- This article is about the U.S. city in the state of Missouri. For other uses, see Columbia (disambiguation).
Columbia (IPA: /kə.lʌm.bi.ə) is the fifth largest city in Missouri and the
largest city in central Missouri. As of 2006 the city had a population of 94,428[4] and the surrounding Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 155,997.[5] It is a university town, anchor of the
Columbia metropolitan area and county seat of Boone County. Whilst the metropolitan area extends to several counties, the city of Columbia is
entirely located in Boone County while the city's labor basin includes the counties of Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau, Monroe, and Randolph.[6] The city is
a major educational center being home to the University of Missouri, the
state's flagship campus, and location of the University of Missouri System headquarters. The city is also home to Stephens College and Columbia College. The
location of these three 4-year colleges as well as a number of community colleges have led to the city being known by the
nicknames "The Athens of Missouri" and "College Town USA".[7] It is also known colloquially as "CoMo". In addition, Columbia, is a center of
the medical, insurance, and life
science industries.
History
A busy day on Broadway in 1919.
-
The Columbia area was once part of the Mississippian culture and home to the
Mound Builders. When European explorers arrived the area was populated by the
Osage and Missouri Indians. In 1678
La Salle claimed all of Missouri for France. The Lewis and
Clark Expedition passed by the area on the Missouri River in 1803. In 1806, Daniel
Boone and his sons established a salt lick miles ( km) northwest of
Columbia. The Booneslick Trail wound from Kentucky through
St. Charles, Missouri to the salt lick. In 1818 a group of settlers,
incorporated under the Smithton Land Company, purchased over 2,000 acres (8 km²) and established the village of Smithton less
than a mile from current day downtown Columbia. In 1821 the settlers moved, because of lack of water, across the Flat Branch to
the plateau between the Flat Branch and Hinkson creeks in what is now the downtown district. They re-named the settlement
Columbia—a historical name for the United
States.
The University of Missouri campus late 19th century
The roots of Columbia's three economic foundations—education, medicine, and insurance—can be traced back almost to
incorporation in 1821. Original plans for the town set aside land for a state university. Columbia College (distinct from
today's), later to become The University of Missouri, was founded in
1833. When the state legislature decided to establish a state university, Columbia raised three times as much money as any other
competing city and donated the land that is today the Francis Quadrangle. Soon other educational institutions were founded in
Columbia such as Christian Female College, the first college for women west of the Mississippi, which later became the current
Columbia College. In 1856 Columbia Baptist Female College
opened, which later became Stephens College. The city benefited from being a stagecoach
stop of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails, and later
from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. In 1822 the first hospital was set up by William
Jewell. In 1830 the first newspaper was begun; in 1832 the first theater in the state was opened; and in 1835 the states
first agricultural fair was held. By 1839 the population (13,000) and wealth of Boone
County was exceeded in Missouri only by that of St. Louis County.
Columbia's downtown district in 1869. The large building on the right is
University of Missouri Academic Hall.
Columbia's infrastructure was wholly untouched by the Civil War. The majority of
the city was pro-union, however, the surrounding areas of Boone County and the rest of central Missouri were decidedly
pro-slavery. Because of this the University of Missouri became a base from which union troops operated. No battles were fought
within the city because the presence of union troop dissuaded the confederate guerillas from attacking, though several major
battles occurred nearby at Boonville and Centralia.
The 20th Century has been promising for Columbia's prominence as an educational center rise even further. It became home to
the headquarters of both the University of Missouri System which today
serves about 70,000 students and the Columbia College system which today
serves about 25,000 students. The insurance industry also became important to the local economy. Several insurance companies
established headquarters in Columbia, including Shelter Insurance, Missouri Employers Mutual, and Columbia Insurance
Group. State Farm Insurance has a regional office in Columbia. In addition,
the now defunct Silvey Insurance was once a large local employer. Columbia became a transportation crossroads when
U.S. Highway 63 and U.S. Highway 40, the latter
became present-day Interstate 70, were routed through the city. Soon after the city opened
the Columbia Regional Airport. The latter 20th century saw tremendous growth,
and by the end of the century the population was over 80,000 in the city proper.
In the early 2000's Columbia embarked on a plan[8] to
manage the continued growth. The city is today growing especially towards the Missouri
River in southwest Boone County. The downtown district has maintained its status as a cultural center and is undergoing
significant development in both residential and commercial sectors. The University of Missouri, which experienced record
enrollment in 2006, is undertaking significant construction.
