Columbia, Missouri - By: Kamyar Shah

The City of Columbia was founded in 1818 and is an economical and recreational core for Mid-Missouri. Columbia is located along Hwy 70 and Hwy 63 and is 90 minutes west of St. Louis, Missouri and two hours east of Kansas City, Missouri. As of 2006, Columbia's population was 91,877 and the combined population, which includes the surrounding area, was 153,283. The city has been ranked as high as the #2 best place to live in the US by Money Magazine and is regularly listed in the top 100.

Making Columbia, Missouri a major educational center are many colleges and universities including the University of Missouri, Stephen's College, Moberly Area Community College and Columbia College. Also nearby are Lincoln University, Westminster College, Central Methodist College, William Woods University and Kemper Military School. The city's nationally recognized public school system and educational institutes make Columbia one of the most well-educated cities in America.

Columbia, Missouri maintains a consistently low cost of living and has endless employment opportunities. The largest employers to Columbia and the city's surrounding area are University of Missouri- Columbia, University Hospitals & Clinics, Columbia Public Schools, Boone Hospital Center, City of Columbia, State Farm Insurance Companies, Shelter Insurance Companies, MBS Textbook Exchange, Columbia Foods Inc, 3M, Boone County Government, Dana Corporation, Columbia College, Square D, Boone County National Bank, Tribune Publishing Company, Collins & Aikman, MFA, Summit Polymers, ABC Laboratories Inc., and CenturyTel.

The city offers a rich exploration of culture, entertainment, recreation, dining, and shopping. The District is Columbia's most sought after venue, boasting 110 unique shops, 70 bars and restaurants, 40 live performances a week as well as its beautiful historical architecture, sidewalk cafes and street musicians.

Residents and visitors alike enjoy the cultural experiences given by the Missouri Symphony at The Missouri Theatre, the Columbia Civic Orchestra and the University of Missouri Concert Series, which has a broad selection of opera, ballet, orchestra, chamber, jazz, popular, modern dance, Broadway and more. The city's famous Maplewood Barn Theatre is a delightful outdoor theatre set under the stars at Nifong Park near HWY 63 and AC.

Entertainment can be found in The District at the Déjà Vu Comedy Club. Columbia's nationally acclaimed comedy club has seen the likes of Tim Allen, Tommy Davidson, Dennis Leary, Bobcat Goldthwait, George Lopez and Drew Carry. The Blue Note is Mid-Missouri's finest and most popular live entertainment venue. Columbia is also home to local artists and various live bands.

Columbia has a full schedule of year round festivals including the True/False Film Festival, Twilight Festival, Hot Summer Nights, Central Missouri Renaissance Festival, Concert Series with the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Art in the Park, Columbia Earth Day Celebration, Ninth Street Summerfest, The Blind Boone Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival, First Night Columbia, Living Windows Festival, Columbia Festival of Arts and the Boone County Heritage Festival.

The plentiful scenery of Columbia and Mid-Missouri is emphasized with a bounty of parks such as Oakland Park, Cosmopolitan Park (Cosmo), Grindstone Nature Area, Finger Lakes State Park, Nifong Park, Capen Park, Rockbridge Memorial State Park and the Missouri Katy Trail. The Bear Creek Trail runs east and west through Columbia and is accessible from Oakland Park and Cosmo. The Hinkson Creek Trail can be accessed from Capen Park and the MKT Trail. The coolest place to hang out is "The Devil's Icebox" which brings relief to the hot summer months. Shelter Gardens is Columbia's award-winning five acre garden featuring over 300 varieties of trees and shrubs as well as over 15,000 annuals and perennials.

The Activity and Recreation Center, locally known as the ARC, gives residents a chance to splash in the pool, exercise and enjoy many other activities. A fun way to take advantage of the outdoors is at Shyrocks Callaway Farms corn maze, an outdoor maze cut into more than 12 acres of corn. The Perche Creek Golf Club has mini-golf and nearby public golf courses are Gustin Golf Course, LA Nickell Golf Course, Columbia Public Golf, Lake of the Woods Golf Course and Eagle Knoll Golf Club.

Columbia's dining experience is a diverse cuisine, offering nearly every type of food the world has to offer. Some of the most popular and well-known restaurants, bistros, bars and cafés are 63 Diner, Addison's, Applebee's, Bennigan's, Booche's, Boone Tavern, Buckingham Smokehouse Bar-B-Q, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chuck E. Cheese's, CJ's Restaurant, Cold Stone, Cracker Barrel, Dairy Queen, El Maguey, Felini Restaurant, Flat Branch Pub & Brewery, Formosa Chinese Restaurant, G&D Steak House, Grand Cru, Hardee's, Harpo's, Heavenly Ham, Imo's Pizza, Jack's Gourmet, Jimmy John's, Longhorn Steakhouse, Main Squeeze Natural Foods Café & Juice Bar, McDonald's, Murry's, Ninth Street Deli, Old Chicago, Olive Garden, Panera, Red Lobster, Sake` Japanese Bistro, Shake's Frozen Custard, Shakespeare's Pizza, Sophia's, T.P.'s Bar & Grill, Truman's Bar & Grill, and more.

Columbia, Missouri is a focal point of shopping opportunity with stores like Bass Pro Shops, Best Buy, Old Navy, Macy's, Wal-Mart, Pier 1 Imports, Circuit City, Kohl's, Tuesday Morning, Hobby Lobby, Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and more. The local Columbia Farmer's Market is a great place to purchase locally made and grown goods. The Root Cellar and Clover's Market also sell organic foods and other products.

The District, located in downtown Columbia, has unique gift boutiques, jewelry stores and retail shops such as 9th Street Bookstore, Aardvarx, A La Campagne, Allen's Flowers, Alpine Shop, American Shoe, Bermuda Gold, Binghams, Britches Clothing, Buchroeder's Jewelers, Butterfly Tattoo, Calhoun's Accent Furnishings, Candy Factory, Cool Stuff, Dryer's Shoe Store, Gotcha, Makes Scents, Merle Norman Cosmetics, Mud Room, My Secret Garden, Slackers CD's & Games, Top Ten Wines, Tucker's Fine Jewelry, Villager on Broadway and Wren's Birkentstock.

The Columbia Mall is a hub of stores ranging from Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Ann Taylor Loft, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works, Buckle, Champ Sports, Christopher Banks, Claire's Boutique, Coldwater Creek, Deb, Deck the Walls, Dillard's, EB Games, Eddie Bauer, Express, f.y.e., Finish Line, Gap, Gymboree, Helzberg Diamonds, Hollister, Hot Topic, Hurst Diamond Shop, JCPenney, Kay Jewelers, Hallmark, Limited Too, Motherhood Maternity, New York & Company, Payless ShoeSource, Sears, The Shoe Department, Spencer Gifts, Talbots, Target, The Children's Place, Things Remembered, Vanity, Victoria's Secret, Yankee Candle Co. and Zales Jewelers.

Columbia, Missouri is a well-rounded city and is second only to Rochester, Minnesota, in patient capacity per capita. The city facilitates hospitals and clinics including Boone Hospital, University of Missouri Hospital and Clinics, Columbia Regional Hospital, Harry S Truman Veterans Hospital, University of Missouri Children's Hospital, Mid-Missouri Mental Health Center, Rusk Rehabilitation Center, and Ellis Fischel Cancer Center.

The City of Columbia provides affordable and enjoyable living for its many residents and visitors. In 2004, Forbes magazine named Columbia a "Porch Swing Community" deeming it a great place for individuals in search of that Norman Rockwell hometown feeling-vintage Americana infused with parades, country fairs and other family activities.

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