Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Mississippi, United States. Formed six years before Mississippi was admitted to statehood, Columbia was named for Columbia, South Carolina, from which many of the early settlers had migrated. The population was 5,864 as of the 2020 census, down from 6,582 in 2010.

History

Columbia is the county seat of Marion County, which was created out of Amite County in 1811, encompassing the southwest quarter of the current state of Mississippi. Before statehood in 1816, there were three territorial census/poll tax records taken of what was deemed Marion County at the time. These records reveal that during 1813, several Lott men arrived and settled on the Pearl River in what is now Columbia. In 1813, William Lott was the largest slave holder near present-day Columbia, owning 28 people. Five mensettled south of present-day Columbia on of land with 65 enslaved people. North of present-day Columbia, on what was the earliest attempt at a town, Timothy Terrell enslaved 32 people on .

The land on which the current city of Columbia resides was first purchased for cash on April 18, 1820, by William Lott and John Lott. This land is Township 3 East, Range 18 West, Section 5 (640 acres), which is now the center of Columbia. Other early patent holders of Columbia include James Phillips, Jr., and John Cooper (1825), in Section 4 next to John and William Lott.

Columbia was officially incorporated on June 25, 1819, becoming the fourth municipality in the state of Mississippi. It served as the temporary capital of Mississippi from November 1821, when the 5th session of the Mississippi Legislature first met there, until 1822. In that year, a special session of the legislature met in Columbia, inaugurating Governor Walter Leake, and selecting LeFleur's Bluff (now Jackson) as the permanent capital.

Columbia, "The City of Charm on the River Pearl", has always been in danger of flooding, due to its bordering the Pearl River. The county courthouse, with its records dating back to pre-statehood, has managed to survive war, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. In its first 100 years, Columbia relied on the Pearl River for transportation of goods. The river was much deeper and wider than it is now. Steamboat captains, such as John Black, lived in Columbia.1880 US Federal Census, Columbia, Marion Co, MS

During the Civil War, Union troops under the command of General John Wynn Davidson camped outside Columbia, taking provisions from the local population. The courthouse was spared. The Southern Claims Commission Files detail these events.

During the civil rights movement, Columbia and Marion County were the site of peaceful demonstrations, due to the diligent insistence of non-violence by Sheriff John Homer Willoughby. .Columbian-Progress newspaper, 1960-1964, In 2014, a tornado measuring EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale struck Columbia, causing widespread damage. Mutual aid took place between Columbia, Mississippi, and Columbia, South Carolina, following this natural disaster and the 1,000 year flood in South Carolina,"Resolution R-2016-053 To Honor the City of Columbia, Mississippi With Official Sisterhood for its Assistance during the October 2015 Flood" (PDF). City of Columbia SC. August 16, 2016.

Geography Columbia is in southern Mississippi, on the east bank of the Pearl River. It is in north-central Marion County, by highway south of Jackson, the state capital, and north of New Orleans. U.S. Route 98 passes through the south side of the city, leading east to Hattiesburg and west to McComb. Mississippi Highway 13 passes through the center of Columbia, leading north to Prentiss and southeast to Lumberton. State Highway 44 leads northeast from Columbia to Sumrall.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Columbia has a total area of , of which , or 0.06%, are water.

Climate According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Columbia has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Columbia was on June 7, 1915, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 11, 1982 and January 21, 1985.

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Columbia had a population of 5,864. There were 1,155 families residing in the city.

The median age was 39.5 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.0 males age 18 and over.

98.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,201 households in Columbia, of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.0% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,650 housing units, of which 16.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%.

+Columbia racial composition as of 2020RaceNum.Perc.White (non-Hispanic)3,04251.88%Black or African American (non-Hispanic)2,48342.34%Native American150.26%Asian260.44%Other/Mixed1542.63%Hispanic or Latino1442.46% Government and infrastructure The Mississippi Department of Human Services's Division of Youth Services operated the Columbia Training School in unincorporated Marion County, near Columbia."Columbia city, Mississippi ." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 21, 2010."Public Appearance Calendar Governor Ronnie Musgrove For the Week of December 31, 2001 ." Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Retrieved on July 21, 2010. "Columbia Training School 1730 Highway 44 Columbia, MS."

The mayor of Columbia is Justin McKenzie.

Education

Almost all of the city of Columbia is within the Columbia School District, - Text list with Columbia High School as the public high school. Prior to January 1970, black students were educated in a separate system with sub-par facilities, including John J. Jefferson High school, which became the middle school in January 1970 when the schools were integrated. White politicians called for a public boycott of the school system. At that time, around 100 white students left the public school system to attend the newly founded whites-only Columbia Academy, which was created in September 1969 as a segregation academy to avoid racial integration. A few students also left to attend Improve Academy, another segregation academy founded by the Improve Baptist Church.

A small portion of the city limits is within the Marion County School District. There are also two other public schools that are in the county, East Marion High School and West Marion High School. Both of these schools are under the Marion County School District. East Marion High school is located just outside of the Columbia city limits on the East side of the Pearl River, and it has a Columbia postal address, while West Marion is located on the West side of the Pearl River next to Foxworth. East Marion is one largely connected building that houses grades K-12, but West Marion has a primary school as well as a high school.

Marion County is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.

Notable people

Johnathan Abram, National Football League (NFL) safety for the Las Vegas Raiders Anthony Alford, former Major League Baseball player Ted Alford, former Canadian Football League (CFL) player James W. Ball, 24th Chief of Ordnance for the United States Army Ordnance Corps Earl W. Bascom, rodeo champion, Hollywood actor, artist/sculptor, inventor, Mississippi Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee Texas Rose Bascom, rodeo performer, trick roper, Hollywood actress, Mississippi Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Blair, former Major League Baseball player Terrell Buckley, American football coach and former player L. Russ Bush, theologian and author Gil Carmichael, businessman and political candidate Logan Cooke, NFL punter for the Jacksonville Jaguars Maurice Dantin, attorney and political candidate Eagle Day, former NFL and CFL quarterback Peggy Dow, film actress and philanthropist Jim Dunaway, former NFL defensive tackle Joey Gathright, former Major League Baseball player Bobby Hamilton, former NFL defensive end, two-time Super Bowl winner with New England Patriots S. J. Hathorn, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1904 to 1908 and the Mississippi Senate from 1917 to 1918 Terry Irvin, former CFL cornerback Claudis James, former NFL player Kenny Johnson, former NFL player General Benjamin Lee, military leader and early political figure Carey B. Maddox-Preston, social worker Sylvester Magee, reputedly the last living American slave, died in Columbia in 1971 Ken Morgan, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives Jaheim Oatis, American football defensive tackle Joseph T. "Joe" Owens, former NFL defensive end Eddie Payton, former NFL running back Walter Payton, former NFL player Johnny Sims, former Arena Football League player Ethelbert I. Singley, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1916 to 1920 Jackie Smith, former NFL tight end and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Ruby Terry, gospel musician Hugh L. White, former Columbia mayor and two-term Governor of Mississippi

References

External links