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Columbia, South Carolina

Located in Richland County, South Carolina, Columbia was founded in 1786. One of America's first planned cities. Fort Jackson trains ~50% of all Army soldiers.
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Founded 1786 | Population 149,078 | Peak 149,078 (2024) | County Richland County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Columbia, South Carolina

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1786 Founded as Capital: Planned city at state's geographic center.
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1801 USC Founded: One of oldest public universities.
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1865 Sherman Burns City: Two-thirds destroyed.
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1917 Fort Jackson Opens: Grows into one of largest Army bases.
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2015 1000-Year Flood: 20+ inches rain; 19 dams fail.
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2015 Confederate Flag Removed: Removed from statehouse after Charleston shooting.
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Latest News in Columbia

Mar 21, 2026
‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Player Misses Out On $73,000 Prize Because Of This Hard Puzzle
Things got a little wild on Wheel of Fortune Tuesday night as one contestant came dangerously close to dropping a not-so-family-fr…
Mar 2, 2016
Trump has Most Loyal Supporters Any Gop Candidate
WASHINGTON — In the thick of the 2016 Republican primary season, Donald Trump emerged as the candidate with an unusually devoted…
Feb 1, 2016
South Carolina House Passes Bill Against Sharia Law it Constitutional
COLUMBIA, S.C. — On February 1, 2016, the South Carolina House of Representatives approved a controversial bill that aimed to ba…

Complete Historical Timeline

1786 Government
Founded as Capital
1801 Culture
USC Founded
1865 Disaster
Sherman Burns City
1917 Government
Fort Jackson Opens
2015 Disaster
1000-Year Flood
2015 Politics
Confederate Flag Removed

Did You Know?

1
One of America's first planned cities.
2
Fort Jackson trains ~50% of all Army soldiers.
3
2015 was a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall.
4
Columbia is located in Richland County, South Carolina.
5
Columbia was founded in 1786.

Famous People from Columbia, South Carolina

CB
Charles Bolden
Astronaut, Airman · Born Aug 19, 1946 · Age 79
SD
Stanley Donen
Choreographer, Film Director · Born Apr 13, 1924 · Died Feb 21, 2019 (age 94)
AA
Aziz Ansari
Screenwriter, Actor · Born Feb 23, 1983 · Age 43
J
Jeezy
Actor, Businessperson · Born Sep 28, 1977 · Age 48
JO
Jermaine O'Neal
Basketball Player · Born Oct 13, 1978 · Age 47

Other Cities in South Carolina

View all South Carolina cities →
C
Charleston
Pop. 150,227
NC
North Charleston
Pop. 120,000
MP
Mount Pleasant
Pop. 97,000
RH
Rock Hill
Pop. 78,000
S
Summerville
Pop. 56,000
GC
Goose Creek
Pop. 50,000
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