Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi that lies primarily east, but also north and northeast of the Tombigbee River also referred to as the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway [4]. It is approximately 146 miles (235 km) northeast of Jackson, 92 miles (148 km) north of Meridian, 63 miles (101 km) south of Tupelo, 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and 120 miles (193 km) west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census. The population was 23,640 at the 2010 census. The population in 2012 was estimated to be 23,452. It is the county seat of Lowndes County and the principal city of the Columbus Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Columbus-West Point Combined Statistical Area.