Columbus, Georgia#Geography

{{See also|Timeline of Columbus, Georgia}}

File:Downtown columbus, georgia 1880.jpg in 1880]]

This was for centuries the traditional Homelands of the Muscogee (Creek) people who thrived along the rivers of the Southeast and whose ancestors were the mound-builders of the Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian eras. Two major cultural centers, "Mother Town" Coweta and "Daughter Town" Cusseta, straddled the Chattahoochee River here. The Lower Muscogee who lived mostly on the east side of the river, eventually assimilated to European ways more than their Upper Muscogee cousins on the west side. Pressure from land-hungry immigrants resulted in the 1827 Land Lottery which distributed Georgia's Muscogee lands to hopeful settlers. The 1830 Indian Removal Act signed by President Andrew Jackson was the final act which forced both Lower and Upper Muscogee off their ancestral lands. Locally, some 15,000 Muscogee were rallied at nearby Fort Mitchell and removed west to Oklahoma a bayonet point with little more than the clothes on their backs. Approximately one-third did not survive the journey. Today's modern Muscogee Nation comprises 4700 square miles of land in Eastern Oklahoma. It is a sovereign nation of 100,000 citizens with deep cultural ties to their ancient ancestral lands in the Southeast.

Founded in 1828 by an act of the Georgia Legislature, Columbus was situated at the beginning of the navigable portion of the Chattahoochee River and on the last stretch of the Federal Road before entering Alabama. The city was named for Christopher Columbus. The plan for the city was drawn up by Dr. Edwin L. DeGraffenried, who placed the town on a bluff overlooking the river. Edward Lloyd Thomas (surveyor) was selected to lay out the town on 1,200 acres. Across the river to the west, where Phenix City, Alabama, is now located, lived several tribes of the Creek and other Georgia and Alabama indigenous peoples. Most Creeks moved west with the 1826 Treaty of Washington. Those who stayed and made war were forcibly removed in 1836.{{Cite journal|last1=Bernholz|first1=Charles D.|last2=Heidenreich|first2=Sheryl|date=October 2009|title=Loci sigilli and American Indian treaties: Reflections on the creation of volume 2 of Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2008.09.003|journal=Government Information Quarterly|volume=26|issue=4|pages=605–611|doi=10.1016/j.giq.2008.09.003|s2cid=18792265 |issn=0740-624X}}

The river served as Columbus's connection to the world, particularly enabling it to ship its commodity cotton crops from the plantations to the international cotton market via New Orleans and ultimately Liverpool, England. The city's commercial importance increased in the 1850s with the arrival of the railroad. In addition, textile mills were developed along the river, bringing industry to an area reliant upon agriculture. By 1860, the city was one of the more important industrial centers of the South, earning it the nickname the Lowell of the South, referring to an important textile mill town in Massachusetts.{{cite book |last1=Manganiello |first1=Christopher J. |title=Southern Water, Southern Power : How the Politics of Cheap Energy and Water Scarcity Shaped a Region |date=2015 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |location=Chapel Hill |isbn=9781469623306 |page=23}}

{{Main|Battle of Columbus (1865)}}

File:Redd House Columbs Georgia.jpg|left]]File:Rebels Rally.jpg published in Columbus warning of an impending attack]]

When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the industries of Columbus expanded their production; this became one of the most important centers of industry in the Confederacy. During the war, Columbus ranked second only to the Confederate capital city of Richmond, Virginia in the manufacture of supplies for the Confederate army. The Eagle Manufacturing Company made various textiles, especially woolens for Confederate uniforms. The Columbus Iron Works manufactured cannons and machinery for the nearby Confederate Navy shipyard, Greenwood and Gray made firearms, and Louis and Elias Haimon produced swords and bayonets. Smaller firms provided additional munitions and sundries. As the war turned in favor of the Union, each industry faced exponentially growing shortages of raw materials and skilled labor, as well as worsening financial opportunities.Stewart C. Edwards, "'To do the manufacturing for the South': Private Industry in Confederate Columbus." Georgia Historical Quarterly 85.4 (2001): 538–554.{{cite web |last1=McQuarrie |first1=Gary |last2=Chatelain |first2=Neil P. |title=Confederate Shipyards |url=https://civilwarnavy.com/confederate-shipyards/ |website=Civil War Navy |date=February 5, 2018 |access-date=21 August 2021}}

Unaware of Lee's surrender to Grant and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Union and Confederates clashed in the Battle of Columbus, Georgia, on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1865, when a Union detachment of two cavalry divisions under Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson attacked the lightly defended city and burned many of the industrial buildings. John Stith Pemberton, who later developed Coca-Cola in Columbus, was wounded in this battle. Col. Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar, owner of the last slave ship in America, was also killed here. A historic marker erected in Columbus notes that this was the site of the "Last Land Battle in the War from 1861 to 1865".

File:Georgia - Columbus - NARA - 23937057 (cropped).jpg

File:Georgia - Columbus - NARA - 23937055 (cropped).jpg

Reconstruction began almost immediately and prosperity followed. Factories such as the Eagle and Phenix Mills were revived and the industrialization of the town led to rapid growth, causing the city to outgrow its original plan. The Springer Opera House was built during this time, attracting such notables as Irish writer Oscar Wilde. The Springer is now the official State Theater of Georgia.

By the time of the Spanish–American War, the city's modernization included the addition of a new waterworks, as well as trolleys extending to outlying neighborhoods such as Rose Hill and Lakebottom. Mayor Lucius Chappell also brought a training camp for soldiers to the area. This training camp, named Camp Benning, grew into present-day Fort Benning, named for General Henry L. Benning, a native of the city. Fort Benning was one of the ten U.S. Army installations named for former Confederate generals that were renamed on 11 May 2023, following a recommendation from the congressionally mandated Naming Commission that Fort Benning be renamed Fort Moore after Lieutenant General Hal Moore and his wife Julia Compton Moore, both of whom are buried on post. On 3 March 2025, the Secretary of Defense ordered that the name of Fort Moore be reverted to Fort Benning. The new name pays tribute to Corporal Fred G. Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism in action during World War I with the U.S. Army in France in 1918.{{cite web |url=https://www.wrbl.com/news/fort-moore-renamed-back-to-fort-benning/ |title=Fort Moore renamed back to Fort Benning)|date=March 3, 2025}}. Retrieved March 7, 2025.

File:Downtowncolumbus ga.gif in the early 1950s]]

{{Main|Confederate Memorial Day}}

In the spring of 1866, the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus passed a resolution to set aside one day annually to memorialize the Confederate dead. The secretary of the association, Mary Ann Williams, was directed to write a letter inviting the ladies of every Southern state to join them in the observance.{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zczAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA156 |title=Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Under the code duello. Landmarks and memorials. Historic churchyards and burial-grounds. Myths and legends of the Indians. Tales of the revolutionary camp-fires. Georgia miscellanies. Historic county seats, chief towns, and noted localities |first=Lucian Lamar |last=Knight |date=July 12, 2018 |publisher=author |via=Google Books}} The letter was written in March 1866 and sent to representatives of all of the principal cities in the South, including Atlanta, Macon, Montgomery, Memphis, Richmond, St. Louis, Alexandria, Columbia, and New Orleans. This was the beginning of the influential work by ladies' organizations to honor the war dead.

The date for the holiday was selected by Elizabeth Rutherford Ellis.{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2901 |title=Lizzie Rutherford (1833–1873) |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia}} She chose April 26, the first anniversary of Confederate General Johnston's final surrender to Union General Sherman at Bennett Place, North Carolina. For many in the South, that act marked the official end of the Civil War.

In 1868, General John A. Logan, commander in chief of the Union Civil War Veterans Fraternity called the Grand Army of the Republic, launched the Memorial Day holiday that is now observed across the entire United States. General Logan's wife said he had borrowed from practices of Confederate Memorial Day. She wrote that Logan "said it was not too late for the Union men of the nation to follow the example of the people of the South in perpetuating the memory of their friends who had died for the cause they thought just and right."{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hUEOAAAAIAAJ&q=%22not+too+late+for+the+Union+men+of+the+nation+to+follow+the+example+of+the+people+of+the+south%22%22&pg=PA246 |title=Reminiscences of a Soldier's Wife: An Autobiography |first=Mrs John A. |last=Logan |date=July 12, 2018 |publisher=C. Scribner's Sons |via=Google Books}}

While two dozen cities across the country claim to have originated the Memorial Day holiday, Bellware and Gardiner firmly establish that the holiday began in Columbus. In The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America, they show that the Columbus Ladies Memorial Association's call to observe a day annually to decorate soldiers' graves inaugurated a movement first in the South and then in the North to honor the soldiers who died during the Civil War.{{Cite book |title=The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America |last=Bellware |first=Daniel |author2= Richard Gardiner |publisher=Columbus State University |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-692-29225-9 |pages=1–181}}

File:Alabama - Phenix City - NARA - 23936363 (cropped).jpg

With the expansion of the city, leaders established Columbus College, a two-year institution, which later evolved into Columbus State University, now a comprehensive center of higher learning and part of the University System of Georgia.

The city government and the county consolidated in 1971, the first such consolidation in Georgia and one of only 16 in the U.S. at the time.

File:Columbus, Georgia -the place with the power and the push - DPLA - cbea0261b64a027b4f8b3a15145a34b5.pdf

Expanding on its industrial base of textile mills, the city is the home of the headquarters for Aflac, Synovus, and TSYS.

File:Old columbus, georgia.jpg

From the 1960s through the 1980s, the subsidized construction of highways and suburbs resulted in drawing off the middle and upper classes, with urban blight, white flight, and prostitution in much of downtown Columbus and adjacent neighborhoods. Early efforts to halt the gradual deterioration of downtown began with the saving and restoration of the Springer Opera House in 1965. It was designated as the State Theatre of Georgia, helping spark a movement to preserve the city's history. This effort has documented and preserved various historic districts in and around downtown.

Through the late 1960s and early 1970s, large residential neighborhoods were built to accommodate the soldiers coming back from the Vietnam War and for those associated with Fort Benning. These range from Wesley Woods to Leesburg to Brittney and Willowbrook and the high-end Sears Woods and Windsor Park. Large tracts of blighted areas were cleaned up. A modern Columbus Consolidated Government Center was constructed in the city center. A significant period of urban renewal and revitalization followed in the mid- to late 1990s.

With these improvements, the city has attracted residents and businesses to formerly blighted areas. Municipal projects have included construction of a softball complex, which hosted the 1996 Olympic softball competition; the Chattahoochee RiverWalk; the National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus; and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Other notable projects were the expansion of the Columbus Museum and road improvements to include a new downtown bridge crossing the Chattahoochee River and into Phenix City. During the late 1990s, commercial activity expanded north of downtown along the I-185 corridor.

