Columbia, Maryland

Columbia, Maryland
Census-designated place
The People Tree statue, long used as a symbol of Columbia
Location of Columbia, Maryland
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Howard
Area
• Total	32.2 sq mi (83.4 km2)
• Land	31.9 sq mi (82.7 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation	407 ft (124 m)
Population  (2010)The CDP includes areas not part of Columbia proper as defined by the Columbia Association.
• Total	99,615
• Density	3,100/sq mi (1,200/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	21044-21046
Area code(s)	410, 443, 301
FIPS code	24-19125
GNIS feature ID	0590002

Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, rather than merely economics and engineering. Opened in 1967, Columbia was intended to not only eliminate the inconveniences of then-current subdivision design, but also eliminate racial, religious, and class segregation.

Columbia proper consists only of that territory governed by the Columbia Association, but larger areas are included under its name by the U.S. Postal Service and the census. These include several other communities which predate Columbia, including Simpsonville, Atholton, and in the case of the census, Clarksville. The census-designated place had a population of 99,615 in 2010, making it the most populous community in Maryland after Baltimore.

History

In 1962, Community Research and Development board member Melvin Berman took interest in a 1,032 acre parcel of land assembled by land developer Robert Moxley comprising four farm properties from the Carroll, Kahler, Wix, and his uncle James R. Moxley Sr's families. Close to 15,000 acres were desired to create a parcel large enough for an envisioned 100,000 person development. Rouse's attorney Jack Jones set up a grid system to secretly buy land through dummy corporations to keep costs low. Moxley's firm Security Realty Company (now Security Development Group Inc), negotiated most of the land deals for Jones, becoming his best client. CRD accumulated 14,178 acres (57.38 km²), 10 percent of Howard County (located between Baltimore and Washington), from 140 separate owners. The $19,122,622 acquisition was funded by Connecticut General Life Insurance, at an average price of $1,500 per acre ($0.37/m²). In October 1963, the acquisition was revealed to the residents of Howard County, putting to rest rumors about the mysterious purchases. These had included theories that the site was to become a medical research laboratory or a giant compost heap.

At this unveiling, James Rouse described Columbia as a planned new city which would avoid the leap-frog and spot development threatening the county. The new city would be complete with jobs, schools, shopping, and medical services, and a range of housing choices. Property taxes from commercial development would cover the additional services with which housing would burden the county. The urban planning process for Columbia included not only planners, but also a convened panel of nationally recognized experts in the social sciences, known as the Work Group. Meeting for two days, twice a month, for half a year, the Work Group suggested innovations for planners in education, recreation, religion, and health care, as well as ways of improving social interactions. Columbia's open classrooms, interfaith centers, and the then-novel idea of a health maintenance organization (HMO) with a group practice of medical doctors (the Columbia Medical Plan) sprung from these meetings. The community's physical plan, with neighborhood and village centers, was also decided. Columbia's "New Town District" zoning ordinance gave developers great flexibility about what to put where, without requiring county approval for each specific project.

Columbia was never incorporated; some governance, however, is provided by the Columbia Association, which manages common areas and functions as a homeowner association with regard to private property. The first manager of the Columbia Association was John Estabrook Slayton (d. 1967). For Slayton's contributions to the early planning of Columbia, the community center in the Wilde Lake village, Slayton House, was named for him. Wilde Lake was the first village area to be developed in Columbia; accordingly, the town's first high school was Wilde Lake High School, which opened in 1971 as a "model school for the nation". Constructed in the open classroom style, it was razed in 1994, but reconstructed on the same site in 1996.

Two historic buildings in Columbia, Dorsey Hall and Woodlawn, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Both were once homes of prominent Howard County citizens.

Master plan

To achieve the goals set forth by the Work Group, Columbia's Master Plan called for a series of ten self-contained villages, around which day-to-day life would revolve. The centerpiece of Columbia would be The Mall in Columbia and man-made Lake Kittamaqundi.

