Columbus, Georgia, is the closest major city to Fort Benning. Columbus has about 198,000 people, and has the same government and borders as its county, Muscogee County. Other nearby small communities include Chattahoochee County, with a population of about 11,000, and Phenix City, Alabama, with about 33,000. Fort Benning is situated in Muscogee and Chattahoochee Counties, with a slight crossover into Alabama.

It is about 9 miles from downtown (or "uptown" - they're used the same) Columbus to Fort Benning; this takes about 19 minutes to commute.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average one bedroom apartment rent in the Columbus area ranges from $400 to $750 per month, with a median of $575 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Columbus is about $173,000, compared to $225,000 for Georgia.

Short Description of the Area: Columbus is the second largest city in Georgia, and is located on the Chattahoochee River, the border of the Georgia-Alabama state line, just south of the midpoint. Columbia is an industrial city, originally a major river port on the Chattahoochee River fall line; today the main employers are Fort Benning, Aflac, TSYS (a credit card processor) and various healthcare providers.

Climate and Weather: The area has a humid, warm climate, winter temperatures of the high 50s to mid 30s and summer temperatures in the low 90s to low 70s range. The area has wet summers and winters, and slightly drier springs and falls. Snow is unusual, and the city of Columbus is on the "snow line," sometimes with snow in the north, and rain in the south, including Benning. Tornadoes are uncommon, and the area is too far inland to usually suffer hurricane impact worse than a severe storm.