Columbia is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the Sierra Nevada foothills in Tuolumne County, California, United States.

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.

Within weeks of finding gold in the vicinity of Columbia, thousands of people arrived and the population climbed to 5,000.

In 1851, the local community brass band, a popular institution, greeted the arrival of the first "white woman" in town.

The wealthier merchants began rebuilding their business using brick with iron construction materials, the remainder of town was rebuilt of wood and canvas.

According to the 1954 episode "11,000 Miners Can't Be Wrong" of the western anthology series Death Valley Days, Columbia lost out in an 1854 bid to become the permanent California state capitol: When Jim Hardwicke, a respected settler, informs the sheriff that he had killed a man in self-defense, Hardwicke is forced to stand trial.

His lawyer, Ed Barrett and his fiancée develop a bizarre scheme to free his client from the hangman's noose; Barrett steals from a safe in the local bank a petition with 11,000 signatures of persons who at the instigation of the same district attorney want Columbia to be the capital, rewrites the first page to call for a pardon for Hardwicke and appeals to the governor, who is impressed that so many signed.

Copper deposits were found in the area, with the nearby town of Copperopolis experiencing a boom.

In 1862, just days after the Battle of Puebla in Mexico, Columbia was the site of the first official Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

According to a paper published by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture about the origin of the observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States, the modern American focus on that day first started in Columbia in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico.

[8] "Far up in the gold country town of Columbia, California, Mexican miners were so overjoyed at the news that they spontaneously fired off rifle shots and fireworks, sang patriotic songs and made impromptu speeches.

Berkeley's Bancroft Library and 56 additional workers in the field to gather the necessary information to provide for the restoration of the old town.

Known for the huge rock gardens left over from the hydro mining efforts in the 1800s, the area is very popular with families for picnicking and leisurely walks.

The antique buildings are leased to era-themed businesses such as gold-panning, candle-dipping, iron-mongering, and crafts.

A chicken coop with beautiful Dominique hens lends a sweet background sound to Main Street.

There are numerous events throughout the year; some of the notable occasions are the Fourth of July parade and Columbia Diggins 1852.

A few of the more than 100 movies and TV series filmed in Columbia include: In the California State Legislature, Columbia is in the 8th Senate District, represented by Democrat Angelique Ashby, and in the 5th Assembly District, represented by Republican Joe Patterson.

[37] The Columbia Airport, a general aviation airfield located approximately one mile from the city, is home to an aerial firefighting air attack base operated by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) which bases fixed-wing turboprop aircraft as well as a helicopter there.