Columbus, Georgia

Columbus is a city located in Muscogee County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the entire city-county had a total population of 186,291, though Columbus itself is actually less than this. The city is the county seat of Muscogee County{{GR|1}}, with which it is a consolidated city-county.

Miscellaneous

• Columbus is the third largest city in Georgia and the fifth largest metropolitan area in the state.
• The companies AFLAC, Carmike Cinemas, Synovus, TSYS, and Tom's Foods locate their headquarters in Columbus.
• Columbus lies next to Fort Benning, home to a large basic training facility for infantry.
• Was the site of the first ever Olympic women's fast-pitch softball competition during the 1996 Olympic Games.
• Every November, is the site of a protest by thousands organized by SOA Watch against the former School of the Americas at Fort Benning. Celebrities who have appeared at the protest have included Martin Sheen and Susan Sarandon. Since 2002, a counter-protest called God Bless Fort Benning has been organized by local residents.
• Was the home of RC Cola until the 1960s.
• Local folklore maintains that Coca-Cola was developed here by Dr. John Pemberton, who resided in Columbus during the 1860s.
• Columbus, GA is the largest city in the United States which has a larger namesake (Columbus, Ohio).
• Columbus was nicknamed the Fountain City for the many fountains that were installed early in the 20th century.
• The city is the home of the Columbus Catfish baseball club of the South Atlantic League.