Columbusis a city in theU.S. stateofGeorgiaand the county seat ofMuscogee County,[4]with which it isconsolidated. According to the 2013 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Columbus has a population of 202,824 residents, with 316,554 in the greaterColumbus-Phenix City metropolitan area. The metro area joins the nearbyAlabamacities ofAuburnandOpelikato form theColumbus-Auburn-Opelika Combined Statistical Area, which has an estimated population of 501,649. Columbus is directly to the east across the Chattahoochee River fromPhenix City, Alabama. Situated at the heart of the Chattahoochee Valley, Columbus is Georgia's second-largest city and fourth-largest metropolitan area.
Columbus lies 100 miles (160km) southwest ofAtlanta.Fort Benning, home of theUnited States Army Infantry Schooland a major employer, is located south of the city inChattahoochee County. Columbus is home to museums and tourism sites, including theNational Infantry Museum, dedicated to theUnited States Army'sInfantry Branch. It has the longest urbanwhitewaterraftingcourse in the world constructed on the Chattahoochee River.