Villages and neighborhoods

The village concept is aimed to provide Columbia a small-town feel (like Easton, Maryland, where James Rouse grew up). Each village comprises several neighborhoods. The village center may contain middle and high schools. All villages have a shopping center, recreational facilities, a community center, a system of bike/walking paths, and homes. Four of the villages have interfaith centers, common worship facilities which are owned and jointly operated by a variety of religious congregations working together.

Most of Columbia's neighborhoods contain single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and apartments, though some are more exclusive than others. The original plan, following the neighborhood concept of Clarence Perry, would have had all the children of a neighborhood attend the same school, melding neighborhoods into a community and ensuring that all of Columbia's children get the same high-quality education.

• Village – Neighborhoods (in rough order of opening)
  • Wilde Lake – Bryant Woods, Faulkner Ridge, Running Brook, The Birches
  • Harper's Choice – Longfellow, Swansfield, Hobbit's Glen
  • Oakland Mills – Thunder Hill, Talbott Springs, Stevens Forest
  • Long Reach – Phelps Luck, Jeffers Hill, Locust Park, Kendall Ridge
  • Owen Brown – Dasher Green, Elkhorn, Hopewell
  • Hickory Ridge – Clemens Crossing, Hawthorn, Clary's Forest
  • Dorsey's Search – Dorsey Hall, Fairway Hills
  • Kings Contrivance – Dickinson, Huntington, Macgill's Common
  • River Hill – Pheasant Ridge, Pointers Run
  • Town Center – Vantage Point, Banneker, Amesbury, Creighton's Run, and Warfield Triangle

Columbia takes its street names from famous works of art and literature: for example, the neighborhood of Hobbit's Glen takes its street names from the work of J. R. R. Tolkien; Running Brook, from the poetry of Robert Frost; and Clemens Crossing, from the work of Mark Twain. The book Oh, you must live in Columbia! chronicles the artistic, poetic, and historical origins of the street and place names in Columbia.

Columbia today

In 2006, Money magazine ranked Columbia (together with Ellicott City, its neighbor to the north) #4 out of the 100 "Best Places to Live" in the United States. In 2008, Columbia and Ellicott City were ranked #8 on this list. In 2010, Columbia and Ellicott City were ranked #2 on this list. In 2012, Columbia and Ellicott City were ranked #8 on this list.

Education and libraries

Columbia's public schools are operated by the Howard County Public School System, which has its headquarters in Columbia. As of the 2007–2008 school year, the following high schools served some part of Columbia:

• Atholton [2]
• Hammond [3]
• Howard [4]
• Long Reach [5]
• Oakland Mills [6]
• River Hill [7]
• Wilde Lake [8]

Almost all of these schools also serve students from outside Columbia, as is also the case with some middle and elementary schools.

There are no conventional four-year colleges or universities in Columbia, but several other college-level programs have facilities there. Howard Community College is located near the town center, while the University of Phoenix, American Career Institute, Lincoln College of Technology, Loyola University Maryland and Johns Hopkins University have facilities on the east side of town.

Howard County Library is consistently top rated among the nation’s public library systems according to Hennen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR). Two of the six branches of the Howard County public library system are in Columbia, including the Central Branch in Town Center and the East Columbia Branch in Owen Brown.

Health

Medical care is available in the recently renovated Howard County General Hospital, affiliated with Baltimore's famous Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Columbia Medical Plan was the city's largest health maintenance organization (HMO). In more recent years, however, this plan has divided into separate medical groups that simply share the Twin Knolls buildings. Today, there is a Kaiser Permanente facility located in the Columbia Gateway industrial park. There are also a number of clinics, such as the Righttime Medical Care center and Patient First.

Shopping

The Mall in Columbia is a large regional shopping mall with five anchor department stores (Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Sears, Macy's, and JCPenney) and over 200 stores and restaurants. Also containing a 14-screen AMC movie theater, an L.L.Bean retail store, a Cheesecake Factory restaurant, and a Bank of America, in an outside extension area, the mall is a societal center for the community and is located in Town Center.

There are several other major shopping centers in the Columbia area, including Snowden Square, Columbia Crossing I and II, Dobbin Center, and Gateway Overlook.

