The town's history is rooted in the 18th century, when cotton was the state's chief crop. By 1850, almost all commercial activity was centered around the cotton trade. The cotton was sent to textile mills in New York and New England, and into Europe and other places where demand was high. The town's population reached almost 5,000 by 1930. Today, there are a variety of businesses and institutions that remain from the time of the original settlers.
In the mid-18th century, the town became a city with a mayor, aldermen, and police department, and nine patrolmen. The city continued to grow rapidly, thanks in part to railroad transportation. After the 1840s, railroad lines connected Columbia with Charlestown and major markets. By the end of the century, more than 250 homes had been built and the population had risen to more than a thousand.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 134,057 people living in Columbia. The city covers an area of 137 square miles. There is also Hispanic/Latino ethnicity and a combination of both races. In some censuses, the percentage of Hispanic/Latino and non-white residents is equal to 100 percent. In the city of New Columbia, the population is fairly evenly distributed.
A bimonthly publication called The Columbia Metropolitan Magazine focuses on the community's economy, business, and education. The LGBT community has a bi-weekly newspaper, Q-Notes, which is published in Charlotte, and distributed at locations throughout the city and via home delivery. The city is home to the central path of the total solar eclipse, which passed over the city's southern end on July 8, 2017. It was also the site of a protest against the shooting of George Floyd in Charleston, South Carolina. The protests spilled into Columbia, and a small group of individuals burned police cars and broke business windows.