Interested in dating in Columbus, Ohio? Columbus is a large city in Ohio that boasts a population of over 800,000 people. The median age for Columbus residents is 31, so there are lots of people from a variety of backgrounds out there looking for relationships.
Columbus residents know they have a treasure trove of attractions like the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the Columbus Museum of Art. Whether you’re new to town or just passing through, dating in Columbus is relatively easy once you know what you’re looking for.
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Best Columbus Dating Sites
For Singles: Match.com
Match is a fantastic resource for Columbus singles. As one of the oldest and most trusted dating sites, Match is where singles go to find love. Columbus locals can find other locals who share the same interests, and it’s also a great place for newcomers to the area to meet new people. With just under a million people in the city, Match will have the largest selection of profiles available.
Match offers free access to the site as well as the ability to upgrade to a paid membership that grants subscribers access to additional features and resources. There are discounts available for monthly, 3-month and 6-month subscriptions.
For Professionals: Elite Singles
Elite Singles is an optimal service for Columbus singles looking to meet new people. Elite Singles clients are busy professionals who don’t have time to search through countless profiles. One benefit to the site is that they send 3-7 matches to you each day in an email, which makes it easy to peruse matches on your own time.
Elite Singles has a free platform but you’ll want to upgrade to a paid membership to be able to take advantage of all of the service’s resources.
For Seniors over Age 50: Our Time
Columbus seniors can use Our Time to find a pen pal, someone to talk with and explore the city with or someone to connect with for a serious relationship. Our Time has the largest selection of senior dating profiles for Columbus seniors. The dating service is designed for users over 50, with profile questions specific to seniors. This helps to ensure that perfect matches are made from the start.
As with so many dating services, there is a free platform but the best way to utilize Our Time and access its many dating tools is to upgrade to a paid membership.
For the LGBTQ Community
Columbus is a very gay-friendly city with lots of “gayborhoods” where high concentrations of LGBTQ people live and work.
While the gay community is welcome to utilize every dating platform, there are dating sites that have been optimized for LGBTQ users. Both Grindr and Just She are dating apps that can help members of the community find to meet new people.
Grindr is the most well-known dating app among the LGBTQ community. It’s a social networking and dating app for gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people of all ages and backgrounds.
Just She is a dating app for women who are looking for connections with other women, but it’s also for anyone who identifies as a woman, making it a safe space for people of all backgrounds.
For Hookups: Adult Friend Finder
Adult Friend Finder is the best place for Columbus singles to find someone for a one night stand or a no strings attached hookup. Let’s face it, not everyone is looking for a long term relationship so they can’t use sites like Match. That makes Adult Friend Finder the place to go for hookups.
Adult Friend Finder has a free version of the site in addition to a paid site with more benefits and resources for members.
Best Dating Apps in Columbus
Columbus singles have a variety of options when it comes to dating apps. While the major sites all have mobile platforms, there are two sites that have been optimized for smartphones. Being able to check matches while on the go is a huge benefit for Columbus singles on the move. Two of the most popular sites are Plenty of Fish and Zoosk.
Plenty of Fish
Plenty of Fish is one of the first app-based dating sites and after several years it’s still one of the most popular apps around. You can download the app from your smartphone’s app store, and in a matter of minutes you’ll be exploring profiles and potential matches. Users can choose between the free service and the paid platform.
Zoosk
With over 40 million singles in its database, Zoosk offers lots of profile options for its users. Columbus singles can access their matches on the go, communicate with people they’re interested in or update their profiles. The platform is easy to use and there will be lots of profiles to look at as soon as you download the app and sign up.
Best Dating Bars for Singles in Columbus
There’s nothing like a good singles bar to meet people and Columbus has lots of great options. Columbus has numerous pubs and breweries to choose from, and they all have weekly events to attract new people and to keep the locals coming in.
