Columbia is a master-planned community situated in central Maryland, with an average walking score of 33 and 99.615 inhabitants. Developed in the 1960s, it is composed of 10 villages, each with stringent rules for housing maintenance, such as the length of time occupants can keep Christmas decorations and the colors they can paint their houses. The area is also racially diverse, with 55% white, 26% black, 13% Asian and 9% Latino residents. To promote interaction between neighbors, the development's mailboxes are clustered together and neighborhoods are connected by walking trails.
During a typical summer, the city's 23 community pools are popular hangouts. Columbia planners have also set aside nearly a quarter of the city's land for open space. The urban planning process included not only planners, but also a convened panel of nationally recognized social science experts, known as the Working Group. As the third largest town in Columbia, around 11,000 residents have chosen to settle in the Kings Contrivance area. Inaugurated in 1967, Columbia intended not only to eliminate the drawbacks of the subdivision design in force at the time, but also to eradicate racial, religious, and class segregation. The Columbia Mall is located in the center of the city and is a large regional mall with three main department stores (Nordstrom, Macy's, and JCPenney), a multiplex movie theater, and more than 200 stores and restaurants.
There are also exclusive boutiques and other major competing malls in eastern Columbia such as the Dobbin Center Shopping Center (opened in 1983), Snowden Square (in what is left of GE's industrial plant), Columbia Crossing I and II (began in 1997), and Gateway Overlook. The Columbia Medical Plan was founded in 1967 as a health maintenance organization (HMO) available to the citizens of Columbia. Howard Community College is located near the city center, while other educational institutions such as the University of Phoenix, American Career Institute, Lincoln College of Technology, Loyola University of Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Maryland University of Integrative Health and Johns Hopkins University have facilities on the east side of the city. If you're looking for your ideal home in Columbia, contact The Bob & Ronna Group of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices with Maryland Real Estate Advantage by calling (4) 465-4440 to get in touch with a Columbia real estate agent who can help you find the perfect place for you.
