Columbus, Nebraska

Columbus, Nebraska
City
Bridge carrying U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 81 across the Loup River at Columbus, February 2010
Columbus Location within Nebraska Show map of Nebraska Columbus Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°26′12″N 97°21′24″W / 41.43667°N 97.35667°W / 41.43667; -97.35667[1]
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
County	Platte
Township	Columbus
Area [2]
• Total	10.60 sq mi (27.46 km2)
• Land	10.34 sq mi (26.78 km2)
• Water	0.26 sq mi (0.68 km2)
Elevation [1]	1,447 ft (441 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	24,028
• Density	2,323.79/sq mi (897.18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	68601-68602
Area code	402
FIPS code	31-10110
GNIS feature ID	837933[1]
U.S. Routes
Intercity Bus	Express Arrow
Website	columbusne.us

Columbus is the county seat of Platte County, Nebraska, situated at the confluence of the Loup and Platte rivers roughly 85 miles (137 km) west-northwest of Omaha and 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Lincoln by road, near the county's southern edge. With an estimated population of 24,464 as of 2024, it is the 10th-most populous city in Nebraska.

Initially settled in May 1856 along the historic Great Platte River Road, the city was named for Columbus, Ohio; its location along the proposed transcontinental railroad made it especially attractive to early settlers. Despite the construction of a hydroelectric plant, the Great Depression hit the region especially hard. Since, its economy has pivoted to one based on agriculture, manufacturing, and services such as healthcare.

Today, Columbus is governed by a mayor and a city council. The city is located in the Omaha media market, and has 6 radio stations licensed to it; it is also home to the Columbus Telegram, a newspaper published five days per week. A campus of Central Community College is located 4 miles (6 km) outside Columbus; its sports teams are the Raiders.