Columbia sits in the center of South Carolina as the state capital, where the Broad and Saluda rivers join to form the Congaree. The South Carolina State House, with its copper dome, anchors downtown, and the University of South Carolina brings students, sports, and research to the city. Riverfront Park gives residents trails along the Congaree, and Riverbanks Zoo and Garden draws families to its animal exhibits and botanical grounds. Congaree National Park, with its old growth floodplain forest, lies nearby, and the city's nickname, Soda City, comes from an old shortening of its name.