02-15-2024 Howard - Flipbook - Page 14
COMMUNITIES & HOUSING
ELLICOTT
CITY
Ellicott City is a town on the rebound,
steeped in history and sustained by hope.
Twice in the past 10 years floods have
ravaged Main Street, the nexus of the sprawling community with its kitschy shops and
bistros. Each time, the town clawed back —
determined, it seems, to celebrate its 250th
birthday in 2022.
Founded by three Quakers from Pennsylvania (brothers John, Andrew and Joseph
Ellicott) on the banks of the Patapsco River,
the town has long found itself in the crosshairs of history.
Witness the B&O
train station, built in
AT A GLANCE
1831 and the oldest
Typical home value:
remaining railroad
$679,770
passenger depot
Population: 73,272
in the country. A
Founded: 1772
National Landmark,
it’s now a museum at
Source: datausa.io, Zillow
the foot of old Main
Street — a five-block
display of architectural antiquity — and a
centerpiece of the byway’s vintage charm.
While the town plays up its roots, there’s a
progressive bent as well. Ellicott City is home
to a growing number of Korean Americans,
some 13,000 strong, whose restaurants, shops
and other businesses have energized a fivemile stretch of U.S. Route 40 now known,
officially, as Koreatown. Asian food joints
pepper the landscape, touting such gastronomic favorites as bibimbap and Korean
barbecue.
Recreation space is plentiful. Centennial
Park, a 337-acre jewel, is a magnet for hikers,
bikers and anglers, with a 2.6-mile trail that
circles a 54-acre human-made lake stocked
with trout and bass.
Moreover, Patapsco Valley State Park
threads its way through the town in the
northeast part of the county, including
Cascade Falls Trail, a scenic 2.1-mile hike
graced by a waterfall. It’s a stress-buster for
locals and visitors alike.
Homes and businesses line Main Street in historic
Ellicott City. PHOTO BY JERRY JACKSON
HOUSING RESOURCES
Columbia Association
410-715-3000, columbiaassociation.org
Heritage Housing Partners
Corporation
443-518-7685, hhpcorp.org
Howard County Association
of Realtors
410-715-1437, hcar.org
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| Winter 2024 | howardmagazine.com
Howard County Department
of Planning and Zoning
410-313-2350, howardcountymd.gov/
planning-zoning
Howard County Housing and Community Development
410-313-6318, howardcountymd.gov/
housing-community-development