Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina.

It serves as the primary city for the Midlands region of the state. The city is the county seat of Richland County. Portions of the city also extend into Lexington and Kershaw counties. Columbia is the second-most populous city in South Carolina. According to the 2020 census, the city has 136,632 residents. The larger Columbia metropolitan area contains an estimated 870,000 people.

The geography of the city is defined by its rivers. Columbia sits at the confluence of the Saluda River and the Broad River. A confluence is the place where two or more bodies of water meet. At this specific point, the two rivers merge to form the Congaree River.

The city is located just northwest of the geographic center of South Carolina. This central location made it an ideal spot for the state capital.

Columbia was a planned city designed with a specific structure. In 1786, the state legislature approved a bill to create a new capital. Senator John Lewis Gervais introduced this bill. He suggested the name "Columbia" for the new city. While some wanted to name it "Washington," the name Columbia won by an 11–7 vote. The commissioners designed the town as a square of 400 blocks along the river. They divided these blocks into lots to sell to residents. To ensure growth, buyers had to build a house within three years. If they did not, they faced a 5% annual penalty.

The city's location on the fall line helped its early industry. The fall line is a geographic feature where a river drops to lower levels. This often creates rapids as the water moves toward the coastal plain. Because the water flows down over these falls, it provides natural power. Early entrepreneurs used this power to run industrial mills.

Later, the Santee Canal connected the city to Charleston via water. This canal was one of the earliest in the United States. It operated from 1786 until about 1850 when railroads became faster.

During the 19th century, cotton was the lifeblood of the local economy. Most commercial activity in the city related to this crop. Railroad lines built in the 1840s helped transport cotton bales to major markets. These bales were sent to textile mills in New England and even to Europe. This period of growth also included a large enslaved population. In 1830, about 1,500 enslaved people lived and worked in Columbia. By 1860, that number had grown to 3,300 people.

The American Civil War brought significant changes and destruction to the city. In 1860, the South Carolina Secession Convention met in a local church. This meeting led to South Carolina becoming the first state to leave the Union.

During the war, the University of South Carolina became a military hospital. In February 1865, the Union Army captured the city. A massive fire destroyed much of Columbia during this chaotic time. Historians note that no single person ordered the fire. Instead, the intense atmosphere of the war allowed the flames to spread.

Today, Columbia is a center for education and military strength. It is home to the University of South Carolina, the state's largest public university.

The city also hosts Fort Jackson, which is the largest U.S. Army installation for Basic Combat Training. Nearby, the McEntire Joint National Guard Base provides training for the South Carolina Air National Guard.

These institutions help the city remain a vital part of the region's economy and culture.