Columbia is a small community in
Tuolumne County, two miles off Hwy 49 north of
Sonora. It was named after a
Native American. The town's old Gold Rush-era business district has been preserved, with shops, restaurants and two hotels. Visitors have the chance to time-travel to the 1850s, imagining life when gold miners rubbed shoulders with businessmen and the other residents in Columbia. Visitors can experience a bygone era watching proprietors in period clothing conduct business in the style of yesterday. There are opportunities to ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, hire a horse for a horseback ride through the "diggins," pan for gold, or tour an active gold mine.
At an elevation of 2,100 feet in the Sierra Nevada, summer days can be hot and evenings can cool down quickly. Winters are rainy, with snow at times.
There is also a Columbia, Maryland.
