In 1920, electric light was introduced in the town.
Due to lack of investments several attempts failed to established official school district and city ordinance and as a result of this, all ventures chose to move towards Washington Township. Local economy of the town was mainly agricultural based demand oriented economy. Main consumers were the local people. The growth of population in seven decades of the century was not very fast. Although the effort of modernization did not succeed to pick-up its speed but the standard of living was improved rapidly throughout the century with several churches, hospitable residential areas coming into existence. The year 1927 added a feather in the cap of Dublin for receiving its first light at the intersection of Bridge and High Streets. This year was also memorable for opening of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium which attracted tourists and helped the city to establish its identity with more business activities. In the year 1959, the first bank was opened in Dublin. Financial transactions were made faster by this bank which built the relationship with the new business class, housing developers and the dwellers of Dublin. In the year 1966, golfer Jack Nicklaus selected a site north of the City to build the Muirfield Village Golf Club. Observing the sustainable growth of the city Ashland Chemical purchased land to establish their headquarters in Dublin. Ashland executives also filed a petition to the state with a demand to create a highway system. In 1969, the I-270 outer belt was penetrated to Dublin and linked this city with outer world. This paved a new way towards industrialization, infrastructural growth and laid the foundation of today’s Dublin.
Now if we look back a few years before in the year 1970 and compare the city Dublin in the year 2015 , we can easily understand the rate of growth of a city in these decades which made this city as one of the wealthiest cities of the nation with its gigantic progress in terms of economy, tradition, culture and living standards. Calculating all its achievements in the past century, Dublin came a long way from its humble beginnings as a small town with only 681 members.
The new era began with activities of the major corporate headquarters such as Ashland Inc and Wendy's International, growth of Muirfield Village Golf Club. Residential sub-division of this golf club attracted many affluent citizens across the country. These kinds of activities helped to increase the general population. In the year 1987, Dublin was officially declared a city with a population of 5000 residents. Gradually as a result of this boom, Dublin expanded its areaannexing parts of Washington, Perry, Concord, and Jerome townships.
Dublin with his unique identity, managed to preserve its heritage with rapid economic development. It presented itself as an ideal city for investment and business in front of giant corporate organizations like Wendy’s Corporation, OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, funded in part by Bill Gates), and Nationwide Insurance . Today Dublin is called home by more than 41000 residents. With its excellent infrastructure, dozens of public parks, countless restaurants and shops, and some of the best schools in the state, it is one of the best cities to stay in America. According to Intelligent Community Forum, community in the Dublin, Ohio hold the second position in terms of economic and social development in the 21st Century, using information and communication technologies to power growth and addressing social challenges, thereby preserving and promoting culture. Eighty percent of the populations have a university degree. A strategic planning exercise encourages fiber-optic deployment. This became DubLink, a public-private fiber which introduced e-governance which includes digital filing of taxes, OhioHealth and the Online Computer Library Center.
Sources:
- Caldwell’s Atlas of Franklin Co. & City of Columbus, OH Columbus: J.A. Caldwell & H. T. Gould, 1872
- http://www.ohiomagazine.com/Main/Articles/Green_All_Over_3461.aspx
- Kilbourn, John (1833). The Ohio Gazetteer, or, a Topographical Dictionary. Scott and Wright
- dublinohiousa.gov
Indrani Mazumdar
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