Columbia's nine "village centers" provide residents with nearby shopping as well, often including supermarkets, gas stations, liquor stores, dry cleaners, restaurants, and hair salons. The village centers are laid out so that individual stores are not visible from the road, unlike traditional strip malls. The arrangement is criticized because it makes it difficult for newcomers and non-residents to know what shopping is available; it is praised for eliminating much of the garishness of roadside America.

The village centers have evolved over time. The Oakland Mills Village Center had a traditional Village Center layout—stores located off a central corridor—until its demolition in the late 1990s. It has since been replaced with a more traditional strip mall. The Kings Contrivance Village Center underwent major construction in 2007 and 2008 when a new Harris Teeter supermarket was added to the center, but maintained the original character of stores around a central corridor and plaza.

Economy

James Rouse conceived of a city, not a suburban bedroom community, and a large area on the eastern edge was allocated for industrial purposes. The centerpiece of this aspect of the development was a General Electric appliance plant on a 1,125-acre (4.55 km²) site. This plant began operations in 1972 and was closed in 1990, with all but 21 acres (85,000 m²) of the property being sold back to HRD. After toxic waste remediation, one section was redeveloped for big box retail; the remainder became the large Gateway Commerce office complex, still being expanded. There is still a smaller industrial area to the south of this, but by and large East Columbia is dominated by commercial real estate: office, retail, and wholesale. This is somewhat in contrast to the original plan, which saw the Town Center area as the commercial center of Columbia.

The U.S. federal government is the source of many jobs for Columbians. Several large U.S. Department of Defense installations and R&D facilities surround Columbia, the largest being the National Security Agency at Fort George G. Meade, and the Applied Physics Laboratory, both pre-dating the establishment of Columbia. Companies which have had research facilities in the area include W.R. Grace and Company and Westvaco. Further afield, many Columbians commute to government and government contractor jobs in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area.

Companies based in Columbia include W.R. Grace and Company, Sourcefire, PetMeds, MICROS Systems, Martek Biosciences, Integral Systems, Corporate Office Properties Trust and the consumer research company Arbitron. When MaggieMoo's was an independent company, its headquarters was in the Columbia CDP.

Recreation

Recreation has always been an important part of the Columbia concept. The homeowners association, the Columbia Association, known to Columbians as "CA," builds, operates and maintains most of these facilities. CA operates a variety of recreational facilities, including 23 outdoor swimming pools, six indoor pools, two water slides, ice and roller skating rinks, an equestrian center, a sports park with miniature golf, a skateboard park, batting cages, picnic pavilions, clubhouse and playground, three athletic clubs including the 24/7 Supreme Sports Club, numerous indoor and outdoor tennis, basketball, volleyball, squash and racquetball courts, and running tracks. In February, 2006, LifeTime Fitness (a Minnesota company) opened a 24/7 health club at the edge of the Columbia Gateway industrial park. This facility includes one outdoor and two indoor pools (with water slides), racquetball courts, basketball courts, fitness equipment, and pilates and yoga facilities.

There are three lakes (Lake Kittamaqundi, Lake Elkhorn, and Wilde Lake) surrounded by parkland for sailing, fishing, and boating; 80 miles (130 km) of paths for jogging, strolling and biking; and 148 tot lots and play areas.

Nine village centers, 15 neighborhood centers, and four senior centers provide space for a large variety of community activities. There are a variety of fairs and celebrations throughout the year, including entertainment on the lakefront of Lake Kittamaqundi during the summer and the Columbia Festival of the Arts.

Columbia also has garden plots for rent, under the guidance of the Columbia Gardeners, which has been in existence since the 1970s. There are about 350 garden plots at three sites in Columbia, with each garden rented for a nominal fee (currently $30 per year). (Columbia Flyer, Doug Miller "Turning over a new leaf could be growing concern", May 31, 2007, page 17)

The Rev3 Triathlon is held every October in Columbia. It is a major national event, both half iron and full ironman distances.

