Columbia South Carolina : Ask Biography

Administration

Full name

City of Columbia

Official name

City of Columbia

Settlement type

State Capital

Motto

Justitia Virtutum Regina (Justice, the Queen of Virtues)

Country

United States

State

South Carolina

Counties

Richland County and Lexington County

Government

Mayor

Steve Benjamin, (D)

Geography

Total Area

133.8 sq mi (346.5 km2)

Land Area

131.3 sq mi (340.1 km2)

Water Area

2.5 sq mi (6.5 km2)

Elevation

292 ft (89 m)

Demography

Total Population

129272 (US: ) (2010)

Density (pop.)

358.5/km² (928.5/sq mi)

MSA

767598

CSA

805106

Other information

Time zone

EST (UTC-5)

- Summer (DST)

EDT (UTC-4)

Area code

803

FIPS code

45-16000

GNIS feature ID

1245051

Home | City | Columbia South Carolina

Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan statistical area of 767,598, the largest within the state. The city's name comes from a poetic synonym for America, derived from the name of Christopher Columbus.

Located 13 mi (20.9 km) northwest of South Carolina's geographic center, Columbia is the primary city of the Midlands region of South Carolina, which comprises several counties in the central portion of the state. The city lies at the confluence of two rivers, the Saluda and the Broad, which merge at Columbia to form the Congaree River. CNNMoney.com named Columbia as one of America's 25 retire, and US News & World Report ranked the city sixth on its 2009 Retire list.

Columbia, South Carolina

Home | City | Columbia South Carolina