Boone County, Missouri

8th Street, more commonly known as the Avenue of the Columns, is an urban street in downtown Columbia, Missouri. It connects the University of Missouri and Francis Quadrangle to the Boone County Court House and the Columbia City Hall. The avenue has long symbolized "town and gown" in this Midwestern college town. Sitting in the center of Francis Quad on the south are the 6 ionic columns of the former Academic Hall, aligned with these on the north are the 4 doric columns of the former Boone County Courthouse. William Jewell, the first mayor of Columbia, is said to be responsible for this decision. The domed Jesse Hall and its corinthian columns are also in the alignment. The street is also home to the Tiger Hotel, the Guitar Building, and the offices of the Columbia Missourian. Civic planning efforts have focused on in-fill development and beautification. In 2014, it became the center of a controversy over the decision to build single-use student housing despite mixed-use and ground floor retail being the focus of community planning. In 5 blocks, the street crosses two National Register of Historic Places districts.

The Columbia metropolitan area is the region centered around the City of Columbia in the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Mid-Missouri, it consists of five counties: Boone, Audrain, Randolph, Cooper, and Howard. The population was estimated at 256,640 in 2017, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in Missouri. Columbia is home to the University of Missouri, and is Missouri's fourth most-populous and fastest growing city, with an estimated 121,717 residents as of 2017. Other significant cities in the area include Moberly, Mexico, Boonville, Vandalia, Centralia, and Fayette. The area was originally called the Boonslick and settled mainly by Kentuckians following the Boone's Lick Road starting around 1812. The town of Franklin, now washed into the Missouri River, was an early commercial center and start of the Santa Fe Trail. Columbia was founded as county seat of Boone County in 1821. The region was considered for the location of the Missouri State Capitol, but eventually a site was chosen 30 miles (48 km) south of Columbia and Jefferson City was created to serve that purpose. Today, Interstate 70, and U.S. Highways 63, 54, 24, and 40 link the urban areas. The U.S. Census defines the Columbia MSA as Boone, Cooper, and Howard counties while the addition of Audrain and Randolph form the combined statistical area.

City Hall in Columbia, Missouri, also known as the Daniel Boone Building, was built in 1917. A major addition and restoration was completed in 2011, along with a matching five-story structure. Originally built as a hotel, it has functioned as the city hall of Columbia since 1972 by (respectively) replacing the municipal building across the street. The building is a contributing property on the National Register of Historic Places in the Downtown Columbia, Missouri historic district and is at the intersection of Broadway and the Avenue of the Columns. The chambers of the Columbia City Council are on the ground floor.

The Columbia City Council is the lawmaking body of the city of Columbia, Missouri. It has seven elected members, including the Mayor of Columbia. Each member represents one of the city's six wards, except the mayor who is elected by city-wide vote. Council members are elected for three-year terms. Elections are held annually, as the terms are staggered. In addition to lawmaking, the main duties of the council include hiring a city manager and appointing citizens to boards and commissions; of which there are 57 as of 2019. The council members receive a stipend; however, there has been debate over making members full-time city employees. The council meets in Columbia's City Hall, also known as the Daniel Boone Building.

The Eighth and Broadway Historic District is one of the seven national historic districts located in Columbia, Missouri. The district is made up of three contributing properties and is located at the intersection of Eighth and Broadway Streets in Downtown Columbia. They consist of the Beaux-Arts style Miller Building (1910), the Italianate style Matthews Hardware (c. 1894), and the Art Deco style Metropolitan Building (c. 1930). Today, the area holds loft apartments and several local business including Rally House, Sycamore, Peace Nook, and Geisha. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

The Tiger Hotel is a 4-diamond hotel in Columbia, Missouri. Built in 1928, it was converted to a retirement home and banquet center, before being restored and converted back to a boutique hotel in 2012. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

True/False Film Fest is an annual documentary film festival that takes place in Columbia, Missouri. The Fest occurs on the first weekend in March (sometimes beginning in late February), with films being shown from Thursday evening to Sunday night. Films are screened at multiple locations around downtown Columbia, including Ragtag Cinema, Jesse Hall, Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts, The Picturehouse, The Blue Note, The Globe, Rhynsburger Theater and the Forrest Theater in the Tiger Hotel. It offers one award each year, the True Vision Award. True/False Film Fest and Ragtag Cinema are programs of the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the Ragtag Film Society. Ragtag Film Society seeks to champion independent film and media art and to serve film communities both locally and globally.

Downtown Columbia is the central business, government, and social core of Columbia, Missouri and the Columbia Metropolitan Area. Three colleges — the University of Missouri, Stephens College, and Columbia College — all border the area. Downtown Columbia is an area of approximately one square mile surrounded by the University of Missouri on the south, Stephens College to the east, and Columbia College on the north. The area serves as Columbia's financial and business district and is the topic of a large initiative to draw tourism, which includes plans to capitalize on the area's historic architecture and Bohemian characteristics. The downtown skyline is relatively low and is dominated by the 10-story Tiger Hotel, built in 1928, and the 15-story Paquin Tower.Downtown Columbia Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, covers much of the downtown area. This historic district was created in 2006, following the removal of concrete awnings. It was expanded in 2008.On the northeast side of Downtown is the North Village Arts District. The Flat Branch of Hinkson Creek runs through downtown. Peace Park is located on Elm Street.

The North Ninth Street Historic District is a national historic district located at Downtown Columbia, Missouri, USA. It encompasses seven contributing buildings in an area that has historically been a center of commerce, recreation and culture. They were built between about 1885 and 1954, and are the L.J. Slate Billiard Hall (c. 1913), Allen Arnold Building (c. 1894), A. Victor Building (c. 1894), Lafayette Hume Building (c. 1885), Varsity Theatre (1927), Crosswhite Bakery (c. 1918), and Hume Building (c. 1904). The popular music venue The Blue Note is located within the district.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

The Blue Note is a music venue in Columbia, Missouri, and is a contributing property to the North Ninth Street Historic District. It was established in 1980 by Richard King and Phil Costello. It is famous for the legal case Bensusan Restaurant Corp. v. King over naming use on the internet. The original Blue Note was located at 912 Business Loop 70 East and moved to its Ninth Street location (a restored vaudeville theater) in the early 1990s. In October 2014, the venue was sold to Matt Gerding and Scott Leslie.Despite being a smaller venue, it has hosted numerous national musical acts, including Phish, Widespread Panic, R.E.M., Hüsker Dü (their last show), Uncle Tupelo, Meat Puppets, Chuck Berry, The Replacements, The Minutemen, Dinosaur Jr., Primus, Black Flag, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Violent Femmes, Soul Asylum, The Black Keys, Dave Matthews Band, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Wilco and Arctic Monkeys, and holds a five-part concert series every summer called "Ninth Street Summerfest".

The Ballenger Building, also known as G.F. Troxell Furniture Store, Taylor Music and Furniture Co., and Safeway, is a historic commercial building located in downtown Columbia, Missouri. It was originally built about 1892, and expanded rearward about 1904. It was extensively remodeled in 1928. It is a two-story brick building on a stone foundation. It features terra cotta ornamentation and Chicago school style windows.: 5  Today it holds Kaldi's Coffee House. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Haden Opera House was a opera house in Columbia, Missouri, until it burned down in 1901