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Welcome to Columbus ...

The town of Columbus is located in Polk County<1> and is the County Seat for Polk County.



The pronunciation of Columbus: ko-LUM-bus<2>

While we don't have a date for the founding of Columbus, you might consider that their post office opened  in 1856.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Columbus has a population of 994 people<3> (see below for details).

Columbus is 1,070 feet [326 m] above sea level.<4>.

Time Zone: Columbus lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time

The telephone area code for Columbus: (828)

The ZIP code for Columbus: 28722<5>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Columbus had an population of 994 people. This is a decrease of 0.5% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 0.2% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Columbus had a population of 999 people. This makes Columbus the county's 2nd most populous community.

The population of Columbus represents 0.01% of the total population of North Carolina (which has 9,535,483 people), making it the state's 335th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 999 people, the population of Columbus has remained roughly the same as the 2000 Census (which had a count of 992 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Columbus.

Communities Also Named Columbus ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 35 communities that are also named Columbus - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois (2), Indiana, Kansas (2), Kentucky (2), Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico (2), New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Ontario (3), Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Columbus.

Communities near Columbus ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Columbus.

  • Hendersonville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Forest City
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Spindale
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spindale have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spindale
    • Spindale is located in Rutherford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,175 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spindale <6>
  • Rutherfordton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Flat Rock
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
    • Flat Rock is located in Henderson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,408 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flat Rock <6>
  • Landrum
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landrum
    • Landrum is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,725 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Landrum <6>
  • Inman
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
    • Inman is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,480 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Inman <6>
  • Laurel Park
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Park have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
    • Laurel Park is located in Henderson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,339 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurel Park <6>
  • Lake Lure
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Lure have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lure
    • Lake Lure is located in Rutherford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,153 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Lure <6>
  • Saluda
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saluda have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saluda
    • Saluda is located in Henderson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 703 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saluda <6>

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Columbus. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Columbus.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Columbus. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Columbus.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Columbus. See our Newspapers Page for Columbus.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Columbus ...

Looking for more information about Columbus? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

In addition to the Tourism page for Columbus, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Columbus.

Adding Columbus to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Columbus in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Columbus was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

From that list, the Columbus post office opened in 1856.

We also found Columbus in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Columbus.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Columbus. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Polk County: www.polknc.org

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of North Carolina's counties, including Polk, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Columbus. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
<3>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Columbus.
<4>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Columbus - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<5>ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a town (such as Columbus). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Columbus or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<6>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<7>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<8>A copy of their list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 10 Mar 2024