The Greater Columbia, SC Area

Columbia, South Carolina is a southern jewel with the vibrance of a growing and thriving city, yet the charm and convenience of a smaller town.

A Very Brief History:

Columbia was created specifically to become the centrally located capitol of South Carolina by the state's General Assembly in 1786. One of the nation's first planned cities, Columbia received its first charter as a town in 1805 and became a chartered city in 1854. In February 1865, General Sherman's Union Army took the city, destroying about three-quarters of it by fire. Economic recovery did not begin until 1876. During this period, called Reconstruction, the city revitalized itself and has not stopped growing since.

Today, Columbia is a vibrant capitol city of South Carolina with a population of over a half million people and South Carolina's government and governmental agencies are located here. Fort Jackson, one of the nation's largest Army basic training facilities is close to Lake Carolina. And, the main campus of the University of South Carolina is located downtown with outstanding professional schools of business, law, medicine and a nationally recognized undergraduate Honors College.

Columbia lifestyles are as varied as the individual families who make up the Midlands. There are plentiful options for leisure time activities from museums, community theaters, historical places, lively downtown dining and shopping districts such as Five Points and the Vista, great sports such as the University of South Carolina's Fighting Gamecocks and Columbia's Inferno (hockey team), the Koger Center for the Performing Arts and the award-winning Riverbanks Zoo.