File:Folder of souvenir postcards of Columbus and Fort Benning, Georgia - DPLA - 890fe4e506bc665770581c4106061be4.pdf

During the 2000s, the city began a major initiative to revitalize the downtown area. The project began with the South Commons, an area south of downtown containing the softball complex, A. J. McClung Memorial Stadium, Synovus Park, the Columbus Civic Center, and the Jonathan Hatcher Skateboard Park. The National Infantry Museum was constructed in South Columbus, located outside the Fort Benning main gate.

In 2002, Columbus State University, which previously faced expansion limits due to existing residential and commercial districts surrounding it, began a second campus downtown, starting by moving the music department into the newly opened RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. The university's art, drama, and nursing departments also moved to downtown locations. Such initiatives have provided Columbus with a cultural niche; downtown features modern architecture mixed among older brick facades.

The Ready to Raft 2012 project created an estimated 700 new jobs and is projected to bring in $42 million annually to the Columbus area. Demolishing an up-river dam allowed the project to construct the longest urban whitewater rafting course in the world.{{cite web |url=http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=12378721 |title=Whitewater rafting is bring 700 new jobs |website= |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100430175135/http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=12378721|access-date=2011-11-22|archive-date= April 30, 2010}} According to the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, this initiative, in addition to other outdoor and indoor tourist attractions, led to around 1.8 million visitors coming to Columbus during the city's 2015 fiscal year.{{cite web |url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article32778276.html |title=Tourism home run: Columbus steps up to plate, attracts 1.8 million visitors}}

The city predicted that an additional 30,000 soldiers would be trained annually at Fort Benning in upcoming years due to base realignment and closure of other facilities.[http://www.columbusga.org/planning/Special-Projects/BRAC/ Base Realignment And Closure] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420214251/http://www.columbusga.org/planning/Special-Projects/BRAC/ |date=April 20, 2011}}. Retrieved April 11, 2011.

In October 2024, Columbus Police Department Chief Stoney Mathis announced a

full staff had been achieved. The Department reported a force consisting of 369 police officers and 54 dispatchers.https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article294133679.html

File:Columbus, GA panorama.jpg (1886)]]

Columbus is one of Georgia's three Fall Line cities, along with Augusta and Macon. The Fall Line is where the hilly lands of the Piedmont plateau meet the flat terrain of the coastal plain. As such, Columbus has a varied landscape of rolling hills on the north side and flat plains on the south. The fall line causes rivers in the area to decline rapidly towards sea level. Textile mills were established here in the 19th and early 20th centuries to take advantage of the water power from the falls.

Interstate 185 runs north–south through the middle of the city, with nine exits within Muscogee County. I-185 runs north about {{convert|50|mi|km|abbr=on}} from its beginning to a junction with I-85 just east of LaGrange and about {{convert|60|mi|km|abbr=on}} southwest of Atlanta. U.S. Route 27, U.S. Route 280, and Georgia State Route 520 (known as South Georgia Parkway) all meet in the interior of the city. U.S. Route 80 runs through the northern part of the city, locally known as J.R. Allen Parkway; Alternate U.S. Route 27 and Georgia State Route 85 run northeast from the city, locally known as Manchester Expressway.

The city is located at {{Coord|32.489608|-84.940422|type:city_region:US-GA|format=dms|display=inline}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}

According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|221.0|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|216.3|sqmi|km2}} are land and {{convert|4.7|sqmi|km2}} (2.14%) are covered by water.

Columbus borders Phenix City, its largest suburb (in Alabama). Columbus also borders Chattahoochee, Talbot, Harris, and Russell County, which is in Alabama.

Columbus has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Daytime summer temperatures often reach highs in the mid-90°Fs, and low temperatures in the winter average in the upper 30s. Columbus is often considered a dividing line or "natural snowline" of the southeastern United States with areas north of the city receiving snowfall annually, with areas to the south typically not receiving snowfall every year or at all. Columbus is within USDA hardiness zone 8b in the city center and zone 8a in the suburbs.

{{Weather box

|location = Columbus Airport, Georgia (1991–2020 normals,Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020 extremes 1891–present)

