Columbia (pronounced /kəˈlʌmbiə/) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With an estimated population of 100,733 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the location of the University of Missouri. The college town is politically liberal and known by the nicknames "The ...
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Columbia (pronounced /kəˈlʌmbiə/) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With an estimated population of 100,733 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the location of the University of Missouri. The college town is politically liberal and known by the nicknames "The Athens of Missouri," "College Town USA," and "CoMO." Over half of Columbians possesses a bachelor's degree and over a quarter hold graduate degrees, making it the thirteenth most highly educated municipality in the United States.
Columbia was settled in Pre-Columbian times by the mound-building Mississippian culture of Native Americans. 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 near present-day downtown Columbia. In 1821, the settlers...
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