Columbia, MD
| Columbia, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| Planned community | |
![The People Tree statue, by Pierre du Fayet, which was dedicated on June 21, 1967.[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PeopleTree.png)
The People Tree statue, by Pierre du Fayet, which was dedicated on June 21, 1967.
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| Motto: "The Next America!" | |
 Location of Columbia, Maryland |
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 Columbia
Columbia
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| Coordinates: 39°12′13″N 76°51′25″W / 39.20361°N 76.85694°W | |
| Country |
 United States of America |
| State |
 Maryland
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| County |
 Howard
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| Founded | June 21, 1967 |
| Founded by | James Rouse |
| Named for | Columbia |
| 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 (2013) | |
| • Total | 103,683 |
| • Density | 3,200/sq mi (1,200/km2) |
| The CDP includes areas not part of Columbia proper as defined by the Columbia Association. | |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC−5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
| ZIP codes | 21044-21046 |
| Area code(s) | 410, 443, 301 |
| FIPS code | 24-19125 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0590002 |
| Highways | I-95, I-70, US 29, MD 32, MD 100, MD 108, MD 175 |
| Website | columbiaassociation |
Columbia is a principal city within the Baltimore metropolitan area, located in Howard County, Maryland. It is a planned community consisting of 10 self-contained villages. 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 has consistently ranked in the top ten of CNN Money's Best Places to Live in America.
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 Bureau. These include several other communities which predate Columbia, including Simpsonville, Atholton, and in the case of the census, part of Clarksville. The census-designated place had a population of 103,683 according to 2013 Census estimates, making it the second most populous community in Maryland after Baltimore.
Columbia's origins come from a crossroads in eastern Howard County formed by the Columbia Turnpike Road Company when it built a road from the Montgomery Courthouse to Baltimore called the "Columbia Road", now known as U.S. Route 29. A small post office at the crossroads of the turnpike and Old Annapolis Road (present-day MD 108) named "Columbia" opened on August 27, 1874, serving a population of 20 residents as late as 1912. Developer and community associations prefer to acknowledge the completion of the first housing project in the 1960s as the foundation of "Columbia".
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Wikipedia