Columbus, Texas
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Columbus census division. It lies in ZIP code area 78934. It stands on Ratliff Creek. The Survey maps it on the Columbus quadrangle. 3,699 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 203 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Columbus
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 5 records
Colorado County Courthouselisted 1976
Colorado County Courthouse Historic Districtlisted 1978
Stafford Bank and Opera Houselisted 1973
State Highway 3 Bridge at the Colorado Riverlisted 1996- Harrison-Hastedt Houselisted 2004
Population over time
2 figuresColumbus grew from 3,655 to 3,699 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3,655 | |
| 2020 | 3,699 | +44 (+1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 10 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1953 USGS Seguin quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Glidden quadrangle1:62500
- 1957 USGS Columbus quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Seguin quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Eagle Lake quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
What the histories say of this town
949 words1 chapter about Columbus from the published histories of the county, public domain and reproduced complete.
| Chapter | From | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado County, Texas: Its Health, Climate, Soil, Advantages and Reso | Colorado County, Texas: Its Health, Climate, Soil, Advantages and Resources (1877) | 949 words |
Fires near this place
2 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 2 fires within 5 miles of Columbus between 1999 and 2009, burning about 2,052 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2009 | Fireworks | 1,804 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | REESE LANE |
| 18 October 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 248 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 30 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 30 workings within 5 miles of Columbus: 20 past producers, 10 producers. 10 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alleyton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Gravel, Sand | |
| B. B. Pit No. 4 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Columbus Const Alleyton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Helms Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Gravel, Sand | |
| Helms Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Horton and Horton Mine | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Flint, Gravel | |
| Sprint Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Superior No. 4 Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Gravel, Sand | |
| Superior Sand and Gravel Plant 4 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
41 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Columbus in 41 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 20 hail, 18 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 funnel cloud. The reports record 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | 4 hurt, $100,000 | Walmart sign blown down on several cars. Three 18-wheelers blown over on several parked cars on I-10. While DPS investigated the accident, 90 mph winds blew a 9000 lb/27 foot long culvert 1/2 mile across I-10. |
| July 1998 | Lightning | Columbus | $75,000 | Lightning induced fire destroyed Po' Boy's restaurant. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Columbus | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $50,000 | Barn destroyed along I-10 near Columbus |
| May 1999 | Hail | Columbus | $40,000 | Golfball-sized hail in Shaws Bend. |
| February 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $21,500 | Numerous roofs damaged. Car blown off a road. |
| April 2004 | Hail | Columbus | $20,000 | Golfball-size hail in Columbus. |
| April 2004 | Hail | Columbus | $20,000 | Golfball-size hail between Columbus and Weimar. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $20,000 | Billboard sign blown down. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $15,000 | Power lines down. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $15,000 | Trees and power lines down. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Columbus | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $10,000 | Power lines and trees down. |
| December 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $10,000 | Wind damage on FM 806. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $10,000 | Numerous trees blown down. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $10,000 | Power lines down throughout the city of Columbus. |
| April 2003 | Hail | Columbus | $10,000 | no account filed |
| February 1999 | Hail | Columbus | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 1996 | Hail | Columbus | $10,000 | no account filed |
| December 1995 | Hail | Columbus | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Columbus | $8,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $7,000 | Downed power lines in town of Columbus. |
| December 2002 | Hail | Columbus | $7,000 | 0.75 inch hail. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Columbus | $7,000 | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $6,000 | There were numerous reports of downed trees and power lines. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $5,000 | Trees and power lines were reported down in the city of Columbus. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $5,000 | Reports of trees and power lines down. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | $5,000 | Large limbs blown down. |
| March 2002 | Hail | Columbus | $5,000 | no account filed |
| March 2005 | Hail | Columbus | $4,000 | no account filed |
| December 2006 | Hail | Columbus | $3,000 | Penny size hail. |
| June 1998 | Hail | Columbus | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2025 | Hail | Columbus | - | A trained storm spotter reported 1 inch hail in Columbus. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | - | Trees were downed near the Walnut Street and Travis Street intersection. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Columbus | - | Street flooding was reported in and around Columbus, including Fannin Street that was closed due to high water. |
| April 2015 | Hail | Columbus | - | Quarter sized hail was reported in Columbus. |
| April 2015 | Hail | Columbus | - | Dime sized hail reported in downtown Columbus. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | - | Strong thunderstorm winds downed trees in the Columbus area. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Columbus | - | Quarter size hail occurred in the Columbus area. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Columbus | - | Power lines and large tree limbs down across town. |
| November 2000 | Funnel Cloud | Columbus | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glidden | 2.5 miles | 10 | |
| Alleyton | 2.8 miles | 11 | |
| Laban | 4.0 miles | 11 | |
| Helms | 4.3 miles | 10 | |
| Hillcrest | 4.4 miles | 10 | |
| Atascosito Crossing (historical) | 5.6 miles | 11 | |
| Shaws Bend | 5.7 miles | 11 | |
| Mentz | 6.2 miles | 10 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Columbus | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q975782 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1333156. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