|single line = Y

|collapsed = Y

|Jan record high F = 84

|Feb record high F = 84

|Mar record high F = 92

|Apr record high F = 95

|May record high F = 100

|Jun record high F = 106

|Jul record high F = 105

|Aug record high F = 104

|Sep record high F = 106

|Oct record high F = 101

|Nov record high F = 88

|Dec record high F = 84

|year record high F = 106

|Jan avg record high F = 73.5

|Feb avg record high F = 76.6

|Mar avg record high F = 83.8

|Apr avg record high F = 87.2

|May avg record high F = 92.8

|Jun avg record high F = 96.5

|Jul avg record high F = 98.6

|Aug avg record high F = 98.1

|Sep avg record high F = 94.7

|Oct avg record high F = 88.4

|Nov avg record high F = 81.2

|Dec avg record high F = 75.2

|year avg record high F = 99.5

|Jan high F = 58.7

|Feb high F = 63.2

|Mar high F = 70.4

|Apr high F = 77.7

|May high F = 85.1

|Jun high F = 90.2

|Jul high F = 92.9

|Aug high F = 91.8

|Sep high F = 87.3

|Oct high F = 78.3

|Nov high F = 68.4

|Dec high F = 60.6

|year high F = 77.0

|Jan mean F = 48.5

|Feb mean F = 52.3

|Mar mean F = 58.9

|Apr mean F = 65.8

|May mean F = 74.1

|Jun mean F = 80.4

|Jul mean F = 83.2

|Aug mean F = 82.4

|Sep mean F = 77.6

|Oct mean F = 67.6

|Nov mean F = 57.3

|Dec mean F = 50.6

|year mean F = 66.6

|Jan low F = 38.2

|Feb low F = 41.5

|Mar low F = 47.3

|Apr low F = 54.0

|May low F = 63.1

|Jun low F = 70.5

|Jul low F = 73.5

|Aug low F = 73.0

|Sep low F = 67.9

|Oct low F = 56.8

|Nov low F = 46.1

|Dec low F = 40.6

|year low F = 56.0

|Jan avg record low F = 20.9

|Feb avg record low F = 25.9

|Mar avg record low F = 30.6

|Apr avg record low F = 39.0

|May avg record low F = 49.3

|Jun avg record low F = 61.7

|Jul avg record low F = 67.8

|Aug avg record low F = 66.1

|Sep avg record low F = 55.6

|Oct avg record low F = 40.6

|Nov avg record low F = 30.4

|Dec avg record low F = 25.5

|year avg record low F = 19.2

|Jan record low F = −2

|Feb record low F = −3

|Mar record low F = 16

|Apr record low F = 28

|May record low F = 39

|Jun record low F = 44

|Jul record low F = 59

|Aug record low F = 57

|Sep record low F = 38

|Oct record low F = 24

|Nov record low F = 10

|Dec record low F = 4

|year record low F = -3

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 4.24

|Feb precipitation inch = 4.46

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.92

|Apr precipitation inch = 4.03

|May precipitation inch = 3.24

|Jun precipitation inch = 4.03

|Jul precipitation inch = 4.35

|Aug precipitation inch = 4.68

|Sep precipitation inch = 3.34

|Oct precipitation inch = 2.78

|Nov precipitation inch = 3.96

|Dec precipitation inch = 4.79

|year precipitation inch = 48.82

|Jan snow inch = 0.0

|Feb snow inch = 0.0

|Mar snow inch = 0.2

|Apr snow inch = 0.0

|May snow inch = 0.0

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.0

|Oct snow inch = 0.0

|Nov snow inch = 0.0

|Dec snow inch = 0.3

|year snow inch = 0.5

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 10.2

|Feb precipitation days = 8.9

|Mar precipitation days = 9.4

|Apr precipitation days = 8.0

|May precipitation days = 7.8

|Jun precipitation days = 10.4

|Jul precipitation days = 11.8

|Aug precipitation days = 11.2

|Sep precipitation days = 7.0

|Oct precipitation days = 6.5

|Nov precipitation days = 7.3

|Dec precipitation days = 10.2

|year precipitation days = 108.7

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 0.0

|Feb snow days = 0.0

|Mar snow days = 0.1

|Apr snow days = 0.0

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 0.0

|Dec snow days = 0.3

|year snow days = 0.4

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web |url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=ffc |title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date = May 24, 2021 |archive-date = June 5, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210605094022/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=ffc |url-status = dead }}

{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00093842&format=pdf

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| title = Station: Columbus Metro AP, GA

| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)

| access-date = May 24, 2021}}

}}

File:Downtown Columbus West.jpg

File:Columbus Georgia, The Fountain City.jpg

{{Main|Neighborhoods in Columbus, Georgia}}

Columbus is divided into five geographic areas:

• Downtown, also sometimes called "Uptown" (though "Uptown" is actually the title given to both a nonprofit organization operating to encourage area growth and development or "urban renewal" in the city and also to the actual physical area of that development itself, which is an expanding subsection of the downtown district located in the areas from Broadway to the Chattahoochee River){{Cite web|url=http://www.uptowncolumbusga.com/plaintext/about/about.aspx|title=About Uptown|website=www.uptowncolumbusga.com|access-date=July 19, 2016|archive-date=November 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118030817/http://www.uptowncolumbusga.com/plaintext/about/about.aspx|url-status=dead}} is the city's central business district, and home to multiple historic districts, homes, and churches, such as the Columbus Historic Riverfront Industrial District, the Mott House, and the Church of the Holy Family.
• East Columbus is a predominantly residential area located east of MidTown.

File:Fireworks in downtown columbus, ga.jpg in Downtown on July 4, 2009]]

• MidTown is a residential and commercial area located directly east of Downtown; several historic districts have been designated. It is the location of the corporate headquarters of Aflac.
• North Columbus, also called Northside, is a diverse suburban area, home to established neighborhoods and subdivisions, such as Green Island Hills and Oldtown.{{Cite web|url=https://www.oldtowncolumbus.com/|title=Old Town Columbus | GA | Southern Living Inspired Community|website=oldtowncolumbus}} It has multiple shopping and lifestyle areas.
• South Columbus is situated just south of the MidTown region, and directly north of Fort Benning. It is the site of the National Infantry Museum, honoring the history of infantry forces in the U.S. Army. The museum was located here in an effort to introduce jobs and attract visitors to stimulate a variety of activities. It has had bars, honky tonks, and other businesses that appeal to young male soldiers from Fort Benning.

{{Main|Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL CSA}}

The Columbus metropolitan area includes four counties in Georgia, and one in Alabama. The Columbus-Auburn-Opelika, GA-AL combined statistical area includes two additional counties in Alabama. A 2013 census estimate showed 316,554 in the metro area, with 501,649 in the combined statistical area.

