COLUMBUS

city, seat of Platte county, eastern Nebraska, U.S., on the Loup River near its confluence with the Platte. It was founded (1856) at the North Fork Ferry of the Oregon Trail by settlers from Columbus, Ohio. With the coming of the Union Pacific Railroad (1860), it became an outfitting post for wagon trains and a centre for cattle feeding. Its modern economy is based on agriculture and the manufacture of farm machinery and electronic and surgical equipment. Several public power agencies have their headquarters in Columbus, and nearby Lakes North and Babcock are reservoirs for the Loup Power District plant. Platte Technical Community College was opened there in 1969. Inc. town, 1865; city, 1907. Pop. (1990) 19,480. city, Fairfield and Franklin counties, capital (1816) of Ohio, U.S., seat (1824) of Franklin county, in the central part of the state on the relatively flat Ohio till plain, at the junction of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. It is the centre of a metropolitan complex that includes Grandview Heights, Upper Arlington, Worthington, Bexley, and Whitehall. It was planned in 1812 as a political centre by the Ohio General Assembly and named for Christopher Columbus. The state government moved to the city in 1816 from Chillicothe, and in 1834 it absorbed the nearby earlier settlement of Franklinton (founded 1797). By 1840, following the extension of the National (Cumberland) Road from Maryland and the opening of a feeder branch of the Ohio and Erie Canal into the city, significant growth occurred. In 1850 the first railroad arrived, and by 1900, when the population exceeded 125,000, Columbus had emerged as an important transportation and commercial centre. Following damaging floods in 1913, the Scioto River was widened and levees, retaining wall, and bridges were built, which allowed riverfront development. Unprecedented industrial growth occurred after 1940; the location of a large aircraft plant was the initial stimulus, but many branches of national companies were also attracted to the area. The city has grown in size because of a policy of annexation. The city's favourable geographic position has been enhanced by the presence of main-line railroads, an extensive highway network, and airport facilities. The modern economy of the Columbus metropolis is largely supported by industry, governmental agencies, and educational and research institutions. Highly diversified manufactures include airplanes and space equipment, automobile parts, electrical equipment, machinery, glass, coated fabrics, shoes, processed foods, and printed materials. The Columbus area is the site of Ohio State University (1870), Franklin University (1902), Capital University (1830), Ohio Dominican College (1911; formerly College of St. Mary of the Springs, 1868), Otterbein College (1847), Pontifical College Josephinum (1888), Columbus College of Art and Design (1879), Columbus State Community College (1963), and the state schools for the deaf and blind. Research organizations include Battelle Memorial Institute (1929, metallurgy and mineral industries), the Orton Ceramic Foundation, and the Chemical Abstracts Service. The federal government operates a large military depot, as well as Rickenbacker Air Force Base and other facilities. Many of the state's welfare institutions and offices, a state correctional facility (formerly the Ohio Penitentiary), and the state fairgrounds are in the city. The Ohio State House (a limestone structure in Doric style, completed in 1861) has a group of bronze statues by Levi T. Scofield. Also of interest are the McKinley Memorial, Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery, the Ohio Historical Center (1970), the Center of Science and Industry, Battelle Planetarium, and the 44-story LeVeque Lincoln Tower. The city supports an art museum and a symphony orchestra. The Civic Center includes the city hall, a public auditorium, and Central High School. Local reservoirsincluding Griggs (1905), O'Shaughnessy (1925), and Hoover (1955)are the focus of park and recreational activities. Scioto Downs and Beulah Park have horse racing. Annual events include the state fair, the Columbus Day Celebration, and the Oktoberfest (based at the restored 19th-century German Village, south of the city's centre). Inc. city, 1834. Pop. (1990) city, 632,945; Columbus MSA, 1,345,450; (1994 est.) city, 635,913; (1995 est.) Columbus MSA, 1,437,512. city (since 1971 consolidated with Muscogee county), western Georgia, U.S., at the head of navigation on the Chattahoochee River, opposite Phenix City, Ala. Founded in 1827 and carved out of the wilderness, it had by 1840 become a leading inland cotton port with a thriving textile industry utilizing power from falls in the river. During the American Civil War it was a major supply city of the Confederacy and was the site of the last battle (April 16, 1865) east of the Mississippi, leading to its capture by the Union general James H. Wilson. Its Confederate Naval Museum houses the salvaged gunboat Muscogee, set afire and sunk in the river during the conflict. Now highly industrialized, Columbus is one of the largest textile centres in the South, and dams and locks have revitalized river traffic. Fort Benning (1918; named for Confederate General Henry L. Benning), just to the south, is the site of the U.S. Army Infantry Museum. Columbus College was opened in 1958. Inc. 1828. Pop. (1990) city, 179,278; Columbus MSA, 243,072. city, Bartholomew county, south-central Indiana, U.S., on the East Fork of White River, 45 miles (72 km) south of Indianapolis. Founded in 1821 as the county seat, it was named Tiptonia for General John Tipton, who had donated land, but a month later it was renamed Columbus. A diversified industrial community surrounded by productive prairie land, it is known for its modern architecture, with many buildings designed by distinguished architects such as the Saarinens, Harry Weese, Robert Trent Jones, and I.M. Pei. Two of its more notable edifices are the First Christian Church (1942; designed by Eliel Saarinen) and the North Christian Church (1963; designed by Eero Saarinen). Inc. town, 1839; city, 1854. Pop. (1990) 31,802. city, seat (1830) of Lowndes county, northeastern Mississippi, U.S., on the Tombigbee River, 80 miles (129 km) north of Meridian, near the Alabama line. Settled as a trading post (1817), it was known until 1821 as Possum Town. In 1822 the steamboat Cotton Plant first docked in Columbus, then a port of entry. During the American Civil War the Confederates maintained a large arsenal in the town, which served as temporary state capital when the city of Jackson fell (1863). Confederate Decoration Day, later observed nationally as Memorial Day, originated there at Friendship Cemetery on April 25, 1866. Many antebellum homes survive. A traditional agricultural and transportation economy is augmented by manufactures (including textiles, chemicals, and rubber products) and Columbus Air Force Base. The TennesseeTombigbee Waterway Development Authority (1958) is headquartered in Columbus. Mississippi University for Women originated there in 1884 as the Columbus Female Institute (the first American state-supported college for women), and the city's Franklin Academy (1821) was Mississippi's first free public school. The playwright Tennessee Williams was born (1911) in Columbus. Inc. town, 1822; city, 1884. Pop. (1990) 23,799.