Columbia, Missouri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Columbia is a city located in Boone County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 84,531. It is located roughly equidistant from St. Louis and Kansas City on Interstate 70. It has the reputation of combining the quality and culture of larger metropolitan areas with the warm hospitality of the Midwest. Columbia is consistently ranked as one of the top places in the United States to live by outfits such as Money Magazine because of its excellent quality of life. The University of Missouri - Columbia, the flagship campus for the University of Missouri System, is located in Columbia. The city is also home to Stephens College, a traditionally-female college, and Columbia College, which led in the past to Columbia being known by the nickname "College Town USA". As a whole the city has a very young and active population. The downtown area (known as The District) is filled with businesses catering to a young population including over 75 restaurants and bars. The District is also host to many events including the True/False Film Festival, Art in the Park, The Blind Boone Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival, and the Twilight Festivals in June and September. The population generally supports progressive causes, examples of this being the recent decriminilization of marijuana and the extensive city recycling programs. Politically the city leans to the left, where as the surrounding rural areas are largely conservative. It is the county seat of Boone County, Missouri.6 The mayor of Columbia is Darwin Hindman.
The city is home to:
- The University of Missouri - Columbia
- Booches, Flat Branch Brewery, The Blue Note, Cherry Street Artisan, Grindstone Brewery
- Hickman High School, Rock Bridge High School and Douglass High School.
- McAlester Arboretum
- Mid-Missouri Peaceworks
- The District Mid-Missouri's cultural and entertainment center, featuring a diversity of restaurants, bars, live music, independent films, and the Columbia spur of the trans-state bicycle and pedestrian Katy Trail.
Famous residents include:
- Norm Stewart, former Mizzou basketball coach
- Quin Snyder, current Mizzou basketball coach and former Duke University standout
- Bill Laurie, St. Louis Blues owner and Walmart heir
- Stan Kroenke, Denver Nuggets owner and Walmart heir
- Gary Pinkel, current Mizzou football coach
- Carl Edwards, NASCAR driver
Geography
Columbia is located at 38°56'54" North, 92°20'2" West (38.948351, -92.333779)1.
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 is water. The total area is 0.51% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 84,531 people, 33,689 households, and 17,282 families residing in the city. The population density is 615.0/km² (1,592.8/mi²). There are 35,916 housing units at an average density of 261.3/km² (676.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 33,689 households out of which 26.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% are married couples living together, 10.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 48.7% are non-families. 33.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is 2.92.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 27 years. For every 100 females there are 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $33,729, and the median income for a family is $52,288. Males have a median income of $34,710 versus $26,694 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,507. 19.2% of the population and 9.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.8% of those under the age of 18 and 5.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Columbia Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Columbia Chamber of Commerce
- Columbia Missourian
- Columbia Daily Tribune
- MyMissourian
- An interesting historical look can be found in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
- Map of The District
- Comomusic
- The District - Over 70 bars & restaurants, 110 unique shops and 40 live performances a week.
- Digital Guide to Columbia MO
- John Henry
[[fi:Columbia (Missouri)]
