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Columbia is a home rule-class city just above Russell Creek in Adair County,
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, in the United States. The population was 4,452 at the 2010 census. Columbia is the
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...
of its county.


History

The area was settled by Daniel Trabue. The post office was opened on April 1, 1806, by John Field, who also ran the local store. Camp Boyle, located north of the town square, was an important camp and muster site for the Union Army during the Civil War (1861-1865). The 13th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (Union) was organized in Columbia.


Geography

Columbia is located at (37.100652, −85.306056). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.9 km2), all land.


Demographics

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 4,014 people, 1,554 households, and 893 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 1,789 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.77%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 7.68%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.25% Native American, 0.52%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.07%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.20% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.64% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.93% of the population. Some other race alone 1.08% There were 1,554 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 19.1% from 20 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,861, and the median income for a family was $31,344. Males had a median income of $23,906 versus $21,000 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $17,836. About 19.9% of families and 26.6% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 39.4% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.


Arts and culture


Events

Events held in Columbia, Kentucky: * Downtown Days, two-day festival on the streets of downtown Columbia. The event includes a parade, a beauty pageant, reenactment of the James/Younger Bank of Columbia robbery, 5-K run, pet show, train rides for the kids, kids carnival, face painting, inflatables, live entertainment, food, fun, clowns, choirs, and more. * To The Nines, a nearly monthly shopping event held in downtown Columbia. All businesses downtown stay open until 9 P.M. and usually offer discounted prices on their merchandise.


Education


Public schools

Columbia Public Schools are part of the Adair County Schools School District. Schools in the district include: * Adair County Elementary School (3rd, 4th, 5th Grade Students from County) * Adair County Primary School ( Pre-School, Kindergarten, 1st,& 2nd Grade Students from County) * Adair County Middle School (6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Students) * Adair County High School (9th-12 Grade Students)


Colleges and universities

Lindsey Wilson College Lindsey Wilson College is a private United Methodist-related college in Columbia, Kentucky. Degree programs are offered at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.. History Lindsey Wilson College was founded in 1903 as a traini ...
, a private four-year college.


Public library

Columbia has a lending library, the Adair County Public Library.


Media

Media in Columbia include: * The Adair Progress, a local 2x weekly newspaper *
WAIN (AM) WAIN (1270 AM) is a radio station licensed to Columbia, Kentucky, United States. The station is currently owned by Forcht Broadcasting. FM Translator In addition to the main station at 1270 kHz, WAIN is relayed by an FM translator at 101.9 ...
, a sports radio station * WAIN-FM, a country radio station * Adair County Community Voice, a local once weekly newspaper complete with Public Records information * Columbia Magazine, an online-only magazine updated daily with local news and history.


Infrastructure

The Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway runs through Columbia as it extends from
Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...
to
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
. This parkway is a future corridor of
Interstate 66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It runs from an interchange with I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its western end to an interchange with U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Washingt ...
. The addition of an interchange with a 2006 reconstruction of Highway 61 South, Columbia now has two exits on the Parkway. Exit 49, the original exit on the parkway, merges onto Highway 55 South (also known as Jamestown Street) bringing drivers through the middle of Columbia. Exit 47, the new exit, merges onto Highway 61 South (also known as Burkesville Street/Road) and drivers can choose to go north or go to Burkesville to the south. The Highway 55 Bypass was officially opened on October 7, 2008, for more information see below.


Columbia Bypass

After years of promises by various governors and other Kentucky officials, construction began early in May 2007, which culminated in an official ground-breaking ceremony by the former Governor himself on May 15, 2007 near the front of the newly constructed Adair County Elementary School, which faces the direction of the bypass. The Columbia Bypass was opened to the public on October 7, 2008 featuring a traffic light at the intersection of the bypass and North 55 as well as a traffic light at the intersection of South 61. The bypass has relieved a majority of the downtown traffic.


Notable people

*
Walter Arnold Baker Walter Arnold Baker (February 20, 1937 – May 24, 2010) was an American lawyer and politician who served in both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly, in the presidential administration of Ronald Reagan, and on the Kentucky Supreme Court. A ...
– state legislator and
Kentucky Supreme Court The Kentucky Supreme Court was created by a 1975 constitutional amendment and is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Prior to that the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. The Kentucky Court of ...
justice * Steve Hamilton-
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher (1935–1997) *
Vernie McGaha Vernie D. McGaha (born September 13, 1947) is an American politician and former state senator for Kentucky's south central 15th district, which includes the counties of Adair, Casey, Pulaski, and Russell. Biography McGaha is the son of Sc ...
– Kentucky state senator from Adair County since 1997 * Marine Sergeant
Dakota Meyer Dakota Louis Meyer (born June 26, 1988) is a former United States Marine. A veteran of the War in Afghanistan, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. ...
– In September 2011, he received the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
from President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
at age 23; he saved numerous American and Afghan troops during a
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
ambush and is the third living recipient of the honor (and first living Marine) from the Iraq and Afghan wars * Doug Moseley
United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
clergyman and a member of the
Kentucky State Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentuc ...
from 1974 to 1987; former Columbia resident *
Frank Lane Wolford Frank Lane Wolford (September 2, 1817 – August 2, 1895) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. Wolford was born near Columbia, Kentucky. He attended the common schools, studied law and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice ...
– U.S. Congressman (1883–1887) *
James Alexander Williamson ''This article refers to the US Union General. For the English Historian, see James Williamson (historian)'' James A. Williamson (February 8, 1829 – September 7, 1902) was a politician and lawyer who served in the Union army during the American ...
– American Civil War Brevet Major General and
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient *
Lance Burton William Lance Burton (born March 10, 1960) is an American stage magician. He performed more than 15,000 shows in Las Vegas for over 5,000,000 people until retiring after 31 years in 2010. Professional history Burton first became interested in ma ...
– American stage magician


In popular culture

Columbia, Kentucky was depicted in the film ''
Resurrection Mary Resurrection Mary is a well-known Chicago area ghost story, or urban legend, of the " vanishing hitchhiker" type, a type of folklore that is known in many cultures. According to the story, the ghost resides in Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Il ...
'' starring
Wilford Brimley Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the l ...
in 2002. The film was directed by another Columbia native, Matthew Eric Arnold as part of the
USC School of Cinematic Arts The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) houses seven academic divisions: Film & Television Production; Cinema & Media Studies; John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts; John Wells Division of Writing for Sc ...
graduate thesis program and won awards at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival. The filming was featured on local news stations and in ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''.


References


External links


Columbia Magazine

County Map from Kentucky Gazetteer
{{authority control * Cities in Adair County, Kentucky Cities in Kentucky County seats in Kentucky 1802 establishments in Kentucky Populated places established in 1802