Columbia is the state capital and largest city of South Carolina. As of 2006, estimates for the population of the city proper is 122,819 [1]. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a small portion of the city extends into Lexington County. The city is the center of a rapidly growing metro area of over 700,000. The city's name is derived from a poetic name for America, based on the name of Christopher Columbus, the use of the moniker being first attributed to poet Phillis Wheatley according to popular legend (see Historical Columbia).