Columbus, city in western Georgia, a consolidated jurisdiction with Muscogee County. Columbus is a port at the head of navigation on the Chattahoochee River, opposite Phenix City, Alabama, to which it is connected by bridge. Columbus is a regional transportation, trade, cultural, and manufacturing hub. It has many textile, food-processing, and metalworking industries and a large credit card processing operation. Also important to the city's economy is the adjacent Fort Benning, a large United States Army infantry post. Commercial air transportation is through Columbus Metropolitan Airport.
The city is the seat of Columbus State University (1958) and a technical college. Local points of interest include the Confederate Naval Museum, which features remains of two vessels from the American Civil War (1861-1865) recovered during the 1960s; the Columbus Museum; and the restored 1871 Springer Opera House. Heritage Corner, the city's historic district, includes among several antebellum houses the home once occupied by Dr. J. S. Pendleton, who produced the formula for Coca-Cola. The Riverwalk stretches from Columbus to the National Infantry Museum in Fort Benning.
