♪ The city of Columbia is not just at the geographical center of the state, it's also at the center of governmental and commercial activity.

Affectionately called Soda City.

It's well known for its dedication to the arts, rich history, and southern hospitality.

All of it is best experienced... From the Sky!

♪ Columbia lies in the confluence of the Saluda and Broad Rivers.

Together they form the Congaree River, named after the Native American tribe that first inhabited the land.

Columbia also lies on a fall line, an area where two geographical regions meet.

In Columbia, the Piedmont and Sandhills regions collide and the Broad and Saluda Rivers start to recede and form rapids.

In the past, ships could not navigate any further inland.

However, water coming downstream was strong enough to power mills making it an ideal place for early settlement.

As one of the first planned out cities of the United States, it flourished in the early stages of the new country.

During the last months of the American Civil War, much of the city was burned while being occupied by Union troops under the command of William Sherman.

There's debate on whether the fire was caused by Sherman's troops or retreating confederate soldiers but what's certain is that few buildings survived the inferno.

The South Carolina State House was one of the buildings lost, but fortunately, construction of the new State House was already underway.

The interior of the incomplete State House received most of the damage with the exterior obtaining only a few battle scars.

If you look closely today you can see bronze stars scattered across the State House marking the areas where Sherman's cannons hit.

Rebuilding after the war was a very slow process, but the State House was finally completed in 1903, nearly 50 years after construction began.

Built in a classical revival style, the State House is 180 feet tall, 300 feet long, and is built with native blue granite.

The dome at the top of the State House was added in 1902 and is covered in 44,000 pounds of copper.

That's equivalent to the copper it would take to make nearly 8 million pennies.

Located directly across the street, the Capitol Center sticks out in the Columbia skyline.

At its completion in 1987, it became the tallest building in South Carolina.

Topping out at 349 feet.

The 26-story skyscraper contains over 460,000 square-feet and holds 400 offices.

The modern building exterior is complete with alternating bands of tinted glass and anodized panels attached to a reinforced concrete frame.

The tower was built at the same site as the Wade Hampton Hotel, which was demolished in 1985.

The Capitol Center was a part of Columbia's economic boom in the 1970's and 80's which saw a rise in skyscrapers across the metropolitan area.

Every day, nearly 1,000 people come to work here for elite economic development groups in both the public and private sectors.

Visible for miles outside of the city, it remains a distinct icon of downtown Columbia.

An old slogan of South Carolina is Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places.

The city of Columbia is a benchmark of that slogan.

The famously hot city rich with history is only outshined by its charm as we see it... From the Sky!

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