Howard County

No question, the centerpiece of Howard County is the 230 year old mill town of historic Old Ellicott City. Its quaint Main Street is lined with dozens of shops, cafes and restaurants. At the foot of Main Street sits the restored B&O Railroad Station. Built in 1831, it is the oldest railroad terminal in the US. At the other end of the town is the Firehouse Museum and Thomas Isaac’s Log Cabin, the county’s oldest structure.

Ellicott City, sitting on the Patapsco River, was founded in 1772 by 3 Quaker brothers and originally named Ellicott’s Mills. In 1830, the Old Main Line of the B&O Railroad was built to the town from Baltimore and originally consisted of horse drawn cars.

Early pioneers began their trek west on “The National Road” that runs through Ellicott City and also served as a shipping route for the Ellicott mills. In 1868, a flood destroyed much of the town. Floods and hurricanes (including Hurricane Agnes in 1972) have wrecked havoc on this small town over the years but its citizens have always pulled together and re-built their town and today it is a thriving community.

In the southeastern part of the county is Elkridge. Once a colonial port, it is home to The Thomas Viaduct, the country’s first curved stone-arched bridge. Few people at the time thought this strange bridge would support a railroad but, more then 150 years later, it still remains.

Savage is another small mill town that originally wove canvas for Baltimore’s famous clipper ships. Today, Savage Mill is home to over 200 artist studios, shops and antiques dealers. While there, stroll across the iron-built Bollman Truss semi suspension bridge. Built in 1869, it is one of only two of its kind in the world.

The most unique community in Howard County is Columbia. Begun in the early 1960’s, it was designed by The Rouse Company and built from the ground up on 14,000 acres. In 1967, the first residents moved into the new community. Based on the village concept (there are 9 separate villages and village centers), Columbia is a community of diversity with abundant open space available to all and has been a model for other planned communities. Columbia’s location, midway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., makes it an easy commute to either city. Columbia offers its citizens a variety of activities including bike and walking paths throughout the community, shops, numerous restaurants, office space and, at the center, The Mall in Columbia with its more them 200 stores including Hechts, Penneys, Sears and the recently added Nordstroms. 

Truly, Howard County is a place of diversity, innovation and community spirit.

Visit Howard County's website for more about Howard County.