Columbia. South Carolina

Columbia is the capital and largest city of South Carolina, with 129,272 residences as of 2010. The city is the county seat of Richland County. The name Columbia was a poetic derivation, originating from the name of Christopher Columbus.

The city is 13 miles northwest of the geographic center of the state, lying at the confluence of the Saluda and Broad rivers, which merge in the city to form the Congaree River. Columbia is home to the University of South Carolina, the state's largest university, and is also the site of Fort Jackson, the largest US Army facility for Basic Combat Training. In 1860, the city was the site of the South Carolina Secession Convention, wherein the first state seceded from the Union during the events that lead to the Civil War.