Columbia, Pennsylvania

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Columbia, Pennsylvania
Borough
Columbia–Wrightsville Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Susquehanna River
Flag Logo
Location of Columbia in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Columbia Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Columbia Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°01′59″N 76°29′48″W / 40.03306°N 76.49667°W / 40.03306; -76.49667
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Lancaster
Area [1]
• Total	2.42 sq mi (6.27 km2)
• Land	2.41 sq mi (6.25 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	361 ft (110 m)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	10,207
• Density	4,228.25/sq mi (1,632.61/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	17512
Area code(s)	717 and 223
Website	www.columbiapa.net

Columbia, formerly Wright's Ferry, is a borough (town) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 10,222.^[3] It is 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Harrisburg, on the east (left) bank of the Susquehanna River, across from Wrightsville and York County and just south of U.S. Route 30.

The settlement was founded in 1726 by Colonial English Quakers from Chester County, led by entrepreneur and evangelist John Wright. Establishment of the eponymous Wright's Ferry, the first commercial Susquehanna crossing in the region, inflamed territorial conflict with neighboring Maryland but brought growth and prosperity to the small town, which was just a few votes shy of becoming the new United States' capital.

Though besieged for a short while by Civil War destruction, Columbia remained a lively center of transport and industry throughout the 19th century, and was once the terminus of the Pennsylvania Canal. Later, however, the Great Depression and 20th-century changes in economy and technology sent the borough into economic decline. It is notable today as the site of one of the world's few museums devoted entirely to horology.