Entertainment/performing arts

In the absence of nightclubs, Columbia relies on local bars to bring in bands. Clyde's (near the Columbia Mall and on Lake Kittamaqundi), Sonoma's (in Owen Brown), along with Nottingham's Tavern and The Green Turtle (near Dobbin Center) regularly bring in groups to perform.

Merriweather Post Pavilion, a well-known outdoor concert venue, attracts many prominent performers. In addition, there are several performing arts organizations that present professional theater, including Toby's Dinner Theatre, which has produced the area premieres of several musicals.

Transportation

Columbia's initial plan called for a minibus system connecting the village centers on a distinct right-of-way. This was never constructed, though minibuses were operated by the Columbia Association under the name ColumBus. These were eventually taken over by Howard County. Six Howard Transit bus routes now serve Columbia and connect it with its neighboring areas (such as Ellicott City and BWI Airport), while several Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) routes provide access to and from both Washington and Baltimore. MTA weekday commuter bus service connects Columbia to the Washington Metro system. There are no rail stations within Columbia, although the Dorsey MARC Train station is served by Howard Transit buses.

Columbia has a number of roadways that serve the city: U.S. Route 29, Interstate 95, MD 32, MD 108, MD 100, and MD 175. All of these highways allow Columbia access to nearby Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Annapolis.

Geography

The center of Columbia is located at 39°12.5′N 76°52′W. However, because it is unincorporated, there is confusion over its exact limits. On the strictest definition, Columbia consists only of the land governed under covenants by the Columbia Association. This is a considerably smaller area than the census-designated place (CDP) as defined by the United States Census Bureau, which has a total area of 32.2 square miles (83.4 km²), of which 31.9 square miles (82.7 km²) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (0.80%) is water. The CDP includes a number of older communities which do not lie within the CA's purview, including the Holiday Hills, Diamondback, and Allview subdivisions and the former town of Simpsonville, as well as some land on the east side of Clarksville. These areas are not part of the "new town", and are not directly served by its amenities. Some of these areas are included in Columbia ZIP codes by the post office, and some are not.

The city lies in the Piedmont region of Maryland, with its eastern edge at the fall line. The climate is that of central Maryland, tending to hot, humid summers and cold but wet winters. The primary landforms in Columbia are rolling hills and stream valleys; Columbia's road network is laid out to follow the terrain, with many winding streets and cul-de-sacs. Elevations range from about 200 to 500 feet (61 to 152 m) above sea level. Most of Columbia is drained by the Middle Patuxent and Little Patuxent rivers. There are three artificial lakes, created by damming of tributary streams during city construction. Along with Symphony Woods, many other stands of mature trees have been maintained in Columbia, including the large Middle Patuxent Environmental Area in the western part of the city between Harper's Choice and River Hill villages, protecting much of the river valley from development.

Climate

Columbia has a humid subtropical climate, with brisk winters and hot, muggy summers.

Climate data for Columbia, MD
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	42 (6)	46 (8)	55 (13)	66 (19)	75 (24)	84 (29)	88 (31)	87 (31)	79 (26)	68 (20)	58 (14)	46 (8)	66 (19)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	25 (−4)	27 (−3)	35 (2)	44 (7)	55 (13)	64 (18)	69 (21)	68 (20)	60 (16)	48 (9)	38 (3)	29 (−2)	47 (8)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.16 (80)	3.14 (80)	4.10 (104)	3.81 (97)	4.56 (116)	4.23 (107)	4.05 (103)	3.43 (87)	4.60 (117)	3.98 (101)	4.21 (107)	3.77 (96)	47.04 (1,195)
Source:

Demographics

NOTE: The CDP includes considerable areas which are not part of the planned community.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 88,254 people, 34,199 households, and 23,118 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,202.0 people per square mile (1,236.4/km²). There were 35,281 housing units at an average density of 1,280.0 per square mile (494.3/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 66.52% White, 21.47% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 7.30% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.63% from other races, and 2.76% from two or more races. 4.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1970	8,815		—
1980	52,518		495.8%
1990	75,883		44.5%
2000	88,254		16.3%
2010	99,615		12.9%

There were 34,199 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the CDP was $94,966, and the median income for a family was $107,210. [9] Males had a median income of $60,498 versus $41,501 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $32,833. About 3.4% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sister cities

Columbia is a sister city to the planned cities of Cergy-Pontoise, France and Tres Cantos, Spain. Columbia Association organizes a summer exchange program for French and Spanish students enrolled in Howard County Public Schools.

