Columbia, MO Location Overview

Columbia is a city in Missouri and is the county seat of Boone County as well as the home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-country Columbia metropolitan area. Columbia is Missouri’s fourth most populous and fastest growing city, with an estimated 126,254 residents in 2020.

The university of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) in Columbia is the largest univesity and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Mizzou was founded in 1839 and was the first public university west of the Missisippi River. Enrolling 31,401 students in 2021, it offers more than 300 degree programs in thirteen major academic divisions. Its well-known Missouri School of Journalism was founded by Walter Williams in 1908 as the world’s first journalism school. The missouri Tigers play footbal at Faurot Field and basketball at Mizzou Arena and are members of the rigorous Southeastern Conference.

Ranked by the American Institute for Economic Research as one of the nation’s top 10 college towns, Columbia combines small-town comforts, community spirit, and a low cost of living with big-city culture, activities and resources. Columbia is halfway between Missouri’s two largest metropolitan areas: St. Louis (125 miles to the east) and Kansas City (125 miles to the west). Columbia is home to nationally recognized public schools including two top-ranked high schools and other colleges and educational centers. It is packed with restaurants and entertainment venues: home to multiple parks and outdoor recreation sites such as Rock Bridge State park and the MKT Trail; and hosts more than a dozen annual cultural festivals.

The columbia Regional Airpor (COU) is a commercial passenger airport located 12 miles south of Columbia, serving the Central Missouri region including Columbia, Boone Country and the state capitol of Jefferson City. COU is served by American Airlines and United Airlines and has direct flights to Chicago and dallas. Columbia Regional Airport is growing, with a new terminal project underway