Home to Fort Benning and the world's longest urban whitewater field, Columbus is brimming with things to do, places to stay, great restaurants and year-round events. Originally inhabited by the Creek Indians, the city of Columbus was established in 1828, under the name of Christopher Columbus. Columbus is located 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Atlanta. Fort Benning, the United States Army's Center of Excellence in Maneuvering and a major employer, is located south of the city, in southern Muscogee and Chattahoochee Counties.
Columbus is home to museums and tourist sites, including the National Infantry Museum, dedicated to the U.S. UU. It has the longest urban rafting course in the world, built on the Chattahoochee River. This was for centuries the traditional territory of the Creek Indians, who became known as one of the five civilized tribes of the Southeast after contact with Europe.
Those who lived closer to areas occupied by whites engaged in considerable trade and adopted some European-American forms. The river served as Columbus's connection to the world, allowing him, in particular, to send his essential cotton crops from plantations to the international cotton market through New Orleans and, finally, Liverpool, England. The commercial importance of the city increased in the 1850s with the arrival of the railroad. In addition, textile factories were developed along the river, bringing industry to an area that relied on agriculture.
By 1860, the city was one of the most important industrial centers in the South, earning it the nickname Lowell of the South, in reference to an important textile manufacturing city in Massachusetts. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Colón's industries expanded their production; this became one of the most important industrial centers in the Confederation. During the war, Columbus ranked second after Richmond in manufacturing supplies for the Confederate Army. The Eagle Manufacturing Company manufactured several textiles, especially wool, for Confederate uniforms.
Columbus Iron Works manufactured cannons and machinery for the nearby Confederate Navy shipyard, Greenwood and Gray manufactured firearms, and Louis and Elias Haimon produced swords and bayonets. Smaller companies provided additional ammunition and miscellaneous items. As the war tilted in favor of the Union, each industry faced an exponential shortage of raw materials and skilled labor, as well as a worsening of financial opportunities. Unaware of Lee's surrender to Grant and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Union and the Confederates clashed at the Battle of Columbus, Georgia, on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1865, when a Union detachment formed by two cavalry divisions under the command of Maj.
Wilson attacked the poorly defended city and set fire to many of the industrial buildings. John Stith Pemberton, who later developed Coca-Cola in Columbus, was injured in this battle. Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar, owner of America's last slave ship, was also killed here. A historic monument erected in Columbus points out that this was the site of the last land battle of the war, from 1861 to 1865. Reconstruction began almost immediately and prosperity followed.
Factories such as Eagle and Phenix Mills were revived and the city's industrialization led to rapid growth, causing the city to exceed its original plan. The Springer Opera was built during this time, attracting notables such as the Irish writer Oscar Wilde. The Springer is now Georgia's official State Theater. The holiday date was selected by Elizabeth Rutherford Ellis.
It chose April 26, the first anniversary of Confederate General Johnston's final surrender to Union General Sherman in Bennett Place, North Carolina. For many in the South, that act marked the official end of the Civil War. Logan, commander in chief of the Union Civil War Veterans Fraternity called the Grand Army of the Republic, inaugurated the Memorial Day holiday that is now celebrated throughout the United States. General Logan's wife said she had borrowed the Confederate Memorial Day internship.
He wrote that Logan said it wasn't too late for the men of the Union nation to follow the example of the people of the South by perpetuating the memory of their friends who had died for the cause they considered just and right. With the expansion of the city, leaders established Columbus College, a two-year institution, which later became Columbus State University, now a comprehensive higher education center and part of the University System of Georgia. Municipal and county government were consolidated in 1971, the first consolidation of its kind in Georgia and one of the only 16 in the U.S. Expanding its industrial base of textile factories, the city is home to the headquarters of Aflac, Synovus and TSYS.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, large residential neighborhoods were built to house soldiers returning from the Vietnam War and for those associated with Fort Benning. These range from Wesley Woods to Leesburg, Brittney and Willowbrook and the luxurious Sears Woods and Windsor Park. Large areas of destroyed areas were cleaned. A modern Columbus Consolidated Government Center was built in the center of the city.
The mid-to late 1990s saw a significant period of urban renewal and revitalization. With these improvements, the city has attracted residents and businesses to previously ruined areas. Municipal projects have included the construction of a softball complex, which hosted the 1996 Olympic softball competition; the Chattahoochee RiverWalk; the National Naval Civil War Museum in Port Columbus; and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Other notable projects included the expansion of the Columbus Museum and road improvements to include a new downtown bridge that crosses the Chattahoochee River to Phenix City.
