Columbia is the South Carolina capital named after Columbia, a poetic personification of the United States.
The city was founded in 1786 when South Carolina’s legislature selected a central location for a new capital. Charleston, on the coast, had been the colonial and early state capital, but leaders wanted government closer to the state’s interior. The new settlement was named Columbia, a feminine figure derived from Christopher Columbus’s name and widely used as a symbol of America.
Columbia became the state capital in 1786 and was incorporated in 1805. It lies at the meeting point of the Broad and Saluda rivers, which form the Congaree River. Its central location helped it grow as a political and transportation center.
Charleston remains one of South Carolina’s best-known historic cities, but it is not the capital. Columbia is also home to the University of South Carolina and serves as the seat of Richland County.