{{US Census population

| 1830 = 1152

| 1840 = 3114

| 1850 = 5942

| 1860 = 9621

| 1870 = 7401

| 1880 = 10123

| 1890 = 17303

| 1900 = 17614

| 1910 = 20554

| 1920 = 31125

| 1930 = 43131

| 1940 = 53280

| 1950 = 79611

| 1960 = 116779

| 1970 = 155028

| 1980 = 169441

| 1990 = 178681

| 2000 = 185781

| 2010 = 189885

| 2020 = 206922

| estyear = 2023

| estimate = 201877

| estref = {{Cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html |access-date=March 24, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 3, 2014}}
1990{{Cite web|title=1990 Census of Population Social and Economic Characteristics - Georgia|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-2/cp-2-12-1.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 2000 2010 2020

}}

Since the 1830 United States census, Columbus has maintained a relatively positive population growth. At the 2020 census, there were 206,922 people, 73,134 households, and 45,689 families residing in the city. At the 2010 census, Columbus had a total population of 189,885, up from 186,291 in the 2000 census. The 2010 census reported 189,885 people, 72,124 households, and 47,686 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|861.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The 82,690 housing units had an average density of {{convert|352.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.

In 2010, the racial and ethnic composition of the city was 46.3% White, 45.5% African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.14% Pacific Islander, and 1.90% from other races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.4% of the population. In 2020, its population was 38.22% non-Hispanic white, 45.77% African American, 0.24% Native American, 2.68% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 0.52% some other race, 4.35% multiracial, an 7.98% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

At the 2010 census, median income for a household in the city was $41,331, and for a family was 41,244. Males had a median income of $30,238 versus $24,336 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,514. About 12.8% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2022 American Community Survey, the median household income throughout the city was $53,750 with a per capita income of $31,393. Approximately 17.8% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.{{Cite web |title=Census profile: Columbus, GA |url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1319000-columbus-ga/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Census Reporter |language=en}}

There is a Mexican community in the city.https://ipr.osu.edu/mexicanidad-ohio-identity-and-stress-columbus

Columbus' crime rate is above the national average. Columbus set a homicide record in 2021 with 70 homicides.https://www.wrbl.com/news/local-news/columbus-hit-70-homicides-in-2021-nearly-doubles-2020s-total-of-44/ {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}} Growing gang activity within the city is a major reason for the rise in crime.https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/crime/article281359278.html {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://foropportunity.org/columbus-crime-report/|title=How to Reduce Crime in Columbus, GA}} City leaders are actively working to reduce crime in the city.https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/crime/article284814201.html {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Amaya |date=September 22, 2023 |title=Columbus law enforcement speak about recent city crime |url=https://www.wtvm.com/2023/09/22/columbus-law-enforcement-speak-about-recent-city-crime/ |website=WTVM}}

Companies headquartered in Columbus include Aflac, TSYS, Realtree, Synovus and the W. C. Bradley Co.

According to Columbus' 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[https://www.columbusga.gov/portals/finance/accounting-resources/ACFR_FY22.pdf][https://www.columbusga.gov/portals/finance/accounting-resources/ACFR_FY22.pdf] the top employers in the city were:

File:Postcard Hello from Columbus, GA - DPLA - 4f757ff8f7d4a597f1de6d782862f235.pdf

• Founded in 1953, the Columbus Museum (accredited by the American Alliance of Museums) contains artifacts of regional history and works of American art. It mounts displays from its permanent collection, as well as temporary exhibitions. It is the largest art and history museum in Georgia.
• Moved from its previous location in Lumpkin, Columbus is now home to Historic Westville.{{Cite web|url=https://westville.org/|title=Historic Westville|access-date=July 16, 2021|archive-date=July 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716175331/https://westville.org/|url-status=dead}} With 17 buildings currently on site and interpreters throughout the village (such as a blacksmith and carpenter), guests can to go on self-guided tours learning about the homes and crafts of the 19th century.
• The National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus is a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m²) facility that opened in 1962. It features two original Civil War military vessels, uniforms, equipment, and weapons used by the Union and Confederate navies.
• The Coca-Cola Space Science Center opened in 1996 for the purpose of public education in science, physics, and astronomy. It includes four flight simulators and a planetarium.[http://www.ccssc.org/ Description], Coca-Cola Space Science Center website
• The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center opened in June 2009, and includes displays related to the history of the infantry from the founding of the nation to the present. Its IMAX theatre shows related films and special productions.
• The Bo Bartlett Center is a 18,000+ square foot museum and gallery space. The venue features a permanent display of large-scale paintings by Columbus native Bo Bartlett, as well as rotating exhibitions by renowned contemporary artists.{{Cite web|url=https://bobartlettcenter.org/center/|title=About the Center}}
• The W.C. Bradley Museum is an 11,000 square foot art museum that features the art collection of the W.C. Bradley Company.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcbradley.com/index.php?/about/museum-chapel|title = W.C. Bradley Co. Museum, Art Collection, and the D.A. Turner Memorial Chapel | W.C. Bradley Co}} Notable artists in the collection include Bo Bartlett and Garry Pound.

File:Postcard of 1011 Broadway - DPLA - 3a3031281d3b3febf359ddc87aff1bca.pdf

Columbus is served by one major indoor shopping mall, Peachtree Mall, which is anchored by major department stores Dillard's, Macy's, and J.C. Penney. The total retail floor area is 821,000 f²t (76,300 m²). Major strip malls include Columbus Park Crossing, which opened in 2003, and The Landings, which opened in 2005. Columbus is also served by The Shoppes at Bradley Park, a lifestyle center.

MidTown contains two of the city's early suburban shopping centers (the Village on 13th and St. Elmo), both recently renovated and offering local shops, restaurants, and services.

