Columbia, CA

Columbia, California is a city located in the Central Valley region of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,096. The city is named after Columbia, Missouri, where President James K. Polk spent his childhood.

The city's history dates back to 1849 when John Sutter established a fur trading post along the Santa Clara River. In 1851, he founded the town of New Helvetia on land donated by local Native Americans and Swiss immigrants. The next year, Sutter's Fort was erected on nearby Mount Shasta to protect American settlers and traders from hostile Native Americans and bandits roaming the region. In 1857 Sutter's grandson-in-law Edward Colton built a grist mill near present-day downtown Columbia on the banks of Cache Creek which became an important commercial center for trade with Southern California and Oregon during the Gold Rush era.

In 1870 Columbia was incorporated as a town with a population of 2200 people; it grew rapidly as a result of its location at an important crossroads in Northern California and became known as "the Gateway to Central California". In 1872 Columbia became county seat of Yolo County when Yolo County was created from parts of Sacramento and Butte counties; it remained so until 1926 when Red Bluff replaced it due to its increasing population and importance as a railroad junction (the Union Pacific Railroad passed through town). During this time period (1872-1926), Columbia experienced significant growth due to its location at both ends of the Central Pacific Railroad line which connected San Francisco with Los Angeles; this spurred development in industries such as agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, banking and commerce which made it one of America's leading cities during that time period.

However, following World War II there was a decline in industrial activity throughout much of Northern California which led to decreased business activity in Columbia; this led to numerous financial difficulties for many businesses within the city including those related to transportation (e.g., trucking), manufacturing (e.g., aircraft production), retail sales (e.g., department stores) and banking (e..g., commercial banks). This decline has been partially offset by increased residential development throughout much of central Columbia since 2000; however there continues to be concern about whether or not Columbia can maintain its status as one America's leading cities given its current economic conditions