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The brief on Columbia’s nicknames

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Photo by @christophertcarson

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The Capital City, Cola, Soda City, The River Citywe’ve all heard the nicknames but do you actually know where they came from? We’ve done some digging and have the full lowdown on Columbia’s most popular nicknames.

Cola

A short + sweet abbreviation of Columbia.

The abbreviation was first created by the US Postal Service.

Soda City

While it seems like this nickname has little to do with Columbia, its origin is quite simple. It stems from “Cola”, another word for soda, and caught on quite quickly.

Read more about Soda City market coining the term.

River City

This nickname comes from the three rivers – the Saluda, Broad + Congaree – that converge in the heart of Columbia.

The Capital City

This one may be obvious, but as Columbia is the capital of S.C., this nickname was rightfully earned.

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