Country United States Population 202,824 (2013) Unemployment rate 8.0% (Feb 2015) Area 220.8 sq mi | State Founded 1828 Mayor Teresa Tomlinson | |
Points of interest National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus, National Infantry Museum, Springer Opera House, Columbus Civic Center, Standing Boy Creek State Park Colleges and Universities Columbus State University, Columbus Technical College, Miller-Motte Technical College-Columbus, Rivertown School of Beauty, University of Phoenix-Columbus Georgia Campus | ||
Columbus is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it is consolidated. According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau (2013), Columbus has a population of 202,824 residents in the city and 316,554 in the Columbus-Phenix City metropolitan area. The metro area joins the nearby Alabama cities of Auburn and Opelika to form the Columbus-Auburn-Opelika Combined Statistical Area, which has an estimated population of 501,649. Situated at the heart of the Chattahoochee Valley, Columbus is Georgias second-largest city and fourth-largest metropolitan area.
Contents
- Map of Columbus Georgia
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- History
- Geography
- Economy
- Arts and culture
- Columbus Georgia cuisine
- References
Map of Columbus, Georgia
Columbus lies 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Atlanta. Fort Benning, a major employer, is located south of the city in Chattahoochee County. The city is home to museums and other tourism sites. The area is served by the Columbus Airport. The current mayor is Teresa Tomlinson, who was elected in November 2010. In 2007, Best Life magazine ranked Columbus #4 on the Top 100 Places To Raise A Family. In 2013, Livability.com ranked Columbus #74 on the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America. In 2011, The Daily Beast ranked Columbus #1 on the list of the 30 Brokest Cities in America, which was disputed by the mayor who alleged that the ranking was due to a lawsuit that Columbus is involved in with Expedia, whos management teams share a good deal of overlap with the site. Security company Safemart rated Columbus the most dangerous city in 2013, while a Gallup well-being poll, published in 2014 on Yahoo!, ranked the Columbus area as the seventh-most miserable city in the U.S.
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History
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, its founders likely influenced by the writings of Washington Irving. The plan for the city was drawn up by Dr. Edwin L. DeGraffenried who placed the town on a bluff overlooking the river. Across the river, where Phenix City, Alabama is now located, Creek Indians lived until their removal in 1836.
The river served as Columbuss connection to the world, particularly connecting the plantations in the region with the international cotton market via New Orleans and ultimately Liverpool, England. The citys commercial importance increased in the 1850s with the arrival of the railroad. In addition, textile mills began springing up 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" in deference to the industrial textile mill town in Massachusetts which is also along a river.
Geography
Columbus is one of Georgias 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, making it a good location for textile mills in the past. The Chattahoochee River is the major river that runs through Columbus. Interstate 185 runs east of the city and is the major thoroughfare through the city, with access from exits 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14 to the city. Interstate 185 runs north 96 mi (154 km) to 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 north 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 Bill Heard Expressway. The city is located at 32°29?23?N 84°56?26?W.
According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 221.0 square miles (572 km2), of which, 216.3 square miles (560 km2) of it is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km2) of it (2.14%) is water.
Economy
Companies headquartered in Columbus include Aflac, Carmike Cinemas, TSYS, Realtree, Synovus, and the W. C. Bradley Co.
Arts and culture
Columbus is served by one major indoor shopping mall, Peachtree Mall, which is anchored by major department stores Dillards, Macys, and J.C. Penney. The total retail floor area is 821,000 square feet (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 citys early suburban shopping centers (the Village on 13th and St. Elmo), both recently renovated and each offering local shops, restaurants, and services.
Below is the list of major venues in the city of Columbus:
Columbus is home to 8 historic districts, all listed in the NRHP. They are as follows:
Columbus, Georgia cuisine
Georgias cuisine includes a variety of different foods ranging from seafood, corn on the cob and chicken and dumplings to Brunswick stew, fried chicken and cornbread. Other well known and loved foods in the state include pecans, peaches, and peanuts. The state prepared food is grits.
Barbecuing, a favorite pastime in Georgia, is integral to the states culture. All types of meat are barbecued in Georgia, but pork is traditionally the most popular meat in the state. Many people in Georgia barbecue for tailgate parties, for the Fourth of July or in case of homecomings and in all temperatures. The Georgia General Assembly traditionally holds a "wild hog supper" before legislative sessions and barbecue festivals can be found throughout the state.