Columbus Cities -- Cities Named Columbus

Christopher Columbus (c. 1451 ? 20 May 1506) was a navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere. With his four voyages of exploration and several attempts at establishing a settlement on the island of Hispaniola, all funded by Isabella I of Castile, he initiated the process of Spanish colonization which foreshadowed general European colonization of the "New World."

Although not the first to reach the Americas from Europe?he was preceded by at least one other group, the Norse, led by Leif Ericson, who built a temporary settlement 500 years earlier at L'Anse aux Meadows? Columbus initiated widespread contact between Europeans and indigenous Americans.

The term "pre-Columbian" is usually used to refer to the peoples and cultures of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus and his European successors.

Even though the general belief during the 20th century was that he was born in Genoa, there are other theories. Recent studies have indicated that Columbus may have been Catalan Telegraph, 14 Oct 2009, Georgetown University team led by Professor Estelle Irizarry claims that Christopher Columbus was Catalan , though these theories have found little support amongst historians and linguists.

The name Christopher Columbus is the Anglicisation of the Latin Christophorus Columbus. The original name in 15th century Genoese language was ChristoffaRime diverse, Pavia, 1595, p.117 CoromboRa Gerusalemme deliverâ, Genoa, 1755, XV-32 () The name is rendered in modern Italian as Cristoforo Colombo, in Portuguese as Cristóvão Colombo (formerly Christovam Colom), in Catalan as Cristòfor Colom and in Spanish as Cristóbal Colón.

Columbus's initial 1492 voyage came at a critical time of growing national imperialism and economic competition between developing nation states seeking wealth from the establishment of trade routes and colonies. In this sociopolitical climate, Columbus's far-fetched scheme won the attention of Isabella I of Castile. Severely underestimating the circumference of the Earth, he estimated that a westward route from Iberia to the Indies would be shorter than the overland trade route through Arabia. If true, this would allow Spain entry into the lucrative spice tradeheretofore commanded by the Arabs and Italians. Following his plotted course, he instead landed within the Bahamas Archipelago at a locale he named San Salvador. Mistaking the North-American island for the East-Asian mainland, he referred to its inhabitants as "Indios".

The anniversary of Columbus's 1492 landing in the Americas is usually observed as Columbus Day on October 12 in Spain and throughout the Americas, except Canada. In the United States it is observed annually on the second Monday in October.

Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. In 2008, its estimated population was 186,984. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2008, had an estimated population of 287,653. It joins with the Auburn, Alabama metropolitan area to form the Columbus, Georgia-Auburn, Alabama Combined Statistical Area, which, in 2008, had an estimated population of 442,953. It is the third largest city and fourth largest metro area in the state, and also the 120th largest city in the U.S.

Columbus lies approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of Atlanta.

Fort Benning, a major employer, is located south of the city in Chattahoochee County. The city is also home to several museums and tourism sites, such as the National Infantry Museum. The area is served by the Columbus Metropolitan Airport. The current mayor is Jim Wetherington, who was elected in 2006. The city was ranked number 4 on the 100 Best U.S. Cities to live by Best Life Magazine.100-Best Places to Live Retrieved 2009-08-06

Columbus is a village in Adams County, Illinois, United States. The population was 112 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Quincy, IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Columbus () is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 39,059 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Fred Armstrong. It is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River. It is the state's 20th largest city. It is also the principal city of the Columbus, Indiana, metropolitan statistical area which encompasses all of Bartholomew County.

Columbus is currently ranked eleventh in the U.S. on the list of safest cities per population. In 2006, Columbus won the national contest "America in Bloom." In 2004 it was named as one of "The Ten Most Playful Towns" by Nick Jr. Family Magazine. The July 2005 edition of "GQ Magazine" named Columbus one of the "62 Reasons to Love Your Country." Columbus is the headquarters of the engine company Cummins Inc.

Columbus is the second largest city and county seat of Cherokee County, Kansas, United States, 15 miles south-southwest of Pittsburg, Kansas. In 1900, 2,310 people lived in Columbus; in 1910, 3,064 inhabitants existed. The population was 3,396 at the 2000 census.

Columbus is a city in Hickman County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 229 at the 2000 census.

Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States on the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, 60 Miles Northwest of Tuscaloosa, AL, and west of Birmingham, AL Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lowndes County and the principal city of the Columbus Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Columbus-West Point Combined Statistical Area. Columbus is also part of the area of Northeast MS called The Golden Triangle, consisting of Columbus, MS, West Point, MS and Starkville, MS, and the counties of Lowndes, Clay, and Oktibbeha.

Columbus is a town in and the county seat of Stillwater County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,748 at the 2000 census.

Columbus is an unincorporated area within Mansfield Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08022.

As of the United States Census, 2000, the population for ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 08022 was 5,735.Census 2000 Fact Sheet for Zip Code Tabulation Area 08022, United States Census Bureau. Accessed January 30, 2008.

The following is an excerpt from a book named Sign Posts, Place Names in History of Burlington County, New Jersey by Henry H. Bisbee, Historian, 1971:

Columbus (Mansfield Township). An unincorporated community five miles southeast of Bordentown on Route 206. First mentioned under the name in 1830 road returns. Named for Christopher Columbus.

The original site was settled by Thomas Scattergood, an English Quaker, who purchased on Craft's creek for five shillings sterling. A tavern was located here as early as 1745. In 1761 the Black Horse Tavern opened. The tavern is mentioned in 1769 road returns. Road returns of 1800 call the place Black Horse Village.

Folklore implies that place was once called Encroaching Corners, as some landowners "encroached" on the highway with their fences.

