Columbus is a city in Colorado County, Texas, United States, 74 miles west of Houston along Interstate 10, on the Colorado River. In 1890, 2,199 people lived in Columbus, Texas; in 1900, there were 1,824 residents. The population was 4,180 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colorado County. The town's motto is "City of Live Oaks and Live Folks", coined by James Harbert Wooten, Jr. , M.D.