File:Golden Park.jpg, Columbus' oldest baseball park]]

Major venues in the city of Columbus:

• A. J. McClung Memorial Stadium, a football stadium, was the site of the football games between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers (the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry) from 1916 to 1958. It became the home of college football's Pioneer Bowl in December 2010, and hosts annual rivalry games between Tuskegee University and Morehouse College, as well as between Albany State University and Fort Valley State University.
• The Bradley Theater, a performance theatre, was opened in mid-1940 by Paramount Pictures.
• Columbus Civic Center, a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena, opened in 1996. It is the primary arena used for concert and professional sporting events in Columbus. The Columbus Lions indoor football team and Columbus River Dragons ice hockey team both call the Civic Center home.
• Synovus Park, a 5,000 seat baseball stadium, was the former home to the Columbus Catfish and the minor-league Columbus Redstixx, and as of June 2021, is the host stadium of the Columbus Chatt-A-Hoots.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-02 |title=Name for new Columbus baseball team announced |url=https://www.wrbl.com/news/local-news/name-for-new-columbus-baseball-team-announced/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=WRBL |language=en-US}} It was also the site of the softball events of the 1996 Summer Olympics. It opened in 1926, making it the oldest baseball park in the city.
• RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, a 2,000-seat modern performance theatre, first opened in 2002 and is operated by the Columbus nonprofit organization RiverCenter Inc. It is commonly used for local events, and occasionally used for nationally recognized performances.
• The Springer Opera House, a National Historic Landmark and the official State Theatre of Georgia. Built in 1871, the Springer is a professional theatre which produces live theatre and hosts one of America's largest theatre training programs, the Springer Theatre Academy. Former United States President Jimmy Carter proclaimed it the State Theatre of Georgia for its 1971 centennial season. The legislature made the designation permanent in 1992.[http://www.sos.state.ga.us/state_symbols/state_theatre.html Georgia Secretary of State – State Theatre], sos.state.ga.us; retrieved February 2007 (from Springer Opera House).

File:Historic-columbus-ga.jpg]]

{{Main|National Register of Historic Places listings in Muscogee County, Georgia}}

Columbus is home to nine historic districts, all listed in the National Register of Historic Places listings in Muscogee County, Georgia. They are:

• Bibb City Historic District
• Columbus Historic District
• Columbus Historic Riverfront Industrial District
• Dinglewood Historic District
• Peacock Woods-Dimon Circle Historic District
• Weracoba-St. Elmo Historic District
• Wynn's Hill-Overlook-Oak Circle Historic District
• Wynnton Village Historic District
• Waverly Terrace Historic District

File:Columbus, Georgia - the electric city - complied and Published Under the Direction of The Convention and Publicity Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Columbus, Georgia - DPLA - 0f53f38aa82d840c6f8f4d19edea65a0.pdf

Columbus Northern Little League won the 2006 Little League World Series, defeating the team from Kawaguchi, Japan in the championship. Current MLB player Josh Lester was a member of the championship team.

{{Main|List of parks in Columbus, Georgia}}

File:Hunter Katich.jpeg in the Chattahoochee River|alt=]]

Columbus is home to upwards of 50 parks, four recreation centers, four senior centers and parks, and the Standing Boy Creek Park.

• The Chattahoochee RiverWalk is a {{convert|15|mi|km|adj=on}} walking/bike trail that connects users from Downtown to South Columbus and the northern section of Fort Benning.
• The Columbus Fall Line Trace is an {{convert|11|mi|km|adj=on}} fitness trail that runs from Downtown to the northeastern section of the city.[http://www.columbus.wkdickson.com/trailmap.pdf Trail map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718071932/http://www.columbus.wkdickson.com/trailmap.pdf |date=July 18, 2011 }}. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
• The Black Heritage Trail is a National Recreation Trail of historic and cultural significance.[http://www.greatercolumbusga.com/black-heritage-trail The Black Heritage Trail] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719225526/http://www.greatercolumbusga.com/black-heritage-trail |date=July 19, 2011 }}

The Chattahoochee River whitewater opened in 2012. After both the Eagle & Phenix Dam and the City Mills Dams were breached, river flow was restored to natural conditions, allowing the course to be created. The {{convert|2.5|mi|km|adj=on}} course is the longest urban whitewater rafting and kayaking in the world, and has been ranked the world's best manmade whitewater course by USA Today.{{cite web|title=Built to thrill: 12 crazy man-made adventures|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/08/27/adventures-bungee-jumping-freefalling-sharks-whitewater-safari-rafting/2702325/|website=USA Today|access-date=November 4, 2015}} It also features the Blue Heron Adventure, a zip-line course connecting users from the Georgia side of the river to the Alabama side on an interstate zip-line over the Chattahoochee River. The course continues with several zip-lines and a ropes course on the Alabama side and completes with another zip-line back to Georgia.{{cite web|url=http://www.whitewaterexpress.com/blue-heron-adventures/|title=Blue Heron Adventure – River Rafting – WhiteWater Express|website=www.whitewaterexpress.com}}

It has become a hub for whitewater kayakers, with outstanding standing waves year-round. In mid-winter it is referred to as the "Wintering Grounds" for big wave surfing athletes and enthusiasts.

