Back Columbia Afrikaans ኮለምቢያ፣ ሳውዝ ካሮላይና Amharic Columbia (Carolina d'o Sud) AN Columbia (Sūþcarolīna) ANG كولومبيا (كارولاينا الجنوبية) Arabic كولومبيا (ساوث كارولاينا) ARZ Columbia AST Kolumbiya (Cənubi Karolina) Azerbaijani کلمبیا، جنوبی کارولینا AZB Колумбия (Көньяҡ Каролина) Bashkir

Columbia, South Carolina

This article is about the city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. For other uses, see Columbia (disambiguation).

Columbia
State capital city
Downtown Columbia skyline
The Seibels House
Five Points
Williams-Brice Stadium
Horseshoe at the University of South Carolina
South Carolina State House
Robert Mills House
Flag of Columbia
Flag
Official seal of Columbia
Seal
Nicknames: 
Cola, Capital City, River City, Soda City[1]
Motto(s): 
"Justitia Virtutum Regina" (Latin)
(Justice, the Queen of Virtues)
"We Are Columbia"
Map
Interactive map of Columbia
Columbia is located in South Carolina
Columbia
Columbia
Location within South Carolina
Columbia is located in the United States
Columbia
Columbia
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 34°0′2″N 81°2′5″W / 34.00056°N 81.03472°W / 34.00056; -81.03472
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Carolina
CountyRichland, Lexington
ApprovedMarch 22, 1786
Chartered (town)1805
Chartered (city)1854
Named forColumbia
Government
 • MayorDaniel Rickenmann (R)
Area
[2]
 • Total
140.68 sq mi (364.37 km2)
 • Land137.81 sq mi (356.93 km2)
 • Water2.87 sq mi (7.44 km2)  1.68%
Elevation
[3]
302 ft (92 m)
Population
 (2020)[4]
 • Total
136,632
 • Estimate 
(2023)
142,416
 • Rank205th in the United States
2nd in South Carolina
 • Density991.45/sq mi (382.80/km2)
 • Urban
590,407 (US: 74th)
 • Urban density1,606.6/sq mi (620.3/km2)
 • Metro
[5]
858,302 (US: 70th)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
29044, 29201–29212, 29214–29230, 29240, 29250, 29260, 29290, 29292
Area code(s)803, 839
FIPS code45-16000
GNIS feature ID1245051[6]
Websitecolumbiasc.gov

Columbia is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populous city in South Carolina.[7] The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. It is the center of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 858,302 in 2023, and is the 70th-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States.[5] The name Columbia is a poetic term used for the United States, derived from the name of Christopher Columbus, who explored for the Spanish Crown. Columbia is often abbreviated as Cola, leading to its nickname as "Soda City".[1]

The city is located just northwest of the geographic center of South Carolina[8] and was the center of population of South Carolina in 2020.[9] It is also the primary city of the Midlands region of the state. It lies at the confluence of the Saluda River and the Broad River, which merge at Columbia to form the Congaree River. As the state capital, Columbia is the site of the South Carolina State House, the center of government for the state. In 1860, the South Carolina Secession Convention took place in Columbia; delegates voted for secession, making South Carolina the first state to leave the Union in the events leading up to the Civil War.

Columbia is home to the University of South Carolina, the state's flagship public university and the largest in the state. The area has benefited from Congressional support for Southern military installations. Columbia is the site of Fort Jackson, the largest United States Army installation for Basic Combat Training. Twenty miles to the east of the city is McEntire Joint National Guard Base, which is operated by the U.S. Air Force and is used as a training base for the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina Air National Guard.

  1. ^ a b "History - Soda City". sodacitysc.com. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Columbia, South Carolina
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2020CensusQuickFacts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Geographic Centers of the United States" (PDF). pubs.usgs.gov. September 3, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  9. ^ "2020 Centers of Population by State". United States Census Bureau. November 16, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2023.

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