Geography
Area
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 138.1 km² (53.3 mi²). 137.5 km² (53.1 mi²) of
it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (0.51%) is water.
Flora and fauna
Before the founding of the city, the area was prairie and open forest maintained by burning by Native Americans. Trees are
mainly oak, maple, and hickory, similar to the forests of the nearby Ozarks; common understory trees include Eastern Redbud,
Serviceberry, and Flowering Dogwood. Riparian areas are forested with mainly American sycamore. Most of the residential area of
the city is planted with large native shade trees. In Autumn, the changing color of the trees is notable. Most species here are
typical of the Eastern Woodland, although numerous decorative non-native species are found; the most notable invasive species is
Japanese honeysuckle.
The Pinnacles, a natural formation carved by hundreds of years of flowing water, just north of Columbia.
Large mammals found in the city include urbanized coyotes and numerous whitetail deer. Eastern Gray Squirrel, Cottontail
rabbit, and other rodents are abundant, as well as the nocturnal Opossum. Large bird species are abundant in parks and include
Canada goose, Mallard duck, as well as shorebirds, including the Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. Populations of Bald Eagles are
found by the Missouri River. The city is on the Mississippi Flyway, used by migrating birds, and has a large variety of small
bird species, common to the eastern U.S. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow, an introduced species, is limited in North America to the
counties surrounding St. Louis. Columbia has large areas of forested and open land (though currently under threat from rapid
development) and many of these areas are home to wildlife. Deer are commonly seen especially along the MKT trail and wild turkeys
are common in the forest areas surrounding Twin Lakes.
Frogs are commonly found in the springtime, especially after extensive wet periods. Common species include the American toad
and species of chorus frogs, commonly called "spring peepers" that are found in nearly every pond. Some years have outbreaks of
cicadas or ladybugs. Mosquitos and houseflies are common insect nuisances; because of this, windows are nearly universally fitted
with screens, and "screened-in" porches are common in homes of the area. Populations of honeybees have sharply declined in recent
years, and numerous species of pollinator insects have filled their ecological niche.
Climate
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Rec High °F |
74 |
82 |
85 |
90 |
92 |
103 |
111 |
110 |
101 |
93 |
83 |
76 |
| Norm High °F |
37.4 |
43.9 |
55.1 |
65.9 |
74.6 |
83.6 |
88.6 |
87.3 |
79.1 |
68 |
53.4 |
41.5 |
| Norm Low °F |
18.2 |
23.4 |
33 |
42.9 |
52.8 |
61.8 |
66.3 |
64 |
55.4 |
44.1 |
33 |
22.5 |
| Rec Low °F |
-19 |
-15 |
-5 |
19 |
29 |
40 |
48 |
42 |
29 |
22 |
0 |
-20 |
| Precip (in) |
1.73 |
2.2 |
3.21 |
4.16 |
4.87 |
4.02 |
3.8 |
3.75 |
3.42 |
3.18 |
3.47 |
2.47 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [4] |
Parks
Culture
Popular music scene
Columbia has a flourishing and progressive music scene thanks in large part to many acts that come out of the local
university, Mizzou. The post-punk electronic band, Mahjongg and the garage rock band The Untamed Youth are two of the larger known groups to come from the area.
Over 100 musical artists from Columbia have been compiled by Painfully Midwestern Records with the ComoMusic Anthology series,
and the "Das Kompilation" release. Although the hip genre continues to give
Columbia some music recognition, it is their progressive psychedelic-heavy metal music scene that has garnered some attention
lately. There are also local punk and hip-hop scenes that are gaining momentum locally. Country music singer-songwriter
Brett James is also a native of Columbia.
The song "Whiskey Bottle," by Uncle Tupelo, is rumored to be about the city of Columbia
as it makes specific reference to a sign which used be displayed on a Columbia tackle shop sign which read, "Liquor, Guns, and
Ammo." The sign is now displayed at the downtown location of the world-famous Shakespeare's pizzeria.
Maestro Kirk Trevor conducts the Missouri Symphony as part of the Hot Summer Nights Concert Series.
Festivals
Arts organizations
Downtown Columbia
The west side of downtown Columbia.
