Columbia dates to 1804, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 74% of U.S. towns · #108 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 43 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1850.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Columbia is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns, #108 of 155 in Connecticut. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Columbia’s overall grade.
Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Columbia’s 86.8 sits near the middle of its state (52% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 46 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.5 points). Two sources give 1804.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Columbia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Columbia yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Columbia is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,272 at the 2020 census. Originally a part of Lebanon, known as the North Society or Lebanon's Crank, Columbia was incorporated in May 1804. The town was named for patriotic reasons after the national symbol "Columbia".
Columbia was established in 1804.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Columbia in 1912
Passages that mention Columbia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1694-1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 18291912 · page 265Read the page →
Read the text
the west side petitioned Waterbury, while those living on the east side petitioned Cheshire, but obtained no satisfaction. In 1778, however, a church was built on the Cheshire mountains and called Columbia church or "Society of Columbia" and the Rev. John Lewis was their first pastor; the second the Rev. Benjamin Beach, who remained until 1798. This society was a "strict Congregationalist," allowing "no frivolities."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1649 to 1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 18291912 · page 265Read the page →
Read the text
the west side petitioned Waterbury, while those living on the east side petitioned Cheshire, but obtained no satisfaction. In 1778, however, a church was built on the Cheshire mountains and called Columbia church or "Society of Columbia"' and the Rev. John Lewis was their first pastor; the second the Rev. Benjamin Beach, who remained until 1798. This society was a "strict Congregationalist," allowing "no frivolities."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1694-1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 18291912 · page 268Read the page →
Read the text
pose any and all petitions of this kind until on May ist, 1827, when at a special Town meeting it was unanimously "Voted that this meeting approve of the granting of the prayer of the Petition of the inhabitants of the Society of Columbia, to be incorporated into a town ; provided that a disinterested committee be appointed to apportion the support of the Paupers of the town, and that part of the society of Columbia which now belongs to the town of Cheshire, and also that the town of Cheshire shall retain their
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1649 to 1840, including Prospect, which, as Columbia parish, was a part of Cheshire until 18291912 · page 268Read the page →
Read the text
pose any and all petitions of this kind until on May ist, 1827, when at a special Town meeting it was unanimously "Voted that this meeting approve of the granting of the prayer of the Petition of the inhabitants of the Society of Columbia, to be incorporated into a town ; provided that a disinterested committee be appointed to apportion the support of the Paupers of the town, and that part of the society of Columbia which now belongs to the town of Cheshire, and also that the town of Cheshire shall retain their
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Columbia, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1804, according to Wikidata. Columbia’s post office opened in 1816, and the census of 1850 counted 876 people here.
How does Columbia rank for history?
Columbia is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns, #108 of 155 in Connecticut. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Columbia?
Two places: the Columbia Green Historic District (listed 1990) and the Willimantic Elks Club (2005).
How old are the homes in Columbia?
10% of Columbia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1984.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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