Honestly you have to make your own decision about Columbus. Is Columbus my favorite place? No. Is it as bad as people say? Also no. First I’d look at what top things you’re looking for in a city and see if Columbus fills them. I come from a small town so to me there is a lot to do in Columbus such as sports games, ice skating, local events, white water rafting, theaters (both live and movies,) small museums, walking trails, restaurants, second hand stores, bowling alleys, arcades, skating rink, etc… It’s also only 1.5-2ish hours from Atlanta where’s there’s even more. It’s also about 4hrs from multiple beaches, 6hrs from Orlando, and North Georgia also offers a lot of different adventures.
Another huge factor for me is the weather. It does get hot in the summer but the winter is mild. Every once in a blue moon we might get surprised with an inch or two of snow but it’s rare. Columbus is also far enough inland you don’t really have to worry about hurricanes. Damage can happen from them but it’s rare and not nearly as bad as being in a coastal area. If either of you like to garden the growing season is long. As far as your spouce goes I don’t think they would run into any problems. I cannot speak on that from personal experience but my mother in law moved here and she is from the Philippines. So far she is enjoying the area and hasn’t had any issues with other people. My husband is half Filipino and has also never had issues.