Seventh Son
Seventh Son opened in 2013 and has been serving up great beer ever since. It has been voted one of the top five breweries in Columbus and in addition to great beer it offers a different food truck every night of the week for the ultimate in variety. This is a place to go to talk to people, especially given the food trucks. You might start a great conversation over which night of the week offers the best food.
Little Rock
If variety is the spice of life, then Little Rock is the herbs and spices all rolled into one. Between live DJs, karaoke, comedy and live music there is always an event to look forward to while enjoying great beer and great food.
The Land Grant Brewing Company
The Land Grant Brewing Company is a giant taproom designed to be a welcoming space to talk, meet people and hang out. The food comes courtesy of local food trucks while the beer takes center stage inside. This is a favorite among locals because of the taproom’s history and local connections.
Speed Dating in Columbus
Columbus is home to numerous speed dating events. In fact, there are multiple events every week so Columbus singles can find a group that works for their needs. Leading matchmakers have done the homework for you, scouring profiles to make sure that the people who show up have things in common. If nothing else, Columbus speed dating will help you to meet lots of new people!
- Columbus Pre-Dating
- Eventbrite Speed Dating Calendar
Columbus Dating Events & Clubs
Want to find people who share your interests? Columbus is home to lots of dating events that can help you meet singles. Meetup and Eventbrite help people come together for different activities and when it comes to dating, they bring together singles who enjoy the same things so there’s an instant connection. Singles who enjoy the Columbus nightlife or even local sporting events can meet for a fun time and a romance might bloom.
Here are the top singles events and clubs:
Dating Chat Rooms in Columbus
Chat rooms have been around for a long time, long before the dating sites started showing up on the internet. Whether you’re new to the Columbus area or you’d rather stay behind the screen for a while, chat rooms offer an opportunity to meet people to talk, connect and possibly start a relationship with, but the difference is that the platform was designed for people to come together to talk first and foremost. There are plenty of chat rooms that have areas where people post messages about hooking up, but that’s not the only thing a chat room is about. You never know who you might meet.
Take a look at some of the top dating chat rooms in Columbus:
Personals in Columbus
Personal ads have been around longer than chat rooms. In some areas they still show up in local newspapers the way they did originally. These days, the forum is on the internet and many personals look like hookup sites, but there are still a few where people are just looking to connect with other people.
Columbus has a place to post personal ads, Do You Like, and here you’ll find all kinds of people looking for dates, romance and hookups. Keep in minds that unlike a traditional dating site, the people in personal ads have not been screened or vetted in any way so make sure that you take precautions when giving out personal information.
Things to Know about Columbus Dating
Columbus is home to over 800,000 people of all races, religions and backgrounds. Knowing a city’s demographic will be helpful when it comes to online dating, as it gives you insight into who might show up in your matched and what they might be interested in. Online dating is most successful when you have as much information at your fingertips.
Race
Columbus is a large city with a population of 852,144 and a relatively youthful median age of 31 years. Almost 40% of the population is married, which means there is a nice portion of the population looking for relationships in the city.
- White: 58.4%
- African American: 27.4%
- Hispanic: 5.7%
- Asian: 4.4%
- Other: 0.3%
- Native American: 0.2%
Religion
While 35% of the Columbus population is religious, there are quite a few religions represented in the city. Here are the top five religions in Columbus:
- Catholic: 13.4%
- Methodist: 4.7%
- Eastern Faith: 4.4%
- Another Christian Faith: 4.2%
- Presbyterian: 3.1%
LGBTQ+
According to a 2015 poll, Columbus ranks 15th in terms of LGBTQ+ residents and as such it’s a very welcoming city for the gay community. The city has several “Gayborhoods” where high concentrations of gay residents live in addition to a plethora of gay-friendly bars and restaurants.
Wrap Up
Columbus is the kind of city that has something for everyone. With a fairly large population, dating in Columbus is a breeze. There are plenty of places to go to meet local singles, and online dating offers lots of chances to meet people as well. The key is to identify what you’re looking for and casting the net wide to find that special someone.