In the late 1990s, commercial activity expanded north of the city center along. During the 2000s, the city began a major initiative to revitalize the city center. The project began with South Commons, an area south of downtown that contains the softball complex, A. McClung Memorial Stadium, Golden Park, Columbus Civic Center, and Jonathan Hatcher Skateboard Park.
The National Infantry Museum was built in south Columbus, located outside the front door of Fort Benning. In 2002, Columbus State University, which previously faced expansion limits due to the existing residential and commercial districts that surrounded it, created a second campus downtown, starting with the move of the music department to the recently opened RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. The university's art, theater and nursing departments were also moved to the city center. These initiatives have provided Columbus with a cultural niche; the center features modern architecture mixed with older brick facades.
The city predicts that another 30,000 soldiers will be trained annually at Fort Benning in the coming years due to the realignment of bases and the closure of other facilities. As a result, Columbus is expected to experience a significant increase in population. Columbus is one of three fall cities in Georgia, along with Augusta and Macon. The Autumn Line is where the mountainous lands of the Piedmontese plateau meet the flat terrain of the coastal plain.
As such, Colón has a varied landscape of rolling hills on the north side and flat plains on the south. The drop line causes rivers in the area to decline rapidly towards sea level. Textile factories were established here in the 19th and early 20th centuries to harness the energy of the water in the falls. Interstate 185 runs north to south through the city center, with nine exits within Muscogee County.
I-185 runs north about 50 miles (80 km) from its start to a junction with I-85 just east of LaGrange and about 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Atlanta. Route 280 and Georgia State Route 520 (known as the South Georgia Parkway) come together inside the city. Route 80 crosses the northern part of the city, known locally as J, R. Route 27 and State Route 85 in Georgia run northeast of the city, locally known as the Manchester Expressway.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 572 km (221.0 square miles), of which 216.3 square miles (560 km) are terrestrial and 4.7 square miles (12 km) (2.14%) are covered by water. Columbus has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Daytime summer temperatures usually peak around mid-90°F, and winter lows average 30 degrees Celsius.
Columbus is often considered to be a natural dividing line or snow line of the southeastern United States, with areas north of the city receiving annual snowfall, and areas in the south generally do not receive snow every year or do not receive snow at all. Columbus is located within USDA resistance zone 8b in the center of the city and zone 8a in the suburbs. In the city, the population was distributed as 25.6% under 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64 and 11.6% aged 65 or over. The median age was 33 years.
For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males. Columbus-based companies include Aflac, TSYS, Realtree, Synovus and W. MidTown contains two of the city's first suburban malls (the Village on 13th and the St.
Elmo), both recently renovated and offering local shops, restaurants and services. Columbus is home to more than 50 parks, four recreation centers, four senior centers and parks, and the Standing Boy Creek wildlife management area. It has become a center for fast-water kayakers, with excellent stationary waves all year round. In mid-winter, it is known as the winter zone for athletes and fans of big wave surfing.
Columbus is a great example of a true river city, which was once an important textile manufacturing center. Founded in 1828, Columbus is also known for being the scene of the last battle of the Civil War, where Columbus ranked second, after Richmond, in manufacturing supplies for the Confederate military. Colón was also one of the most important industrial centers in the South at the beginning of the 20th century. With so much to do and see, Columbus is an exceptional destination for those looking for a happy life between the countryside and the city: there are plenty of things to do in Columbus.
The site has recently been restored to its original beauty by Columbus State University, and is undoubtedly one of the most eccentric things to do in Columbus. It has been visible to Columbus residents for decades, and was ceded to the City of Columbus as a historic landmark. Located on 36 acres of undeveloped land in North Columbus, the Columbus Botanical Garden is a truly magical space, one of the best things to do in Columbus. To learn everything about Columbus, head to the Columbus Museum, which is also the second largest museum in the entire southeastern area.
RiverCenter's Bill Heard Theater regularly presents performances by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Greater Columbus Youth Orchestra, and the Columbus Ballet. Explore the home of Gertrude “Ma Rainey”, a Columbus native, the mother of the blues, at one of the best things to do in downtown Columbus. . .