Media
Newspapers
Radio
Television
- KMIZ - ABC - Channel 17
- K02NQ - Show Me Weather
- Cat 3 TV - Columbia Access Television
- KMOS - PBS - Channel 6
- KOMU - NBC - Channel 8
- KZOU-LP - My Network TV - Channel 32
- KRCG - CBS - Channel 13
- MUTV - University of Missouri Television
- KNLJ - Christian - Channel 25
- K38II - Fox - Channel 38 (called "KQFX" on air)
- MMCW - Mid-Missouri's CW (KOMU's digital signal)
Economy
The economy of Columbia is based on Education, Healthcare and the Insurance industry. National insurance corporations
headquartered in Columbia include Shelter Insurance, and Columbia Insurance Group. Other organizations include the MFA Incorporated, Missouri State
High School Activities Association and MFA oil.
Demography
In 2000 the city had a day time population of 106,487.[9] As of the census2 of 2000, there were 84,531 people, 33,689
households, and 17,282 families residing in the city. The population density was
615.0/km² (1,592.8/mi²). There were 35,916 housing units at an average density of 261.3/km² (676.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the
city was 81.54% White, 10.85% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 4.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. 2.05% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 33,689 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.7% were
non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 26.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from
45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,729, and the median income for a family was $52,288. Males had a median
income of $34,710 versus $26,694 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$19,507. About 9.4% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government and law
The City of Columbia's current government was established by a home rule charter adopted
by voters on November 11, 1974, which established a Council-manager government that invested power in the City
Council. The City Council is made up of seven members - six elected by each of Columbia's six wards, plus an at-large council member, the Mayor, who is
elected by all city voters. All members of the council, none of whom receive a salary for their work, are elected to staggered
three-year terms. The Mayor, in addition to being a voting member of the City Council, is recognized as the head of city
government for ceremonial purposes. Chief executive authority is invested in a city
manager, who oversees the day-to-day operations of government.[10]
Because Columbia is the county seat of Boone County, the county's headquarters and municipal court are located there.
The City of Columbia is located in the ninth U.S. Congressional district. The
nineteenth Missouri State Senate district covers all of Boone County. There are five
Missouri House of Representatives districts (9, 21, 23, 24, 25) in the
city.
Voting trends
The population generally supports progressive causes such as the extensive city
recycling programs and the decriminalization of cannabis both for
medical and recreational use at the
municipal level (though the scope of latter of the two cannabis ordinances has since been restricted).
The city is also one of only four in the state to offer medical benefits to same-sex partners of city employees.[11] The new health plan also extends health benefits to
unmarried heterosexual domestic partners of city employees.
On October 10, 2006, the City Council approved an ordinance
to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars. The ordinance was passed with protest, and several amendments to the ordinance
reflect this.[12]
Education
Columbia and the surrounding area is served by The Columbia Public School
District.[13]
Public education
Private schools
Technical schools
Higher education
Infrastructure
Medicine
Columbia's hospitals and supporting facilities are a major referral center for the state. There is also a large amount of
medically-related industry. The University of Missouri's
School of Medicine is located in Columbia.
Hospitals
Rehabilitation centers
Transportation
Major highways
State highways
Public transport
Columbia Transit operates an extensive bus system focusing around downtown, and has been in service since 1965. Currently, 1.2
million passengers board annually along the system's eight fixed routes and two University Shuttle routes. The system is
constantly experiencing growth in service and technology. A project to renovate and expand the Wabash Station, a rail depot built
in 1910 and converted into the city's transit center in the mid-1980s, is expected to be completed in summer 2007.
Non-motorized transport
The city's current mayor, Darwin Hindman is largely in favor of a non-motorized transportation system, and can often be seen
riding his bicycle around the city. Columbia is also known for its M.K.T. Spur of the
Katy Trail State Park, which allows foot and bike traffic across the city, and,
conceivably, the state. It consists of a soft gravel surface, excellent for running and biking. Columbia also is preparing to
embark on construction of several new bike paths and street bike lanes thanks to a $25 million grant from the federal
government.[15]
Air
Sister cities
Columbia has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)[16]
References
- Switzler, Wm. F. (1882) History of Boone County. St. Louis: Western Historical Company.
- Ohman, Marian M. (1979) "Oh! Justice — .": The History of Boone County Courthouses. Columbia: University of Missouri–Columbia
Extension Division
- Stephens, E. W. (1875) "History of Boone County." An Illustrated Historical Atlas of Boone County, Missouri. Philadelphia:
Edwards Brothers
Further reading
External links