Black Horse figured prominently in the 1795 elections when a county referendum was called to decide upon the location of a new county seat. Mount Holly won the election in a three way fight with Burlington City.

Around 1825 a movement was on foot to change the name of the village which was officially changed to Columbus in 1827 when the post office was established. It is said that the inn keeper of the Black Horse Tavern was so enraged that he refused to serve any man who called the town by its new name. Columbus may be considered a commemorative naming of place.

Mansfield Square, Mansfield Township. A village on Old York Road just off route 206 in southeastern part of the township. Here is the site of Rising Sun Tavern, which opened as early as 1761. The tavern displayed a signboard depicting a "rising sun."

In December 1776 the village was a Hessian outpost. The 1795 map notes the name Rising Sun, and the village carried this name as well as Rising Sun Square and The Square until around 1849 when the name was changed to Mansfield Square.

Mansfield Township. Bounded north by Bordentown Township, north and northeast by Chesterfield Township, south by Springfield Township and northwest by Florence Township and Delaware River. It was formed as a township under the Proprietors in 1688, reformed by Royal Charter in 1770 and incorporated by the State of New Jersey in 1798.

In 1850 part was given to form Fieldsboro within the township. In 1852 part was ceded to help form Bordentown Township and in 1872 part to form Florence Township.

The name Mansfield comes from the name of the English town on the border of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. Further evidence of this fact is that the township on the opposite side of Crosswicks Creek was once called Nottingham.

Mansfield Township contains slightly more than twenty-three square miles of mostly farmland. It had an estimated population in 1970 of 2531 people. The township is watered by Black's Creek, Bacon's Run, Assiscunk Creek, Craft's Creek and Kinkora or Spring Hill Run.

The villages include Columbus, Georgetown, Hedding, Kinkora, Mansfield and Sharp. Georgetown, Mansfield Township. Village in eastern part of the township. Folklore implies the name was once Fooltown because a man bankrupted himself building a mansion. Georgetown was named for George Sykes prior to 1834. The Quaker Sykes was a surveyor and served in the U. S. Congress from 1834 to 1848.

Hedding, Mansfield Township. Hamlet on York Road in northwestern part of township. From 1793 until 1813 place was known as Bryant's Tavern after William Byrant of Brian the proprietor. In 1817 the name was changed to Three Tuns as the sign before the hostelry depicted three casks or tuns. Methodist Episcopal; Church services were held at Three Tuns as early as 1830. In 1847 a church was built which was named Hedding Methodist Episcopal Church in honor of Elijah Hedding, a Bishop of this denomination. The name Three Tuns continued as the name of the village until 1920 when it was changed to the name of the church, Hedding.

Kinkora, Mansfield Township. Name of the area above Roebling at route 130 and Hedding Road. This was formerly a rail terminal for the Kinkora branch and its junction with the Amboy Division of the railroad. Pipe tile was made here in 1860, and from 1875 to 1890 the Knickerbocker Ice Houses were in operation. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names states that the original Kinkora was the "Stronghold of King Brian." Although the statement is true, Kinkora, Mansfield Township, has no connection with Ireland. Origin: The name is Indian in origin and is a corruption of Quinkoringh, the name of the area before William Biddle purchased Biddle's Island and settled on the mainland at Mount Hope.

Information courtesy Pearl Tusim (Mansfield Township historian).

Steamboat captain Henry Miller Shreve was born about three miles (5 km) east of Columbus at "Mount Pleasant", the Shreve family homestead.Allen, Luther Prentice (1901). Genealogy and history of the Shreve family from 1641. Greenfield, Illinois: Privately printed, 672 pages; reprinted by Higginson Book Co., Salem, Massachusetts, 1999, ISBN 07404 10024

Columbus is a village in Luna County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,765 at the 2000 census. The town is named after famous 15th century explorer Christopher Columbus

Columbus is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 931 at the 2000 census. The town of Columbus is in the northeast corner of the county and is northeast of Norwich.

Columbus is a town in Polk County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 992 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County.

Columbus is a city in Burke County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 151 at the 2000 census. Columbus was founded in 1906. Both this town and nearby Larson were named for an early postmaster that served the area (Columbus Larson).

Columbus is the capital and largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the state's third largest metropolitan area, behind Cleveland and Cincinnati. It is the county seat of Franklin County, although parts of the city also extend into Delaware and Fairfield counties. Named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816.

The population was 711,470 at the 2000 census. In 2008, Columbus was the 16th largest city in the United States, with 754,885 residents, and was also the 32nd largest metropolitan area, the fourth largest city in the Midwest, and the fourth most populous state capital in the U.S. after Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Austin.. According to the U.S. Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 1,773,120, and the Combined Statistical Area (which also includes Marion and Chillicothe) has a population of 1,982,252. Columbus is located within of half of the population of the United States.

The city has a diverse economy based on education, insurance, banking, fashion, defense, aviation, food, logistics, steel, energy, medical research, health care, hospitality, retail, and technology.

Columbus is a city in Colorado County, Texas, United States, 74 miles (119 km) west of Houston along Interstate 10, on the Colorado River. In 1890, 2,199 people lived in Columbus, Texas; in 1900, 1,824 residents existed. The population was 3,916 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Colorado County. The town history includes the politically motivated Reese-Townsend feud of the late 19th century and early 20th century, which resulted in several people being killed in gunfights. The town's motto is "City of Live Oaks and Live Folks."

Columbus is a city in Columbia and Dodge Counties in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 4,479 at the 2000 census. Columbus is located about 28 miles northeast of Madison on the Crawfish River. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Nearly all of the city is located within the Town of Columbus in Columbia County, though a small portion lies the Town of Elba in Dodge County.

Columbus has the closest Amtrak station to the city of Madison.