Columbia is a tiny coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 605 people and just one neighborhood, Columbia is the 461st largest community in North Carolina. Columbia has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.
Unlike some towns, Columbia isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Columbia are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Columbia is a town of professionals, service providers, and construction workers and builders. There are especially a lot of people living in Columbia who work in community and social services (30.41%), maintenance occupations (21.96%), and food service (8.11%).
The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, Columbia has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes Columbia a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.
One of the nice things about Columbia is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.
In Columbia, however, the average commute to work is quite long. On average, people spend 34.76 minutes each day getting to work, which is significantly higher than the national average.
Columbia is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.
The percentage of adults in Columbia with college degrees is slightly lower than the national average of 21.84% for all communities. 14.37% of adults in Columbia have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Columbia in 2022 was $20,469, which is low income relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $81,876 for a family of four.
Columbia is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Columbia home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Columbia residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Columbia also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 30.83% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Columbia include English, Scottish, Italian, Irish, and German.
Foreign born people are also an important part of Columbia's cultural character, accounting for 17.52% of the town’s population.
The most common language spoken in Columbia is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.
Many things matter about a neighborhood, but the first thing most people notice is the way a neighborhood looks and its particular character. For example, one might notice whether the buildings all date from a certain time period or whether shop signs are in multiple languages. This particular neighborhood in Columbia, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Uncrowded roads, rural America and space to be the individual you are. If you like these characteristics, this neighborhood may fit you. With just 8 residents per square mile, is less crowded than 97.4% of all U.S. neighborhoods. is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of.
In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 30.6% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 95.6% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.
In the neighborhood, carpooling is still a popular way to get to and from work. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that 25.4% of commuters carpool here, which is more than in 97.0% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
Each year, fewer and fewer Americans make their living as farmers, foresters, or fishers. But the neighborhood truly stands out among U.S. neighborhoods. According to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, this neighborhood has a greater proportion of farmers, foresters, or fishers than 96.4% of all American neighborhoods. This is truly a unique cultural characteristic of this neighborhood.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Scottish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 5.0% of this neighborhood's residents have Scottish ancestry.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Columbia are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 91.8% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 37.4% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 87.9% of U.S. neighborhoods.
What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.
In the neighborhood, 31.2% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 25.7% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (21.8%), and 17.0% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 91.8% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the neighborhood in Columbia, NC, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (12.6%). There are also a number of people of Mexican ancestry (7.0%), and residents who report Irish roots (5.9%), and some of the residents are also of Scottish ancestry (5.0%), along with some German ancestry residents (3.6%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 45 minutes and one hour commuting one-way to work (41.2% of working residents), longer and tougher than most commutes in America.
Here most residents (65.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (25.4%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.