Thoughts on Columbia, MD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in Baltimore and Columbia was never on anyone's radar. We never went to Columbia for the shopping or the mall (that would have been Towson or Owings Mills or even White Marsh). No one talked about Columbia. You occasionally met people who lived in Columbia but it was "out there" in a different land, quite unlike Cockeysville or Hunt Valley which were much more integrated with Baltimore itself. The other Baltimore suburbs in Baltimore County and even Anne Arundel and Harford Counties were always much more part of the metro area than Columbia. Even Ellicott City is somewhat accepted as a Baltimore suburb more than Columbia.

Part of the problem may have to do with the geographic isolation of Columbia. There's no direct road from Columbia to Baltimore (unlike I83 connecting the northern suburbs to downtown) and the Patapsco Valley State Park also buffers Howard County from Baltimore County with minimal linkage between the two. That helps fuel the sense that Columbia wasn't a proper part of Baltimore. Columbia, being a new master planned community, didn't attract many Baltimore families so few people in Baltimore had relatives or cousins who moved out to Columbia (unlike Towson, for example).

I-95 is a straight shot from Columbia into Baltimore. That is how we sneak in without you noticing we are there.

You have to get on 32 first before getting on 95 IIRC.

Yes, the interstate does not take me to my front door. I drive 3 minutes to get onto route 32 and then another 4 to get to I-95. It's another 10 to get to Baltimore.

You drive 20 miles in 13 minutes on the parking lot that is 95 during rush hour not to mention the city rush hour traffic. Cool story. Seems to take most othe people an hour.

Are you missing that most people in Columbia aren't working in Baltimore and therefore aren't driving during rush hour?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools are not good. Look at Baltimore privates.

Now you are just making shit up.

Greatschools.org and Schooldigger confirm that majority of the best schools in Howard county are NOT in Columbia. Try a search on elementary schools.

What is your point? The best Howard County schools not being in Columbia doesn't make the ones in Columbia bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools are not good. Look at Baltimore privates.

Now you are just making shit up.

Greatschools.org and Schooldigger confirm that majority of the best schools in Howard county are NOT in Columbia. Try a search on elementary schools.

What is your point? The best Howard County schools not being in Columbia doesn't make the ones in Columbia bad.

Once again, Columbia does not have its own school system. All schools in Howard County are part of the Howard County Public School System. Many kids who live in Columbia go to schools that don't have a Columbia address. Other kids who don't live in Columbia go to schools that do have a Columbia address. You can't just talk about the random group of schools that happen to have a Columbia address. You need to talk about the county schools as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I-95 doesn't run through Columbia, doesn't it?

Most of Columbia is west of Route 29 and you have to take various connector roads to reach I-95.

Anonymous wrote:95 runs through both Columbia and Baltimore. That's a straight shot. I'm sorry you felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. It's not. It's in the middle of Maryland and it is far more developed than it was 15-20 years ago.

I-95 is the Eastern border of Columbia. If you think Columbia ends West of 29, you are missing 50% of the entire town (as well as the oldest parts of town). It's much bigger than you think. Routes 175 and 32 both intersect 29 and 95 in Columbia. (Route 100 also intersects both 29 and 95 in Ellicott City.) There are no other "various connector roads" like you say.

(Note that the following map is not entirely accurate at the borders, but it's a good idea.)
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Columbia,+MD/@39.2063044,-76.8684666,12z

[Anonymous]

If this was in response to the person's observation that I-95 doesn't run through Columbia then the map you showed doesn't change anything. As I can see from the map, I-95 doesn't run through Columbia. 29 definitely runs through Columbia. I-95 borders a small part of Columbia (mainly the Gateway area and industrial parks). West of Snowden River is when the residential areas really start to emerge. And looking at the map you can still see how much of Columbia is somewhat distant from I-95 (River Hill in Clarksville being the westernmost). Most residents would need to take 32, 175 or even 100 to reach I-95.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I-95 doesn't run through Columbia, doesn't it?

Most of Columbia is west of Route 29 and you have to take various connector roads to reach I-95.

