Columbus, Wisconsin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Columbus, Wisconsin
City
Columbus City Hall
Nickname(s): "Red Bud City"
Location of Columbus in Columbia and Dodge counties, Wisconsin
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Counties	Columbia, Dodge
Area
• Total	4.59 sq mi (11.89 km²)
• Land	4.55 sq mi (11.79 km²)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	879 ft (268 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	5,540
• Density	1,124.53/sq mi (434.2/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central)
Zip Code	53925
Area code(s)	920
FIPS code	55-16450
GNIS feature ID	1583005
Website	www.cityofcolumbuswi.com

Columbus is a city located in Wisconsin, a state in the United States. It sits in both Columbia and Dodge counties. In 2020, about 5,540 people lived there.

Columbus is found northeast of Madison, a larger city. It's close to the Crawfish River. Most of Columbus is in Columbia County, but a small part is in Dodge County.

History of Columbus
Geography and Location
Population and People
- Columbus in 2020
Arts and Culture
- Historic Buildings to See
Education in Columbus
Transportation
Notable People from Columbus
Images for kids
See also

History of Columbus

Columbus has an interesting past. In 1845, H. A. Whitney from Vermont built the first store here. This building was also a tavern, a place to stay, and the first post office. Whitney was the first postmaster.

In 1857, the original building burned down. A new one, the Whitney Hotel, was built in 1858. This new hotel had a large ballroom on its third floor. People held dances and parties there.

Over the years, the Whitney Hotel changed. In the 1950s, it had a restaurant and bar. But by the 1990s, the building was in bad shape. It was almost torn down!

Luckily, local citizens and a group called the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation worked together. They saved the Whitney building and restored it. Today, it offers affordable homes for families and shops for local businesses.

Geography and Location

Columbus is located at coordinates 43.337366 degrees North and -89.022753 degrees West.

The city covers a total area of about 4.59 square miles (11.89 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	288	—
1860	892	209.7%
1870	1,888	111.7%
1880	1,876	−0.6%
1890	1,977	5.4%
1900	2,349	18.8%
1910	2,523	7.4%
1920	2,460	−2.5%
1930	2,514	2.2%
1940	2,760	9.8%
1950	3,250	17.8%
1960	3,467	6.7%
1970	3,789	9.3%
1980	4,049	6.9%
1990	4,093	1.1%
2000	4,479	9.4%
2010	4,991	11.4%
2020	5,540	11.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

The population of Columbus has grown steadily over the years. In 1900, there were 2,349 people. By 2020, the population had more than doubled to 5,540 residents.

Columbus in 2020

In 2020, Columbus had 5,540 people living there. The city had about 1,217 people per square mile. There were 2,444 homes in the city.

Most people in Columbus (about 90.5%) are White. About 5.2% of the population is Hispanic or Latino. Other groups like Black, Asian, and Native American people also live in Columbus.

The average household income in Columbus was around $65,029. Most adults (94.4%) have finished high school. Also, 36.1% of adults have a college degree or higher.

Arts and Culture

Columbus redbud tree

Columbus is known for its annual Redbud Festival. This festival happens in May, usually around Mother's Day. During the festival, the community celebrates the blooming of the special "Columbus Wisconsin Strain" of the redbud tree.

The festival includes fun activities like food, music, and enjoying the beautiful trees.

Christopher Columbus Museum
Farmers and Merchants Union Bank

The Farmers and Merchants Union Bank is a famous building. It was designed by a well-known architect named Louis Sullivan. This bank was even featured in the 2009 movie Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp.

Historic Buildings to See

Columbus has many old and important buildings. Here are some of them:

Adolphus and Sarah Ingalsbe House
Albert M. and Alice Bellack House
Amtrak station (built in 1906)
Chapel Street Water Tower
Columbus City Hall
Columbus Fireman's Park Complex
Columbus Post Office
Columbus Public Library
E. Clarke and Julia Arnold House
F. A. Chadbourn House
Farmers and Merchants Union Bank
Frances Kurth Sharrow House
Fred and Lucia Farnham House
George Griswold House
Gov. James T. Lewis House
Holsten Family Farmstead
John A. and Maggie Jones House
Kurth Brewery
Reinhard and Amelia Schendel House
Whitney Hotel Building
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and Parsonage

Education in Columbus

Columbus Middle School

Students in Columbus attend schools run by the Columbus School District. The district has an elementary school, an intermediate school, a middle school, and a high school.

Columbus Elementary School (Kindergarten to 2nd grade)
Columbus Intermediate School (3rd to 5th grade)
Columbus Middle School (6th to 8th grade)
Columbus High School (9th to 12th grade)

Other schools in Columbus include:

St. Jerome Catholic School (Kindergarten to 8th grade)
Zion Lutheran School (Kindergarten to 8th grade)
Wisconsin Academy (9th to 12th grade)

Transportation

Lamers Bus Columbus

Amtrak station, Columbus

Columbus is easy to reach by road. US 151 runs through the city. This highway connects Columbus to bigger cities like Madison and Fond du Lac. There are three exits on US 151 that lead into Columbus.

Several state highways also serve Columbus:

Wis 16 goes towards Portage and Watertown.
Wis 60 heads to Lodi and Hustiford.
Wis 73 runs south to Marshall and north to Randolph.
Wis 89 goes south to Waterloo and Fort Atkinson.

Columbus also has an Amtrak train station. Two daily trains, the Empire Builder and the Borealis, stop here. These trains connect Columbus to major cities like Chicago, Portland, Seattle, and Saint Paul. Freight trains also use the tracks, operated by the Soo Line Railroad.

For bus travel, Lamers Bus Service connects Columbus to Madison.