Columbia is a city located in Boone County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 84,531 (79,082 in 1999). It has the reputation of combining the quality and culture of larger metropolitan areas with the warm hospitality of the Midwest. 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 (http://www.stephens.edu), a traditionally-female college, and Columbia College (http://www.ccis.edu), which led in the past to Columbia being known by the nickname "College Town USA". It is the county seat of Boone County, Missouri.⁶

The city is home to:

• Booches, Rock Bridge High School, Hickman High School, and Douglass High School (http://www.columbia.k12.mo.us/dhs/ADHSHOME.HTM).
• Mid-Missouri Peaceworks (http://peaceworks.missouri.org)

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 Chamber of Commerce (http://chamber.columbia.mo.us/v_community.html)
• An interesting historical look (http://11.1911encyclopedia.org/C/CO/COLUMBIA_MO_.htm) can be found in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=38.948351&longitude=-92.333779&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=38.948351&lon=-92.333779&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=-92.333779&lat=38.948351&w=750&h=500)