Notable inhabitants

• Stephen Amidon, author, whose 2000 novel, The New City, is set in a fictionalized Columbia in the 1970s
• Bob Beaumont (1932–2011), founder of Citicar, an electric automobile manufacturer from 1974 to 1977.
• Jayson Blair, disgraced former New York Times reporter
• Zach Brown, linebacker for the NFL's Tennessee Titans
• Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize winning author
• Frank Cho, creator of Liberty Meadows comic strip
• George Colligan, New York–based jazz pianist
• Cristeta Comerford, White House Executive Chef
• D'Monroe, Broadway and Off-Broadway actor
• Mary Downing Hahn, award-winning author of young adult literature
• Greg Hawkes, keyboardist for new wave band The Cars
• David Hobby, professional photographer and author of the Strobist.com lighting blog
• Stephen Hunter, Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic and author
• Kerry G. Johnson, award winning caricaturist, cartoonist and children's book illustrator
• Dan Charnas, journalist and author of "The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop"
• Ian Jones-Quartey, creator of the webcomic RPG World
• JJ Kincaid, New York City radio personality, got his start DJing at the Columbia Ice Rink
• Laura Lippman, award-winning mystery author
• Suzanne Malveaux, CNN reporter
• Aaron Maybin, American football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League
• Aaron McGruder, animator and cartoonist (The Boondocks)
• Edward Norton, Academy Award–nominated actor and grandson of James Rouse, made his professional debut at age 8 at Toby's Dinner Theatre in the Town Center
• Randy Pausch, professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, author of The Last Lecture
• Elise Ray, Olympic gymnast
• James W. Rouse, urban planner, real estate developer and philanthropist; grandfather of actor Edward Norton
• Christian Siriano, fashion designer and winner of the fourth season of Project Runway (born in Columbia)
• Dave Sitek, guitarist and music producer, best known as a member of the band TV on the Radio
• Linda Tripp, central figure in the Monica Lewinsky scandal
• Terry Virts, astronaut
• Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE inventor of the jet engine
• Void (band), punk band on Dischord Records

Further Expansion

"The Downtown Columbia Plan" is an amendment to the County's General Plan of expansion. It is a framework for the revitalization of Downtown Columbia over the next thirty years. Development plans for Downtown projects in the years ahead will include details for that project such as neighborhood design guidelines, environmental restoration, public amenities and infrastructure. These development plans must adhere to the framework of the Downtown Columbia Plan as required by the zoning legislation. Over the life of the Downtown Columbia development project, as much as 13 million square feet of retail, commercial, residential, hotel and cultural development is planned To be accomplished in three phases, the plan calls for:

Up to 5,500 residential units, 4.3 milion square feet of commercial office space, 1.25 million square feet of retail space, 640 hotel rooms, Merriweather Post Pavilion redevelopment and Multi-model transportation system.

The Downtown Columbia Plan also has sustainability features, including goals for saving water and energy, and for ecology and livability. Green technologies and building standards will be utilized.

Further reading

• Joseph Rocco Mitchell and David L. Stebenne, New City Upon A Hill: A History of Columbia, Maryland (The History Press, 2007)
• Missy Burke, Robin Emrich and Barbara Kellner, Oh, you must live in Columbia: The origins of place names in Columbia, Maryland (2008) [10]
• Barbara Kellner, Columbia – Images of America [11]

External links

• Columbia Association, Inc.
• Columbia Archives
• Columbia Maryland
• 2006 Money Magazine's 4th Best Place to Live in the US
• 2012 Money Magazine's 8th Best Place to Live in the US
• Stephen Amidon talks to Kojo Nnamdi about growing up in Columbia in the 1970s [12]