Columbia Central Fire Station

Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. It is the center of the Columbia metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 829,470 in 2020 and is 7th largest urban center in the Deep South and the 72nd-largest metropolitan statistical area in the nation. The name Columbia is a poetic term used for the United States, derived from the name of Christopher Columbus, who explored for the Spanish Crown. Columbia is often abbreviated as Cola, leading to its nickname as "Soda City."The city is located about 13 miles (21 km) northwest of the geographic center of South Carolina, and is the primary city of the Midlands region of the state. It lies at the confluence of the Saluda River and the Broad River, which merge at Columbia to form the Congaree River. As the state capital, Columbia is the site of the South Carolina State House, the center of government for the state. In 1860, the South Carolina Secession Convention took place in Columbia; delegates voted for secession, making South Carolina the first state to leave the Union in the events leading up to the Civil War. Columbia is home to the University of South Carolina, the state's flagship public university and the largest in the state. The area has benefited from Congressional support for Southern military installations. Columbia is the site of Fort Jackson, the largest United States Army installation for Basic Combat Training. Twenty miles to the east of the city is McEntire Joint National Guard Base, which is operated by the U.S. Air Force and is used as a training base for the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina Air National Guard.

Downtown Columbia is the downtown area of Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It contains the city's central business district and the State House. It also encompasses the University of South Carolina. Columbia is the capital of South Carolina. Downtown Columbia's landmarks include the State House, Congaree River, and Capitol Center.

The capture of Columbia occurred February 17–18, 1865, during the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. The state capital of Columbia, South Carolina, was captured by Union forces under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman. Much of the city was burned, although it is not clear which side caused the fires.

The Congaree Vista is a section of Columbia, South Carolina between the Congaree River and the central business district of downtown. The neighborhood was revitalized during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The section includes many small, upscale shops and restaurants, often in renovated warehouse buildings. "The Vista," as it is known by locals, is centered on one of the city's old train stations along Gervais Street. Also in this area is the historic Adluh Flour Mill, one of the few productive remnants of the district's industrial past. In the past decade, the Vista has become a major entertainment and retail district for downtown Columbia and the Midlands (South Carolina) region of the state. Several hotels have been constructed in the area due to its economic benefits and close proximity to the University of South Carolina and centralized downtown location.

WARQ (93.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Columbia, South Carolina and serves the Columbia market. The Alpha Media outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 2.8 kW. Its studios are on Pineview Road in Columbia, while the transmitter tower is located atop the Capitol Center building at 1201 Main Street. The station currently airs a Top 40/CHR format branded as "Live 93.5". WARQ broadcasts in the HD Radio (hybrid) format.

WUDE (94.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Forest Acres, South Carolina, and serving the Columbia metropolitan area. Owned by Midlands Media Group LLC, the station broadcasts a country music radio format branded as 94.3 The Dude. It concentrates on country hits from the 1980s till today. The radio studios and transmitter are on Gervais Street in Columbia, near the state capitol building. WUDE broadcasts from atop the South Trust Tower. WUDE is a Class A FM station with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 2,550 watts. By contrast, country music rival 97.5 WCOS-FM is powered at 100,000 watts.

The South Carolina State Armory, built in 1905, is an historic National Guard building located at 1219 Assembly Street near the State House in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Palmetto Promise Institute (PPI) is a conservative think tank in South Carolina. The organization was formerly named the Palmetto Fort Foundation and the Palmetto Policy Forum.

Capitol Center is an office skyscraper in Columbia, South Carolina. At 106.4 m (349 ft), it is the tallest building in South Carolina. The tower has about 1,000 people inside working every week and about 400 offices. A 26-story skyscraper, it was the tallest structure in South Carolina from its completion in December 1987 to the completion of the Prysmian Copper Wire Tower in Abbeville in 2009. The tower was built on the site of the former Wade Hampton Hotel which was imploded in July 1985. This modern building exterior is finished in double-paned tinted glass with horizontal bands of anodized aluminum color panels. The 25-story tower was completed in 1987 during a Columbia high-rise building boom, as the AT&T Building. Naming rights have been previously held by Affinity and South Trust Bank. The current signage on the building is held by Truist Bank. During its construction in 1986, gubernatorial candidate Carroll Campbell successfully used the then unfinished structure, whose construction was partially financed by the State of South Carolina, as a symbol for excessive government spending. Capitol Center contains 460,020 sq ft (42,737 m2) of office space, at over 90% occupancy, the building leases to some state government agencies, several top law firms in the state, and other businesses. Attached to the tower is a 7-story parking garage containing over 1,000 spaces. The 25th floor is home to The Capital City Club.

West Gervais Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Columbia, South Carolina. The district encompasses 40 contributing buildings in a commercial, warehouse, and light industrial section of Columbia. They date from about 1846 to the 1930s. Notable buildings include the W. H. Gibbes Machinery Co. and Carriage Works, Seaboard Air Line Railroad Passenger Depot, and Seaboard Air Line Railroad Baggage Room.It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The B.B. Kirkland Seed and Distributing Company is a three-story historic warehouse building at 912 Lady Street in Columbia, South Carolina. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The Tower at Main and Gervais is a high-rise office building in Columbia, South Carolina. Built in 2009, the tower has light blue glazing and is adorned with columns, giving the building a modern, stylized look. There is also an outdoor dining plaza at the base of the building between its ground and Gervais Street, looking towards the South Carolina State House.The building's main use is for commercial purposes. However, the building also houses a restaurant, service branches and a parking garage. The tower is the third skyscraper to open on Columbia's Main Street in five years, a development that has reshaped downtown Columbia.Main and Gervais is currently the most recent fully completed office building in Columbia and South Carolina.