Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Missouri. Columbia is a Midwestern college town, home to the University of Missouri, a major research institution also known as MU or Mizzou. In addition to the university and surrounding Downtown Columbia are Stephens College and Columbia College, giving the city its educational focus and nearly 40,000 college students. It is the principal city of the Columbia metropolitan area, population 215,811, and the central city of the nine-county Columbia–Jefferson City–Moberly combined statistical area with 415,747 residents. The city is the fastest growing municipality in Missouri, with a growth of almost 40% since 2000, and a population estimated at 130,000 in 2024. Columbia is among the most-educated cities in the United States with about half of citizens being college graduates and about a quarter holding advance degrees.
Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America:
Elmira College is a private college in Elmira, New York. Founded as a college for women in 1855, it is the oldest existing college granting degrees to women that were the equivalent of those given to men. Elmira College became coeducational in all of its programs in 1969. As of 2023, the college has an enrollment of approximately 657 students.
Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Founded in 1844, Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus".
Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts. The campus includes buildings in the Benedict College Historic District, a historic area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Central Methodist University is a private university in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is accredited to offer master's, bachelors, and associate degrees. The school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Stephens College is a private women's college in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is the second-oldest women's educational establishment that is still a women's college in the United States. It was founded on August 24, 1833, as the Columbia Female Academy.
Allen University is a private historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency. The campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Allen University Historic District.
The Missouri State Capitol is the home of the Missouri General Assembly and the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue, it is the third capitol to be built in the city. The domed building, designed by the New York City architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout, was completed in 1917.
Philander Smith University is a private historically black college in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is a founding member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Philander Smith College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
David R. Francis Quadrangle is the historical center of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Known as The Quad, it is the oldest part of Red Campus and adjacent to Downtown Columbia at the south end of the Avenue of the Columns. At its center are six Ionic columns, all that remains of the original university building Academic Hall. Twelve buildings front the modern quadrangle including the domed main administration building Jesse Hall, the tallest building in Columbia. The Quad was designed and constructed by architect Morris Frederick Bell and his assistant William Lincoln Garver. It is named after Missouri governor David R. Francis. Eighteen structures, including the entire quad and most of Red Campus are listed as the Francis Quadrangle National Historic District. An obelisk, the original tombstone of Thomas Jefferson, stands in front of the Chancellor's Residence. It was gifted to the University by Jefferson's descendants in recognition of Missouri's ties to Virginia. In front of Jesse Hall stand markers honoring university president Richard Henry Jesse and Missouri governor David R. Francis. Nearby is another obelisk in memory of Missouri's first U.S. senator David Barton, The Missouri School of Journalism is located at the northeast corner of The Quad, comprising Walter Williams Hall, Neff Hall, Gannet Hall, along with the Reynolds Journalism Institute. To the west, Switzler Hall is the oldest academic building on campus, though the Residence on the Quad, home of the chancellor, is the oldest building overall. The University of Missouri College of Engineering completes the west side. Pickard Hall is currently closed due to radiation contamination from turn of the century experiments. Swallow Hall was recently renovated and houses the Departments of Anthropology, Visual Studies and Ancient Mediterranean Studies.
This is an incomplete list of historic properties and districts at United States colleges and universities that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This includes National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) and other National Register of Historic Places listings. It includes listings at current and former educational institutions.
St. John's College was a two-year college located in Winfield, Kansas, and was operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The school began operation in 1893 under the English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri and Other States and ceased operation in 1986, after over 9,000 students had been through its programs.
East Campus is a neighborhood of Columbia, Missouri directly east of the University of Missouri and downtown Columbia. The area contains historic residential property as well many Greek student organizations houses. The district contains parts of Stephens College, the Boone Hospital Center's campus and the historic Lee Street Deli. It developed between about 1895 and 1945, and includes representative examples of Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow / American Craftsman style architecture.
Downtown Columbia is the central business, government, and social core of Columbia, Missouri and the Columbia Metropolitan Area. Three colleges — the University of Missouri, Stephens College, and Columbia College — all border the area. Downtown Columbia is an area of approximately one square mile surrounded by the University of Missouri on the south, Stephens College to the east, and Columbia College on the north. The area serves as Columbia's financial and business district and is the topic of a large initiative to draw tourism, which includes plans to capitalize on the area's historic architecture and Bohemian characteristics. The downtown skyline is relatively low and is dominated by the 10-story Tiger Hotel, built in 1928, and the 15-story Paquin Tower.
The University of Missouri is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Founded in 1839, MU was the first public university west of the Mississippi River. It has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1908 and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity."
The Missouri State Teachers Association Building is a historic building located at Columbia, Missouri. It was built in 1927 and houses the Missouri State Teachers Association Headquarters. The building is located on South 6th Street on the University of Missouri campus and is a two-story, Tudor Revival style brick building. It was the first building in the United States built specifically to house a state teachers association. A historical marker on the site commemorates the lands former tenant "Columbia College," the forerunner of the University of Missouri.
The Stephens College South Campus Historic District is a national historic district on the campus of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. It includes the historic core of Stephens College in Eastern Downtown Columbia, Missouri. The District includes Senior Hall, Hickman Hall, Columbia Hall, and Wood Hall.
The Pierce Pennant Motor Hotel, also known as the Candle Light Lodge, is a historic hotel complex that is located on what once was U.S. Route 40, which is now known as Business Loop 70 West in Columbia, Missouri. The hotel complex was constructed in 1929 and is in the Colonial Revival style. The hotel was also a gas station and garage, and was owned by Pierce Petroleum Company, a subsidiary of Standard Oil. Initially the hotel and garage complex was to be one of several along U.S. Hwy 40, each to be spaced about 150 miles apart from New York to San Francisco. Senator Harry S. Truman was staying at the hotel when he learned of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, heralding the United States entry in World War II.
The Columns are the most recognizable landmark of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Standing 43 feet (13 m) tall in the center of Francis Quadrangle and at the south end of the Avenue of the Columns, they are the remains of the portico of Academic Hall. Along with Jesse Hall, they are one of the most photographed sites in Missouri. The Columns have been at the center of many traditions and events including graduations, concerts, pranks, weddings, and protests. Mizzou's school song mentions the columns, and they have been the setting for a work of fiction. They are a contributing structure to the Francis Quadrangle National Historic District. The columns underwent preservation work in 2017.
