Many of the first Columbia settlers in the early 1960s were lured by the promise of racial and economic integration and a strong sense of community intended to foster personal growth.
But 40 years later, what brings new residents to Columbia and keeps those founding pioneers there?
“It?s very livable,” said Doug Godine, general manager of Columbia at General Growth Property Inc., which owns much of the land in Town Center.
More than a third of the town is still open spaces of parks, paths and lakes, he said. Although it?s not as pedestrian-friendly as originally intended, the design of 10 villages, each with about 10,000 people, is manageable for residents.
Perhaps one of the biggest draws is the school system. Howard County schools are consistently ranked as a top school district in the state based on school assessments.
Columbia?s founders saw education as “central to the life of their community,” and schools were designed to encourage parental involvement, according to David Stebenne and Joseph Mitchell, authors of “New City Upon a Hill.”
Columbia and all of Howard County also are known as some of the safest communities in the area. There have been three murders in Howard so far this year. There were four in 2006.
Twenty miles away, Baltimore City counted 275 murders last year and is well past the century mark this year.
For others, the inclusiveness remains a welcoming factor. Megan Wiley Rivera, who lives in Town Center, moved back with her husband, who is Puerto Rican. She said the racial diversity was important, and it is a piece of the initial vision the town has retained.
The People Tree, a sculpture on the Lakefront Plaza in Town Center, has come to symbolize Columbia. With progressive ideas and sense of service and community, the residents are what make the town unique, said Amy Levitt, of River Hill, who grew up in Wilde Lake.
“It?s about the people and putting down roots,” Levittsaid.
Columbia also has become known for its cultural events. Merriweather Post Pavilion opened in 1967 and has drawn big-name acts from The Who to Madonna. For 15 years, the pavilion?s Symphony Woods has been host to the Wine in the Woods festival, bringing thousands of locals to taste regional wines.
The summer event, Columbia Festival of the Arts, is now in its 20th year of hosting a wide array of performances.
And there are the sports clubs, such as the Soccer Association of Columbia, which boasts thousands of players and perhaps explains why Sports Illustrated once wrote that Columbia “arguably is the heartland of U.S. soccer.”
Not every element of the vision for Columbia has endured. A dearth of affordable housing, the need for more walking paths between villages and a looming question of how to redevelop Town Center hang over Columbia as it celebrates 40 years.
But the town seems to retain the original vision of founder James Rouse.
“It will never be a conventional suburb,” Stebenne said. “There are features that are distinctive that will endure.”