Anonymous wrote:95 runs through both Columbia and Baltimore. That's a straight shot. I'm sorry you felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. It's not. It's in the middle of Maryland and it is far more developed than it was 15-20 years ago.

I-95 is the Eastern border of Columbia. If you think Columbia ends West of 29, you are missing 50% of the entire town (as well as the oldest parts of town). It's much bigger than you think. Routes 175 and 32 both intersect 29 and 95 in Columbia. (Route 100 also intersects both 29 and 95 in Ellicott City.) There are no other "various connector roads" like you say.

(Note that the following map is not entirely accurate at the borders, but it's a good idea.)
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Columbia,+MD/@39.2063044,-76.8684666,12z

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:95 runs through both Columbia and Baltimore. That's a straight shot. I'm sorry you felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. It's not. It's in the middle of Maryland and it is far more developed than it was 15-20 years ago.

There's nothing to apologize for, dude. The middle of nowhere is not a bad thing to me. It's not a straight shot, per the posts above. One guy who grew up with me in Columbia has on his FB profile that he's from Baltimore. I guess he's trying to be urban or hip or something (he's a "musician"), but we all laughed at him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools are not good. Look at Baltimore privates.

Now you are just making shit up.

Greatschools.org and Schooldigger confirm that majority of the best schools in Howard county are NOT in Columbia. Try a search on elementary schools.

What is your point? The best Howard County schools not being in Columbia doesn't make the ones in Columbia bad.

Once again, Columbia does not have its own school system. All schools in Howard County are part of the Howard County Public School System. Many kids who live in Columbia go to schools that don't have a Columbia address. Other kids who don't live in Columbia go to schools that do have a Columbia address. You can't just talk about the random group of schools that happen to have a Columbia address. You need to talk about the county schools as a whole.

Still not sure what the point is here. Howard County schools are good schools by and large, regardless of address.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh for heaven's sake. Does this solve the debate?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_metropolitan_area

"The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Maryland as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB)."

Howard, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel counties are grouped into the Baltimore area. Montgomery and PG counties are grouped into the Washington area.

I'm the PP who originally said Columbia was a suburb of Baltimore. Idk why ppl keep claiming it isn't.

Because no one who actually lives in Baltimore considers Columbia a suburb of Baltimore.

Most of my friends who live in Columbia are Ravens/Orioles fans and not Redskins/Nationals fans. Columbia has always identified more with Baltimore than DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh for heaven's sake. Does this solve the debate?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_metropolitan_area

"The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Maryland as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB)."

Howard, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel counties are grouped into the Baltimore area. Montgomery and PG counties are grouped into the Washington area.

I'm the PP who originally said Columbia was a suburb of Baltimore. Idk why ppl keep claiming it isn't.

Because no one who actually lives in Baltimore considers Columbia a suburb of Baltimore.

Most of my friends who live in Columbia are Ravens/Orioles fans and not Redskins/Nationals fans. Columbia has always identified more with Baltimore than DC.

FWIW, I live in Columbia and subscribe to the WaPo. Most of my neighbors get the Baltimore Sun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh for heaven's sake. Does this solve the debate?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_metropolitan_area

"The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Maryland as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB)."

Howard, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel counties are grouped into the Baltimore area. Montgomery and PG counties are grouped into the Washington area.

I'm the PP who originally said Columbia was a suburb of Baltimore. Idk why ppl keep claiming it isn't.

Because no one who actually lives in Baltimore considers Columbia a suburb of Baltimore.

Most of my friends who live in Columbia are Ravens/Orioles fans and not Redskins/Nationals fans. Columbia has always identified more with Baltimore than DC.

FWIW, I live in Columbia and subscribe to the WaPo. Most of my neighbors get the Baltimore Sun.

We have always subscribed to the WaPo simply because it is a far superior newspaper. However, the Baltimore Sun is the one that has a section specifically devoted to Howard County. They bought the Columbia Flier/Howard County Times years ago so they are the ones responsible for the content of the local newspaper.