The story
Read it all →How Columbia came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Columbia.
An early variant name was Allentown. The city derives its present name from the song "Hail, Columbia".
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Columbia
Columbia was first counted by the census in 1880, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1886 on and the census since 1880.
1880first census
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Quick answers
How Columbia began
When was Columbia founded?
1880
Columbia first appears in the census in 1880.
First census: 133 in 18802020 census: 160146 years
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓
What stands out about Columbia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Columbia are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18943 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1985. Watch Columbia change.Boom and bustPeaked at 400 in 1890; 160 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1921, drew every building in Columbia.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Columbia’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Columbia’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Columbia on the map, 1894 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Columbia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Columbia sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Columbia.
People over time
Columbia, census by census
Peaked at 400 in 1890; 160 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Columbia’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Columbia, 1880 to 1937
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumEvery building
Columbia, building by building, 1886–1921
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1886Sheet 1 of 1Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Famous people
See all →3 famous people were born in Columbia
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Questions about Columbia’s history
What year was Columbia founded?
The Columbia post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1885.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.