Columbia trip planner

Columbia is the capital of and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, with a population of 129,272 as of the 2010 United States Census. As of July 1, 2013, the city's population was estimated to be 133,358 (U.S. Census Bureau, July 2014 release). The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. It is the center of the Columbia metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 767,598 as of the 2010 United States Census, growing to 800,495 by July 1, 2013 according to 2014 U.S. Census estimates. The name Columbia was a poetic term used for the United States, originating from the name of Christopher Columbus.The city is located approximately 13mi northwest of the geographic center of South Carolina, and is the primary city of the Midlands region of the state. It lies at the confluence of the Saluda River and the Broad River, which merge at Columbia to form the Congaree River. Columbia is home to the University of South Carolina, the state's flagship and largest university, and is also the site of Fort Jackson, the largest United States Army installation for Basic Combat Training. In 1860, the city was the location of the South Carolina Secession Convention, which marked the departure of the first state from the Union in the events leading up to the Civil War.