Columbia, home to the University of Missouri, is centrally located between Kansas City and St. Louis and within easy reach of the recreational Lake of the Ozarks and the rivers of the Ozark foothills.  The college community of approximately 90,000 offers an unusual combination of rural and metropolitan experiences.
Home to eight hospitals and more than 700 practicing physicians, health care is the dominant industry in Columbia with one in five employed residents working in a health-related profession.  Columbia also has one of the highest rates of physicians per capita in the nation. Higher education and the insurance industry are also major employers in the area.




 

Columbia has been listed among the top 20 US cities to live in several national rankings based on the community's low cost of living; its stable, service-oriented economy; crime rate; and the availability of affordable housing and outstanding health care. Columbia's excellent public schools, its weather, and its leisure and cultural activities were also highly rated in the assessment.