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Columbus’ 1999 time capsule

What was Columbus like at the turn of the millennium? We took a look back at the final year of the 20th century to see what life was like pre-Y2K.

A park and river shot of Columbus with a search bar reading "Columbus 1999"

Hey Google, what was Columbus like in 1999?

Photo via Canva

Do you remember 1999? Ricky Martin’s “Livin La Vida Loca” topped the charts, we were scared of the Blair Witch, and Google officially launched.

To celebrate, Google Trends opened its time capsule to see which fads were titanic in 1999. According to the report, adults were watching “The Matrix” and “The Sopranos” while kids were into “Toy Story 2” and “Teletubbies.” People also used the search engine to learn about David Beckham or evaluate their Pokémon cards, and searches for hot sauce set the web ablaze.

Livin La Vida Local

Want to know what life was like in CBUS? We dug up some data to help us remember the final year of the 20th century — thanks to some help from a 25-year-old search engine.

  • Median family income: $53,800
  • City’s population: 671,247
  • Estimated cost to buy a home: $147,959 (prices have increased by 154.4%)
  • Average cost of a gallon of gasoline in Ohio: $0.659
  • In the news: Easton Town Center hosted a star-studded grand opening + Central Ohians celebrated a warm February when temps hit 74°. This is also the year that Crew Stadium opened (which is now Historic Crew Stadium) — becoming the first soccer-specific stadium in the country. Plus,
  • Who was performing: Cher made a comeback with her “Do You Believe?” tour at the Polaris Amphitheater, which has since been demolished. The late Jimmy Buffett also played at the former performing center in 1999.
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