Columbia travel guide

Columbia is the fifth-largest city in the state of Missouri and the largest city in central Missouri. With an estimated population of 94,428 in 2006, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 155,997 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the location of the University of Missouri. The college town is politically liberal and known by the nicknames "The Athens of Missouri," "College Town USA," and "CoMo." The city is one of the most highly educated municipalities in the United States with more than half the population possessing bachelor's degrees and over a quarter graduate degrees
Columbia was first settled in Pre-Columbian times by the mound building, Mississippian culture of Native Americans. In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the present metro area on the Missouri River. In 1818 a group of settlers, incorporated under the Smithton Land Company, purchased over 2,000 acres (8 km²) and established the village of Smithton less than a mile from current day downtown Columbia. In 1821 the settlers moved, because of lack of water, across the Flat Branch to the plateau between the Flat Branch and Hinkson creeks in what is now the downtown district. They re-named the settlement Columbia—a poetic name for the United States. The founding of the University of Missouri in 1839 established the city as a center of education and research. (...) more....