Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina, is the capital and one of the largest cities in the American South, characterized by its rich history and diverse population. Established in the late 18th century, the city was once a vital center for the cotton trade and textile industry, which contributed to its economic development. Columbia is historically significant as the site of South Carolina's secession from the Union and subsequently faced destruction during the Civil War, notably when Union soldiers burned much of the city.
Today, Columbia is home to a vibrant community with a population of approximately 139,700, reflecting a mix of ethnic backgrounds, including significant African American and Latino populations. The city attracts young residents due to its educational institutions, including the University of South Carolina, and offers a pleasant climate appealing to retirees. Columbia’s economy is diverse, encompassing healthcare, education, manufacturing, and tourism, although it has experienced job losses in manufacturing sectors.
Culturally, Columbia is active in promoting its heritage through various multicultural festivals, while also hosting landmarks such as Fort Jackson, historic homes, and the scenic Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden. The city also prides itself on its artistic community, with active theater productions and engagement in the arts.
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, is considered one of largest and most diverse cities of the American South. Much of the city's success can be traced to the cotton trade and textile mills that drove the economy in the nineteenth century. Columbia is also a city steeped in history, as it was the site where South Carolina chose to secede from the Union, an act that was repaid in full when Union soldiers, under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman, allegedly burnt down most of the town. Modern-day Columbia is especially attractive to young people who attend its many colleges and universities, and retirees seeking a temperate climate and affordable lifestyle.
Landscape
Columbia is located in the center of South Carolina, approximately 110 miles east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and 154 miles west of Myrtle Beach, one of South Carolina's most popular Atlantic coast resorts. It is the county seat of Richland County. The metropolitan area also encompasses part of Lexington County.
Columbia developed along the banks of the Congaree River, formed by the Broad River flowing from the north and the Saluda River flowing from the west. The city was originally designed in a 4-square mile grid along the eastern side of the river with several wide avenues. The planners hoped the extra ventilation afforded by the broad avenues would ward off mosquito-borne diseases.
The city now stretches over 125.2 square miles. Among it many historic districts are Arsenal Hill, Waverly, Elmwood Park, and Bellevue, otherwise known as "Cotton Town," as it was located near cotton storage warehouses. Three major highways pass through the city.
Columbia enjoys four distinct seasons, although winters tend to be mild; January averages highs of 56.8 degrees Fahrenheit and lows of 34.6 Fahrenheit, which is just cold enough for occasional snow, sleet or freezing rain. July is the hottest month, with average highs of 92.7 Fahrenheit and lows of 72 Fahrenheit. Columbia received a one-day record snowfall of 16 inches in February 1973.
People
Columbia is South Carolina's largest city. According to 2022 estimates from the United States Census Bureau, the total population of the city was 139,698 people. The population is closely divided between Whites (47.9 percent) and Black or African Americans (40.7 percent), with Latinos or Hispanics (5.2 percent), Asians (2.3 percent) and mixed-races (5.1) representing the majority of other residents.
Columbians tend to be very active at promoting their heritage, particularly through multicultural festivals. Latinos, Greeks, Italians, and Filipinos are just a few ethnic groups that hold annual festivals. The annual Jubilee: Festival of Heritage celebrates African American heritage and history, and the city also plays host to the South Carolina State Fair. It is not uncommon for an ethnic fair to also feature southern foods, such as pecan pie, chitlins (chitterlings), or fried sweet potatoes.
Economy
Columbia first developed as a shipping and transportation hub for the agriculture industry. Tobacco, cotton, pecans, sweet potatoes, and peaches are some of the crops historically grown near Columbia. Today, South Carolina enjoys a diverse economy based on manufacturing, tourism, education, health care, retail, government, and finance. The city's largest employers includes Palmetto Health, University of South Carolina, Fort Jackson, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of South Carolina, Wachovia Bank of South Carolina, and United Parcel Service (UPS).
Since the end of the twentieth century, however, Columbia has lost thousands of jobs in manufacturing to overseas operations, most prominently in the textile and apparel industries. In 1999, the unemployment rate was 2.6 percent. While that rate climbed to 8.8 percent in early 2009, it had fallen to 2.9 percent by December 2023. To combat the loss of manufacturing jobs, the city has been working hard to attract foreign investors and high-tech industries, and has been promoting research and development ventures at the University of South Carolina's new research park.
In 2022 Columbia had a median household income of $56,175, significantly lower than the state average of $64,115. The poverty level in the city was at 20.7 percent, also lower that the state average of 14 percent.
Landmarks
Founded during World War I, Fort Jackson Army Base, one of the largest military bases in the US, takes up 52,000 acres in the Columbia area. Visitors can tour the Fort Jackson and US Army Chaplain Museums on the base or enjoy the military exhibits downtown at the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.
