Columbus, GA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it officially merged in 1970; the original merger excluded Bibb City, which joined in 2000 after dissolving its own city charter. Columbus is the second most populous city in Georgia (after Atlanta), and fields the state's fourth-largest metropolitan area. At the 2020 U.S. census, Columbus had a population of 206,922, with 328,883 in the Columbus metropolitan statistical area. The metro area joins the nearby Alabama cities of Auburn and Opelika to form t…

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Columbus ranks

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#44Shortest commute in GA #48Closest to a top hospital in GA #54Most conserved land in GA All GA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code31901, 31902, 31903

Area code706, 762

Living in Columbus

Housing in Columbus

$176K▲ 2.9% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Columbus home is worth about $176,000, up 2.9% in a year, 47% below the Georgia typical home.

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Columbus

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Not graded

A grade needs all of the FBI's latest years (2023–2025). Columbus's police department reported only 2024 and 2025, so we don't grade it yet. The figures below are still real.

Violent crime per 1,000

Columbus 3.6

Georgia 3

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Columbus 18.8

Georgia 14

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Columbus

C⁻

Health Grade C−

Healthier than 19% of U.S. towns on seven CDC estimates.

Compared with Georgia

17worse than GA

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 15 are too close to call.

Conditions 6▼ 6 close Habits 3▼ 1 close Care 2▼ 5 close Mind 2▼ 3 close Everyday needs 4▼ 0 close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

14%More adults facing a utility shut-offGA 9.6% · worse 13.2%More adults without reliable transportationGA 9.5% · worse 24.1%More adults facing food insecurityGA 17.7% · worse

Care nearby

Piedmont Columbus Regional MidtownColumbus · 6.7 mi · ER

Fort Benning Road Health CenterColumbus · 7 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careShortage · county-wide

DentalShortage · county-wide

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Columbus · CMS · HRSAHealth in Columbus →

Schools in Columbus

All Columbus schools →

C⁺

School Grade C+

The public schools Columbus’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 63% of Georgia’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

See how Columbus’s schools compare in GA →

DistrictMuscogee CountySchools66

Mary A Buckner AcademyElementary · Grades PK–5 · 789 students North Columbus Elementary A-Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 737 students Mathews Elementary School AElementary · Grades PK–5 · 702 students Eagle Ridge Academy B+Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 658 students Midland Academy B-Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 622 students Clubview Elementary School A-Elementary · Grades PK–5 · 566 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within GA. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from ColumbusWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Columbus.Meet them →