Columbus is the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 39,059. It is a small city approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River.
Columbus is located at 39°12'50" North, 85°54'40" West (39.213998, -85.911056). The Driftwood and Flatrock Rivers join at Columbus to form the East Fork of the White River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 68.3 km2 (26.4 mi2). 67.2 km2 (26.0 mi2) of it is land and 1.1 km2 (0.4 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 1.59% water.
In 1900, 8,130 people lived in Columbus, Indiana; in 1910, 8,813; and in 1940, 11,738. As of the census of 2000, there are 39,059 people, 15,985 households, and 10,566 families residing in the city. The population density is 581.1/km2 (1,505.3/mi2). There are 17,162 housing units at an average density of 255.3/km2 (661.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 91.32% White, 2.71% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 3.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.39% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 2.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 1820, the land which is now Columbus was bought by General John Tipton and Luke Bonesteel. General Tipton build a log cabin on Mt. Tipton, a small hill overlooking White River and the surround flat, heavily forested, swampy valley. A ferry was established in order to avoid crossing both the Flat Rock and Driftwood rivers, which join only a short distance above the site of the ferry. This became a village of three or four log cabins and in 1821, the first store was added. In the same year, Bartholomew County was organized by an act of the State Legislature and named after the famous Indian fighter, General Joseph Bartholomew. Columbus, Indiana was chartered as a city in 1864.
For years, it was recorded in the local history books that the land on which Columbus sits was donated by General Tipton. It has recently come to light that General Tipton actually sold the land. A deed showing sale of the land was acquired by the Historic Columbus Indiana website (http://www.historiccolumbusindiana.org) in 2003.
When the city of Columbus was first formed, it was called Tiptona. This name only lasted about a month, when the name was changed to Columbus. General Tipton was very upset by this, and he moved from Columbus. Later, when General Tipton became the Highway Commissioner for the state of Indiana, he decided to bypass Columbus. This was the first bypass road ever built. He was in charge of building a road from Indianapolis to Louisville and just south of Franklin, he built the Mauxferry Road and brought it south, around the west side of Columbus on its way to Seymour.
In 1844, the first railroad in Indiana reached Columbus from Madison Indiana. This was known as the Madison branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The railroad caused the community to grow into one of the larger communities of the State of Indiana. By 1850, three more railroads came into the city.
Columbus is host to the oldest theatre in the State of Indiana: the Crump Theatre, which was built in 1889 by John Crump. Today, the building is a historical landmark. Columbus is also host to the oldest, continually operated bookstore in the State of Indiana: Cummins Bookstore first began its operations in 1892.
Source:
ColumbusIN.com
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