Columbus has quite a bit going for it...
A)Cost of living is very cheap here and not because it is a bad place to live.
B)A nice midsize airport. Easy to get in and out of but enough choices to get competitive fairs (no major hub here).
C)Lots of space and rather easy to get around in your car.
D)Mass transit consists solely of buses and they are limited in hours and scope. On the other hand they are cheap compared to other major cities (4.50 for a day pass, 62 for a monthly pass)
E)Ohio State is a major research university. Columbus College of Art and Design is known nationally and they are not the only fine universities in the city.
F)Lots of neighborhoods within the city each with their own personality and some have busy night lives.
G) Museums are rather limited but the art museum is wonderful and is free on Sundays.
H) A world class (no hyperbole) zoo which is the jewel of the city.
I) Professional sports are limited with the highlights being the NHL Bluejackets and the MLS Crew. Columbus is still very much a college town sports wise dominated by Ohio State but the pro teams are supported well.
J)Lots of hi-tech jobs here (Batelle Institute a well known one).
K)Unlike most of the "rust belt" Columbus was never dominated by heavy industry and is a service, knowledge based economy. We are the only major city in Ohio to be growing and rapidly at that.
L)Crime rate, especially violent, is relatively low.
To sum up I would say Columbus is about as big as you want if you want the cultural and conveniences of a big city but not so big as you start running into the downsides of a major city (congestion, costs, crime etc...)