Columbia, Ellicott City No. 2 on small-town list 

Posted: 7:42 pm Mon, July 12, 2010
By Anna Isaacs
Daily Record Business Writer

Ellicott City and Columbia were together named the second-best small towns to live in the country by Money Magazine, marking the third time the duo has garnered a top-10 mention.

“When a national publication like Money Magazine takes a look at all the factors that make a great place to live and comes out and says we’re one of the best, it means the rest of the country gets to know what we know here,” Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said.

Ulman said he credits public safety, good schools and local amenities like concert venue Merriweather Post Pavilion and Ellicott City’s historic Main Street for the ranking.

But Richard W. Story, executive director of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, said the jump from No. 8 in 2008 to No. 2 this year is all thanks to jobs. The magazine’s annual ranking also pinned a low unemployment rate of 5.2 percent — compared with 9.5 percent nationally in June — as a contributing factor.

“I really think that we have suffered less in this recession than the rest of the country,” he said, citing proximity to government jobs hub Fort Meade — home to the National Security Agency — and Washington, D.C., as well as the high concentration of technology companies in the area.

“All of that means that we’re not immune from recessionary forces, but we have some good insulation,” he said.

Ulman said the magazine’s mention of the towns as an economic powerhouse is “validating,” and that it will encourage more families to migrate to the area.

“There are so many jobs coming to this area,” he said.  “This notoriety will only continue that process where when people are looking to relocate and where they want to educate their kids, they’ll look more closely at Howard County.”

Vince Damico, 39, of the Damico Land Realty Group in Ellicott City, said the ranking is simply illustrative of a trend he’s long witnessed in the area as a lifelong resident — he attended Mount Hebron High School — with area properties selling “faster than anywhere.”

“I definitely think it’s going to keep values strong here and certainly pick up the pace a little bit as far as people relocating here,” he said.  “Right now with all the base realignment for the military, and with Northrop Grumman [Corp.] bringing people in, I notice there’s an influx in relocation to the Ellicott City and Columbia area, and it’s always been that way.”

Story said the ranking won’t immediately bring a wave of company headquarters to the area, but it’s a nudge in that direction.

“You can’t say the floodgates are now open and here come these buildings marching down [Interstate] 95,” he said.  “But when it comes to that competition, this is one more arrow in our quiver.”