02-16-2023 Howard Mag - Flipbook - Page 14
COMMUNITIES
& HOUSING
Ellicott
City
E
llicott 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 1831 and the oldest
remaining railroad passenger depot in the country.
A national landmark, it’s now a museum at the foot
of old Main Street — a
five-block display of
AT A GLANCE
architectural antiquiTypical home
ty — and a centerpiece
value: $667,807
of the byway’s vintage
Population:
charm.
73,272
While the town plays
Founded: 1772
up its roots, there’s a
Source: datausa.
progressive bent as well.
io, Zillow
Ellicott City is home
to a growing number
of Korean Americans,
some 13,000 strong, whose restaurants, shops
and other businesses (166 in all) have energized a
5-mile stretch of 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 2.1mile hike graced by a waterfall. It’s a stress-buster
for locals and visitors alike.
The steeple for St. Paul Catholic Church is seen
above Main Street in historic Ellicott City.
PHOTO BY JERRY JACKSON
14
| Winter 2023 | howardmagazine.com
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
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