The downtown waterfront is the center of local activities, including fairs, food festivals, outdoor movies, free concerts and of course, fireworks on the fourth of July!  Columbia offers commuters to Washington DC or Baltimore many options for their commutes.  There are commuter bus services available as well as the MARC commuter rail system.  There are three international airports within a short drive from Columbia, with BWI only being about a 20 minute drive.  Providing convenient access to Annapolis, the Chesapeake Bay, and beach resorts, Columbia is a wonderful place to live!






Ellicott City
Ellicott City is the county seat for Howard County, and is a wonderful mixture of modern and historic.  Four years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Ellicott’s Mills was founded in 1772 by three Quaker brothers, John, Andrew and Joseph Ellicott, when they chose this beautiful location on the Patapsco River to establish a flour mill.  The brothers impacted the area by convincing the local farmers to switch their crops from tobacco to wheat, and introducing the concept of fertilizing the tired soil.  The first terminus of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad outside of Baltimore was built here (it still stands, and is currently serving as a museum).  In 1867 a city charter was secured and the name was changed to Ellicott City.

You may remember the story of “Tom Thumb” from your American History.  Peter Cooper wanted to prove that steam could work for the railroad.  He created the first American built locomotive (using spare parts he had on hand), and named it Tom Thumb.  On August 28, 1830, he made the 26 mile roundtrip from Baltimore to Ellicott’s Mills, pulling a carload of journalists and directors, sometimes reaching the breakneck speed of 18 miles per hour!  On its return trip from Ellicott’s Mills the Tom Thumb was challenged to a race by a horse-drawn car on the opposite track.  The steam engine lost the race (due to mechanical failure), but it proved that steam engines were indeed the future for the railroad!

Ellicott City boasts a downtown core that has been fully revitalized and offers fine dining, and custom shopping.  If you tire of malls and chain stores, Historic Ellicott City offers unique shops with personality and charm.   If you love “antiquing”, then this is a great place to do it!  But if your tastes run to the more modern, then you will find modern shopping centers as well, with large fashion malls such as the Mall at Columbia, the White Marsh Mall, and the Towson Shopping Center all in an easy drive.

Ellicott City is famous for its ghosts, and offers fun and exciting ghost tours in the Fall.  In the summer be sure to catch a production of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company at the ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute.  You can bring your own picnic and blanket and enjoy a wonderful evening of top class entertainment under the stars!






Silver Spring
Located just north of Washington DC, Silver Spring received its name when Francis Preston Blair (who came to the area in 1840 to publish a newspaper supporting President Andrew Jackson) was riding on horseback with his daughter Elizabeth.  They came upon a silver sparkling spring, sparkling because of the flecks of mica in the water.  They were enchanted with the site, and built their 20 room summer home on 250 acres of land there two years later, calling it “Silver Spring.”

Over the years Silver Spring has changed and adapted as times changed.  It is now a diverse community, spread out over a large area, and encompasses city life as well as modern day suburbia.  The downtown area has been undergoing an extensive revitalization, and now includes plenty of parking, as well as premier dining, shopping, office and residential space.
Silver Spring is the third largest community in Maryland, after Baltimore and Columbia, and it is a suburb of Washington DC.  Ethnically diverse, it is the largest city in Montgomery County.  Downtown offers a variety of restaurants in a charming setting. 

You can find many things to do, here in Silver Spring.  Of course there is shopping downtown, but if you tire of shopping here, then the Montgomery Mall, White Flint Mall, and the Mall at Columbia are just short drives away.  You are close to sport venues of all sorts – it’s just a 45 minute drive to Camden Yards in Baltimore if you want to watch the Orioles play!  Or take the Metro to the catch the Wizards at the MCI Center in DC.  And, of course, you are close to the home of the Maryland Terps!  If you are into gardening, there is the fabulous free Brookside Gardens: a beautiful 50 acre public garden, located within Wheaton Regional Park.  They offer free workshops and classes, too!

Don’t forget about the Delaware and Maryland Beaches that are about three hours away.  Enjoy the sun and the surf at Ocean City, Rehobath, Assateague Island, and the many other shore communities, within a close distance.