File:Columbus Public Buildings - DPLA - a92d596082651977cca737b20d1e6f76.jpeg

File:Government Center Columbus Georgia Consolidated Government.jpg

{{see also|List of mayors of Columbus, Georgia}}

• B. H. "Skip" Henderson III

The city council of Columbus, known as the Columbus Council, is composed of ten elected council members, eight of whom serve individual districts and two of whom serve the city at large.{{cite web|title=Columbus Council|url=https://www.columbusga.gov/Council/|website=Columbus Consolidated Government|access-date=August 31, 2021}} The city has a council–manager government, with the city council appointing the city manager to implement city policy. Isaiah Hugley has served as city manager since 2005.{{cite web|title=Office of the City Manager|url=https://www.columbusga.gov/CityManager/|website=Columbus Consolidated Government|date=2025|accessdate=April 20, 2025}}

The Muscogee County School District holds preschool to grade 12, and consists of 35 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and nine high schools.[http://www.mcsdga.net/schools/alpha.htm List of schools in Columbus] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124021408/http://www.mcsdga.net/schools/alpha.htm |date=January 24, 2010 }}, Retrieved Sept. 2009.[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=706&T=0&FY=2009 Georgia Board of Education]{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved June 24, 2010. The district has over 2,000 full-time teachers and over 31,899 students.{{cite web|url=https://www.muscogee.k12.ga.us/p/OurDistrict/AboutUs/DistrictInformation|title=About Us – District Information and Demographics|website=www.muscogee.k12.ga.us}}

Muscogee County School District serves all parts of the county except Fort Benning for grades K-12. Fort Benning children are zoned to Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools for grades K-8.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13215_muscogee/DC20SD_C13215.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705190801/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13215_muscogee/DC20SD_C13215.pdf |archive-date=2022-07-05 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Muscogee County, GA|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2022-07-04}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13215_muscogee/DC20SD_C13215_SD2MS.txt Text list] - "Fort Benning Schools" refers to the DoDEA schools on Fort Benning. The document states that the county schools have high school zoning. However, high school students attend the public high schools in the respective counties they are located in.{{cite web|url=https://www.dodea.edu/Americas/southeast/FortBenning/index.cfm|title=Fort Benning Schools|publisher=Department of Defense Education Activity|accessdate=2022-07-04}} - The document states that the county schools have high school zoning.

File:Columbus, Georgia public library.jpg

Columbus is served by four branches of the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries:

• Columbus Public Library
• Mildred L. Terry Public Library
• North Columbus Public Library
• South Columbus Public Library

• Columbus State University
• Columbus Technical College
• Georgia Military College – main campus in Milledgeville, Georgia

• Christian Life School of Theology
• Miller-Motte Technical College – main campus in Wilmington, North Carolina
• Rivertown School of Beauty
• Southeastern Beauty School
• Strayer University – main campus in Baltimore, Maryland

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Fort Benning – main campus in Daytona Beach, FL
• Mercer University School of Medicine - main campus in Macon, Georgia

{{Main|Media in Columbus, Georgia}}

{{Main|Columbus Airport (Georgia)}}

File:3 Delta Connection CRJs at KCSG.jpg CRJs parked at the gates of Columbus Airport]]

Columbus has had regularly scheduled air service since June 19, 1929, when the Columbus Municipal Airport saw the inauguration of flights to Atlanta and Montgomery.{{cite news |date=June 20, 1929 |title='Commuter' Offered In New Air Passenger Line To Columbus, Montgomery |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-1929-06-20-sout/29906137/ |accessdate=2024-10-23 |newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution |page=14 |via=Newspapers.com}} It was replaced by the Columbus Airport {{Airport codes|CSG|KCSG|CSG}} on August 1, 1944.{{cite web|title=Annual report, 1944|url=https://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/digital/collection/eastern/id/3029/|publisher=Eastern Airlines|via=Georgia State University|page=9{{ndash}}10|date=1944|access-date=September 4, 2024}} Since then, the Columbus Airport has served as the metro area's primary airport, although general aviation activities continued at Columbus Municipal Airport until its closure in 1969.{{cite GDOT map |year=1969 |access-date=September 18, 2024 }}{{cite GDOT map |year=1970 |access-date=September 18, 2024 }}

Columbus Airport has become the fourth-busiest airport in Georgia. It is located just off I-185 along Airport Thruway and Armour Road. It is served by Endeavor Air's Delta Connection service, offering several daily flights to Atlanta.{{cite web|url= https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2023-09/cy22-commercial-service-enplanements.pdf|title= Final CY22 Enplanements at Commercial Service Airports, by Rank order|format= PDF, 424 KB|work= CY 2022 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data|publisher= Federal Aviation Administration|date= September 1, 2022|accessdate=December 12, 2024}}{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Chuck|title=American Airlines to end service from Columbus Airport|url=https://www.wtvm.com/2023/01/08/american-airlines-end-service-columbus-airport/?outputType=amp|publisher=WTVM|date=January 7, 2023|accessdate=January 8, 2023}}

• 25px Interstate 185

• 20px U.S. Route 27
• 20x20px U.S. Route 27 Alternate
• 20px U.S. Route 80
• 25px U.S. Route 280

• 21px S.R. 1
• 20px S.R. 22
• 20x20px State Route 22 Connector
• 20x20px State Route 22 Spur
• 20px S.R. 85
• 25px S.R. 219
• 25px S.R. 411 (unsigned designation for I-185)
• 25px S.R. 520
• 25px S.R. 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

• METRA Transit System is the primary provider of mass transportation in Muscogee County, currently operating 10 routes in Columbus. The current public transportation services are operated as a function of the Columbus Consolidated Government under METRA.{{cite web|url=https://www.columbusga.gov/metra/Riding-METRA/Route-Information|title=Route Information|website=www.columbusga.org|access-date=January 1, 2021}}
• Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service with the Columbus station located on Veterans Parkway, Downtown Columbus.{{Cite web|url=http://www.greyhound.com/en/locations/terminal.aspx?city=410290|title=Columbus Greyhound station}}

