Columbia, Missouri, is located within the state of Missouri. Known as the second most populated city in the state, Columbia holds the University of Missouri within its boundaries, making it a more politically progressive, artistic town compared to others surrounding it. Columbia is located approximately 120 miles away from St. Louis and Kansas City, two larger cities in Missouri. It was built in the Missouri River valley in 1821. With an area of roughly 63 square miles, Columbia has a population of over 120,000 residents.
History of Columbia, Missouri
The city of Columbia was founded as a location set to hold a large state university, centering on the economic principles of education, medicine, and insurance. The first university to open in the city was Columbia Baptist Female College in 1933. Further down the line, Columbia Baptist Female College was later referred to as Stephens College. In 1839, a second university was founded in the city: Columbia College. As years passed, the college has eventually renamed the University of Missouri, which is now the largest university in the city. Another college that soon sprung up in the area was the Christian Female College, now known as Columbia College.
In its early stages, the settlers of Columbia made many advances to the city. These include the first hospital being constructed there in 1822 by William Jewell, the city’s first newspaper being distributed in 1830, the first theatre being opened in 1832, and the state’s first agricultural fair held in Columbia in 1835. Eighteen years after it was first founded, in 1839, the population of Columbia was at an estimated 13,000 residents.
The population of Columbia, Missouri
The 2010 census found that the city of Columbia had a population of 108,500 residents in that year. Those people made up 43,065 households and 21,418 families that resided in the city. The racial background of the population was much less diverse than some other Missouri cities, with 79% of the residents being white. African Americans comprised 11.3%, Native Americans made up 0.3%, Asians made up 5.2%, the Hispanic and Latino community comprised 3.4%, 1.1% of the population was from another unspecified race by the census, and 3.1% of the 108,500 residents of Columbia, Missouri were from two or more races.
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri was founded in Columbia in 1839, then referred to as Columbia College. In 2017, the public university enrolled 30,870 students, making it the state’s largest university. This is quite fitting as Columbia was founded heavily on the principle of education.
The university offers students over 300-degree programs to choose from, making it a college with a very diverse student makeup. It is also well known for the 20 schools it holds within its university, each with a superb faculty. Among this faculty is the University of Missouri Research Center, which is known as the world’s most powerful university research reactor. The University of Missouri is also well known for being one of six public universities throughout the country that have a school of medicine, veterinary medicine, engineering, agriculture, and law.
Internal Links: