Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and
census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland,
United States. The population was 56,397 at the 2000
census. It is the county seat of Howard County.[1]
Founded in 1772, the town features a Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Station Museum (with a station built in 1831),
as well as a downtown historic district that is a
popular destination among antiques shoppers. As of the
2000 Census, Ellicott City surpassed Towson, Maryland as
the largest unincorporated county seat in the state. In
July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Ellicott
City 20th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in
the United States. In July 2006, CNN/Money and Money
magazine ranked Ellicott City/Columbia 4th on its list of
the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States.
Ellicott City, Maryland is listed amongst America's most
affluent communities and Howard County is ranked third
richest in the United States by the U.S. Census
Bureau.[2]
The downtown area is often called "Historic Ellicott
City" or "Old Ellicott City", to distinguish it from the
unincorporated area that extends north to the Baltimore
County line, south to Columbia, and west to West
Friendship.
Columbia is a census-designated place and
planned community in Howard County, Maryland,
United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore and,
to a lesser degree, Washington, DC. 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, not just in terms of
economics and engineering. Opened in 1967,
Columbia was designed to not only eliminate the
inconveniences of then-current subdivision
design, but also eliminate racial, religious,
and income segregation.
Today, Columbia has a population of about 94,600
(making it the largest unincorporated community
in Maryland). By the early 2000s, the town had
acquired many of the characteristics of other
contemporary U.S. suburbs, such as increasingly
large private homes on large parcels and
"big-box" retail stores accessible mostly by
automobile. Nevertheless, Rouse's ethos remains
a strong influence upon the physical and
political development of Columbia.