Although much of Columbia was burned down by General Sherman's troops during the Civil War, many buildings that survived are now National Historic Landmarks. This includes the Seibels-Hale-Elmore House, built in 1796, making it the oldest structure in the city; the Mann-Simons Cottage, home of the former slave Celia Mann, who walked to Columbia once freed and purchased her own home; First Baptist Church on Hampton Street, the site of the first Secession Convention in December 1860; and the Mills House, designed by architect Robert Mills, who also designed the Washington Monument and other structures in Washington DC.
The South Carolina Governor's Mansion, built in 1855 and used as the governor's residence since 1868, was also spared destruction during the Civil War. Similarly, the South Carolina State House (capitol) survived a cannonball attack, and bronze stars now mark the six places where it was hit. The Riverbanks Zoological Park and Botanical Garden has preserved the ruins of the old Saluda River Factory, a textile mill destroyed in the Union march on Columbia.
The nearby Congaree Swamp National Park was designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve, and is one of the newest national parks, upgraded from its status as a national monument in 2003. Paddlers can get there from Columbia via the 50-mile Congaree River Blue Trail.
History
In 1670, English colonists founded Charles Towne on the Atlantic coast, now Charleston, and began exploring inland. They set up a fort on the west bank of the Congaree River, territory that belonged to the Congaree Indians, who farmed and hunted in the river's floodplain. The European settlers who then moved into the area introduced smallpox that killed much of the tribe. The Congarees who survived were either killed in the Yamasee (Yamasi) War in 1715 or fled the area.
Columbia developed along the river as a center for shipping and transportation, supported by agriculture, logging, and other industries that depended heavily on slave labor. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, Columbia became a center for the textile industry, with power drawn from the Congaree River and cotton carted in by wagon from nearby plantations.
In 1786, the capital of South Carolina was moved from Charleston to Columbia. At that time, the state legislature selected the name for the capital in honor of Christopher Columbus. The city continued to grow as a center for commerce and politics. Construction of canals along the Congaree River in the early part of the nineteenth century and the railroad in mid-century helped to diversify industry and expand the population.
In 1805, South Carolina College (later the University of South Carolina) constructed its first building, and Columbia soon became a centralized location for education. In 1854, the South Carolina Methodist Conference opened Columbia College for women. It would be a few more decades until African Americans could receive an advanced education, made possible by Mrs. Bathsheba Benedict, who founded Benedict College, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church, founder of Allen University.
During the mid-nineteenth century, as tensions began to rise over abolition and government tariffs, South Carolinians threatened to secede from the Union if slavery was banned. They made good on their threat on December 17, 1860, at a secession convention held at Columbia's First Baptist Church, located on Hampton Street.
In February 1865, after General Sherman's March to the Sea had decimated Atlanta, he turned his troops on South Carolina. First he burned Charleston, and then proceeded to march to Columbia, where he arrived on February 15. Although the mayor surrendered the city, the Union officers, bristling with a sense of retribution and supposedly under the heavy influence of alcohol, allegedly proceeded to set fire to much of the city.
After abolition, Columbia's African American population lived under a policy of apartheid until the Civil Rights Movement afforded them the same opportunities as Whites. However, racial divisions continue to plague the city. Tensions were heightened over the South Carolina legislature's refusal during the late twentieth century to remove a Confederate flag from the top of South Carolina State House dome. The flag was removed from the dome 2000, but it was moved to another part of the capitol grounds. In 2015, a White supremacist who idolized the Confederate flag, opened fire at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine church members, including its pastor, State Senator Clementa Pinckney. The killings shocked the state and prompted the removal of the flag from the capitol grounds.
Trivia
- The National Champion Loblolly Pine at Congaree National Park is 167 feet tall and almost 15 feet in circumference.
- Columbia, which has an active theater community, also boasts the Town Theatre, built in 1924, the oldest community theater building still in use in the US.
- Although Columbia had been the capital of South Carolina since 1786, it did not have any paved streets until 1908.
Byrd, Caitlin. “5 Years Ago, South Carolina Brought Down the Confederate Flag. It Was Just the Beginning.” Post and Courier, 11 Mar. 2023, www.postandcourier.com/politics/5-years-ago-south-carolina-brought-down-the-confederate-flag-it-was-just-the-beginning/article‗62b7e0f6-bfc1-11ea-808f-6f165bc5ed6e.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
“Columbia City, South Carolina.” US Census Bureau, data.census.gov/profile/Columbia‗city,‗South‗Carolina?g=160XX00US4516000#income-and-poverty. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
“Columbia, SC.” US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Feb. 2024, www.bls.gov/eag/eag.sc‗columbia‗msa.htm. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
“NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data.” National Weather Service, www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=cae. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
“QuickFacts: Columbia City, South Carolina.” US Census Bureau, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/columbiacitysouthcarolina/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.