Howard County, Maryland
Columbia Real Estate and Local Guide
Columbia is a planned community founded in 1967 by developer James Rouse, organized into ten self-contained villages designed to reduce sprawl and racial, religious, and class segregation. Ranked Realty pairs verified local data with the agents who know Columbia best.
About the area
Living in Columbia, MD
Maryland's second-most-populous community, after Baltimore.
The housing market
Homes in Columbia
- About 65% of housing units are owner-occupied.
- About 40% of homes are detached single-family houses, with many townhomes and apartments in the mix.
- The median home value is about $480,300.
Landmarks and lifestyle
What makes Columbia home
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Outdoor concert amphitheater that opened in 1967 and hosts major touring acts
Lake Kittamaqundi
Man-made lake at Town Center featuring the People Tree sculpture
The Mall in Columbia
Major regional shopping center at Columbia Town Center
Lake Elkhorn
Man-made lake with a loop path in the Owen Brown village
Middle Patuxent Environmental Area
Protected forest and wildlife preserve on the community's western side
Neighborhoods
Columbia areas to know
Wilde Lake
The original village, opened in 1967
Harper's Choice
One of Columbia's ten villages
Oakland Mills
Eastern village home to the historic Oakland Manor
Long Reach
One of Columbia's ten villages
Owen Brown
Village containing Lake Elkhorn
Town Center
Downtown village with Lake Kittamaqundi and The Mall in Columbia
Hickory Ridge
Western village home to Howard Community College and Howard County General Hospital
Kings Contrivance
One of Columbia's ten villages
For agents
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Local facts on this page are verified against public sources as part of the AppWT local-data project. Data reflects the most recent available figures.