For the second time in three years, Columbia, MD placed in the top 10 on the CNN/Money list of Best Places to Live. Now 41 years old, this planned community came in as the 8th Best Place to Live for 2008, after placing 4th in 2006.
Though the CNN/Money list links Columbia to Ellicott City, people in both cities will tell you there's a big difference between them. Ellicott City's history reaches back more than 200 years to 1772 when the three Ellicott brother established a flour mill on the Patapsco River. Their Ellicott's Mills became one of the largest milling towns in the East. Old Ellicott City is now a haven for antique shoppers.
Columbia is the new kid on the block, having been created out of 14,000 acres of farmland in the 1960's. Developer James Rouse envisioned a place where people could live in diverse communities and walk to both work and shopping. Each of the ten villages within Columbia is planned around a village center with shopping and activities. Rouse's vision called for housing in each village to run the gamut from apartments to town homes to individual homes, drawing people of different economic strata together. Starting with just a few "pioneers," Columbia has grown to a city of almost 100,000. The "People Tree", a sculpture that stands by the lake front in Town Center, is probably the most photographed image of Columbia.
Columbia is governed by an elected council of the Columbia Association. Each village sends one representative to the council which is responsible for an annual budget of more than $50 million. The Columbia Association offers an incredible array of recreational and community services, and maintains more than 3,500 acres of open space as well as 3 lakes, parks, tot lots, and more than 93 miles of walking, jogging and biking pathways. As for me, I just love the therapy pool in the Columbia Athletic Center – the water is kept at about 90 degrees, which makes arthritic joints very happy!
Columbia has the advantage of being near enough to both Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD to serve as home base for commuters. And although Howard County, MD has one of the highest median family incomes, the homes here are more affordable than in the Northern Virginia communities that also house commuters to Washington.
Columbia has many quirks, and is going through some challenging times as planning for the next 20 or 30 years is creating spirited discussions between traditionalists and those who see a new era of growth ahead for the city. But I find it encouraging that both sides still seem to recognize and embrace the vision of Jim Rouse of a place where people of all races, religions, and cultures can and do live and work together. I think it's a vision worth keeping alive.
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