Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Its county seat is Lake City, Florida. Columbia County was created in 1832 and was named for Christopher Columbus, the famous explorer. Columbia County has a total area of approximately 801square miles of which 99% is land and 1% water. As of the 2000 census, there were 56,513 people, 20,925 households, and 14,919 families residing in Columbia County, FL.