Through the 1960s, passenger trains of the Central of Georgia Railway made stops at Columbus Union Station, including the north–south Chicago-Florida trains, the Illinois Central Railroad's City of Miami, and Seminole. Other trains included local Central of Georgia trains to Atlanta, Albany and Macon. The final trains in 1971 were the City of Miami and the Man O' War to Atlanta.Trains magazine, 'Passenger trains operating on the eve of Amtrak' https://ctr.trains.com/~/media/import/files/pdf/f/7/7/passenger_trains_operating_on_the_eve_of_amtrak.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224220507/https://ctr.trains.com/~/media/import/files/pdf/f/7/7/passenger_trains_operating_on_the_eve_of_amtrak.pdf |date=February 24, 2021 }} Columbus has had no passenger service since Amtrak took over most passenger trains on May 1, 1971,

In the 21st century, freight service is provided by Norfolk Southern Railroad and the shortline Columbus and Chattahoochee Railroad.

Columbus has these official sister cities:{{cite web |title=Commission on Relations|url=https://www.columbusga.gov/mayor/Commission-on-Relations|publisher=City of Columbus|access-date=2024-08-05}}

• {{flagdeco|GEO}} Zugdidi, Georgia (country)
• {{flagdeco|JPN}} Kiryū, Gunma, Japan{{cite web |title=Kiryu's international sister city|url=https://www.city.kiryu.lg.jp.e.wt.hp.transer.com/shisei/profile/1007695/index.html|publisher=City of Kirby|access-date=2024-08-05}} (Since April 25, 1978)
• {{flagdeco|ROU}} Bistriţa, Romania{{cite web |title=Collaborative relationships|url=https://www.primariabistrita.ro/municipul-bistrita/relatii-externe/|publisher=City of Bistrita|access-date=2024-08-05}} (Since May 2023)
• {{flagdeco|ROC}} Taichung, Taiwan{{cite web |title=Collaborative relationships|url=https://english.taichung.gov.tw/1073586/post|publisher= Taichung City Government |access-date=2024-08-05}} (Since November 11, 2007 )

{{Portal|United States|Cities}}

• List of people from Columbus, Georgia
• List of neighborhoods in Columbus, Georgia
• List of mayors of Columbus, Georgia
• List of schools in Muscogee County, Georgia
• Metro Columbus
• Shannon Hosiery Mill
• List of U.S. cities with large Black populations

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ULE0BS Our Town: An Introduction to the History of Columbus, Georgia] by Roger Harris, 1992, Historic Columbus Foundation
• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738542873 Columbus, Georgia (Black America Series)] by Judith Grant, 1999, Arcadia Publishing
• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1885352980 Columbus Celebrates The Millennium: An International Quest (The American Enterprise Series)] by Pamela Baker and Delane Chappell, 1999, Community Communications Inc.
• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0813190045/ Yankee Blitzkrieg: Wilson's Raid Through Alabama and Georgia] by James Pickett Jones, 2000, University Press of Kentucky
• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738506982 Columbus, Georgia in Vintage Postcards (GA) (Postcard History Series)] by Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., 2001, Arcadia Publishing
• Enriching Lives: A History of Columbus State University, by Reagan L. Grimsley, 2008. Donning Publishing.
• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738516309 Historic Linwood Cemetery (Images of America: Georgia)] by Linda J. Kennedy, 2004, Arcadia Publishing
• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0820329339 Hell's Broke Loose in Georgia: Survival in a Civil War Regiment] by Scott Walker, 2007, University of Georgia Press
• [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738544280 Lower Chattahoochee River (GA) (Images of America)] by The Columbus Museum, 2007, Arcadia Publishing
• [http://uapress.ua.edu/product/Columbus-Georgia-1865,4733.aspx Columbus, Georgia, 1865: The Last True Battle of the Civil War,] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315185633/http://uapress.ua.edu/product/Columbus-Georgia-1865,4733.aspx |date=March 15, 2013 }} by Charles A. Misulia, 2010, University of Alabama Press

{{See also|Timeline of Columbus, Georgia#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Columbus, Georgia}}

{{Commons category}}

{{wikivoyage|Columbus (Georgia)|Columbus}}

• [http://visitcolumbusga.com/ Visitors bureau homepage]
• [http://www.columbusga.org Columbus Georgia Consolidated Government]
• [https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/columbus/ Columbus entry in the New Georgia Encyclopedia]
• {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Columbus (Georgia)|display=Columbus, a city and the county-seat of Muscogee county, Georgia, U.S.A.|short=x}}
• {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Columbus (Georgia)|display=Columbus. A city and county-seat of Muscogee County, Georgia|short=x}}

{{Geographic location

| Centre =Columbus

| North =LaGrange

| Northeast =Griffin

| East =Macon

| Southeast =Americus

| South =Albany

| Southwest =Union Springs, Alabama

| West =Phenix City, Alabama

| Northwest =Opelika, Alabama

}}

{{Columbus, Georgia}}

{{Columbus Auburn Opelika}}

{{Muscogee County, Georgia}}

{{Columbus, Georgia neighborhoods}}

{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}

{{Georgia county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Cities in Muscogee County, Georgia

Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Populated places established in 1828

Category:Columbus metropolitan area, Georgia

Category:Consolidated city-counties

Category:Georgia populated places on the Chattahoochee River

Category:1828 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)