Columbia, Maryland Real Estate

With Merriweather Post Pavillion providing entertainment, Columbia, Maryland has become a destination for concert fans!

Although it has a population of just over 100,000, Columbia isn’t the typical small city. Columbia, which is located in Howard County, is a planned community comprised of ten villages.

Although it’s the second most populous community in Maryland, after Baltimore, its design gives it the feel of a small town. Columbia consistently ranks very high on Money magazine’s rankings of best places to live in the US, reaching #2 in 2010 and #8 in 2008 and 2012.

Columbia’s Demographics

Because it’s unincorporated, Columbia is what’s known as a [census-designated place](census-designated place). Columbia’s boundaries are somewhat fluid, but according to a 2013 U.S. Census estimate, it has a population of about 103,683. Its median family income is just under $100,000.

Columbia is made up of ten villages, which each contain two to five distinct neighborhoods. The villages and their neighborhoods are:

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

Education in Columbia

Columbia’s public schools are a part of the Howard County School District. Howard County School District is one of the top-performing school districts in Maryland. The district operates 41 elementary schools, 20 middle schools, and 12 high schools. The high schools that serve Columbia include:

• Atholton High School
• Centennial High School
• Hammond High School
• Howard High School
• Long Reach High School
• Oakland Mills High School
• River Hill High School
• Wilde Lake High School
  

  Things to do in Columbia

  Columbia was planned with recreation in mind. The homeowners association, the Columbia Association, operates many of the city’s recreational facilities. These include 23 outdoor swimming pools, six indoor pools, waterslides, skating rinks, miniature golf, and much more.

  Columbia was built with three lakes, Lake Elkhorn, Lake Kittamaqundi, and Wilde Lake. The lakes are surrounded by parks, 80 miles of walking and biking paths, and nearly 150 play areas.

  The Mall in Columbia offers five department stores, more than 200 other stores and restaurants, and a multiplex theater. Columbia’s village centers also have shopping available.

  With a mix of outdoor recreation and indoor activities, Columbia has something for everyone.