The county seat and largest community is Columbia,[3] the state capital.

[4] Richland County is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 2020, the center of population of South Carolina was located in Richland County, in the city of Columbia.

[5] The county is also the location of the geographic center of South Carolina, southeast of Columbia.

In 1786, the state legislature decided to move the capital from Charleston to a more central location.

A site was chosen in Richland County, which is in the geographic center of the state, and a new town was laid out.

General William T. Sherman captured Columbia during the Civil War and his troops burned the town and parts of the county on February 17, 1865.

[29] The State of South Carolina execution chamber is located at Broad River.

[30] In March 2008, the Richland County Sheriff's Department acquired an armored personnel carrier equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun.

Public transportation in Richland County is provided by the COMET, or officially the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (CMRTA).

Additionally, COMET offers Dial-a-ride transit (DART), which provides personalized service passengers with disabilities.

[39] The University of South Carolina's transit system, which is maintained by COMET, services an additional 1,000,000 passengers annually.

[40] Columbia has one Amtrak station (CLB) that serves over 30,000 passengers per year on the Silver Star rail line.