Columbia Maryland onAir at columbiamd.onair.cc is a hub website managed by the nonpartisan nonprofit Democracy onAir. Columbia Maryland onAir is part of the US onAir network of hubs with the central hub, United States onAir, located at usonair.cc and 50 state hubs including Maryland onAir at md.onair.cc. Links to these hubs can be found by selecting the onAir logo in the site header.

Columbia, Maryland is a planned community in Howard County, located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. bound by MD Route 108 on the west, north, and east, US 95 in the Southeast, and Route 32 on the south with the exception of some villages to the south of Route 32. It was designed by real estate developer James Rouse in the 1960s with the goal of creating a diverse and sustainable community. Columbia is often considered one of the best places to live in Maryland, offering a high quality of life, excellent schools, and a vibrant community.

Here are some key features of Columbia:

• Planned Community: Columbia is divided into 10 self-contained villages, each with its own schools, parks, and shopping centers. This design promotes a sense of community and walkability.
• Diversity: Columbia is known for its diverse population, reflecting a variety of ethnicities, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Amenities: The community offers a wide range of amenities, including parks, trails, lakes, shopping centers, restaurants, and cultural attractions.
• Education: Columbia is home to highly rated public schools, making it a popular choice for families.
• Sustainability: The community has a strong focus on sustainability, with initiatives such as recycling programs, energy-efficient buildings, and green spaces.

Columbia’s collection of neighborhoods and villages combines to create a sense of community. Schools, community centers and village centers are convenient gathering places and help define the character of each village.

Each of Columbia’s 10 villages has a community association, which is an independent, incorporated, nonprofit civic association. Each association elects its own board of directors, as well as a representative to the CA Board of Directors.

CA passes on a portion of its annual charge money to the village associations, which use these funds to foster the growth of community. They provide programs and events such as classes, fairs, holiday activities, parties, space to rent for meetings, special events, seminars and political forums; they oversee the village elections; and they ensure that covenants are upheld.

Although Columbia Association built and owns all of the village community association buildings and neighborhood centers, they are operated by the village community associations.

Source: Columbia Association

The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is the school district that manages and runs the public schools of Howard County, Maryland. It operates under the supervision of an elected, eight-member Board of Education. Jennifer Mallo is the chair of the board. William J. Barnes has been the acting superintendent since January 2024.

The district operates 78 schools: 42 elementary schools, 20 middle schools, 13 high schools, and 3 special education schools/education centers. As of September 2023, a total of 57,633 students were enrolled. It is headquartered in the Columbia, Maryland census-designated place; the facility has an Ellicott City mailing address.

Howard County consistently earns high marks in school performance metrics such as test scores and graduation rates. It gets high percentages at all levels of the Maryland School Assessments. In 2007, Forbes magazine rated Howard County as one of the ten most cost-efficient school systems in the United States.

Columbia Maryland is governed by Howard County and is its largest city

Howard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,529. Since there are no incorporated municipalities, there is no incorporated county seat either. Therefore, its county seat is the unincorporated community of Ellicott City.

Howard County is part of the larger Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state.

It is currently is home to 110,370 households and boasts a thriving, vibrant economy and welcoming business environment, with proximity to 50 federal agencies, universities, Fortune 500 companies, technology, defense and health care companies.

Columbia Association (CA) proudly operates dozens of different facilities throughout Columbia and Howard County, MD. These facilities offer a wide array of exceptional recreational, cultural, and community programs and activities. Perhaps that’s why CA welcomes almost 2.5 million visitors to its facilities each year.

Source: Columbia Association

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Maryland is located in the Southern region of the USA with Annapolis as its capital. Wes Moore (D)  is Governor.

The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives. Members of both houses serve four-year terms.