Columbia, California

Columbia
Census-designated place
Main Street in Columbia, California
Location in Tuolumne County and the state of California
Columbia Location in the United States
Coordinates: 38°2′2″N 120°24′4″W / 38.03389°N 120.40111°W / 38.03389; -120.40111Coordinates: 38°2′2″N 120°24′4″W / 38.03389°N 120.40111°W / 38.03389; -120.40111
Country	United States
State	California
County	Tuolumne
Area
• Total	5.979 sq mi (15.487 km2)
• Land	5.961 sq mi (15.440 km2)
• Water	0.018 sq mi (0.047 km2)  0.31%
Elevation	2,139 ft (652 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,297
• Density	380/sq mi (150/km2)
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	95310
Area code	209
FIPS code	06-14904
GNIS feature IDs	277490, 2407648
California Historical Landmark
Reference no.	123

Columbia is a town located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, in Tuolumne County, California, United States. It was founded as a boomtown in 1850 when gold was found in the vicinity, and was known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines."

The town's historic central district is within the Columbia State Historic Park, which preserves the 19th century mining town features. The U.S. historic district is a National Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places

Columbia is located along State Route 49 just north of Sonora, at an altitude of 2,139 feet (652 m). Wired telephones in Columbia work out of the Sonora central office.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.0 square miles (16 km²). Only 0.31% of the total area is covered by water.

This region experiences hot and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 90.1 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Columbia has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

The original indigenous people in the Columbia region were of the Miwok.

Rev. John Steele wrote about his time in the gold rush era and about the "Mi-wuk" of Columbia in his memoirs In Camp and Cabin.