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July 14, 2008

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Howard County is only Maryland County to make list

Money Magazine Ranks Ellicott City/Columbia #8 “America’s Best Places to Live 2008”

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Three days after announcing that Forbes Magazine had named Howard County as one of its top-20 “Best Places to Raise a Family,” Howard County Government is pleased (once again) to announce that Money Magazine has ranked Ellicott City/Columbia #8 on their “America’s Best Places to Live 2008” list. In both magazines Howard County is the only county in Maryland honored.

“As a resident of Columbia who works in Ellicott City, I could not agree more with Money Magazine’s ranking, unless of course it was Forbes Magazine,” said County Executive Ken Ulman. “This is truly a special place, and it’s wonderful when outsiders see in Howard County what we see every day.”

According to Money Magazine:

One of the nation’s oldest settlements (it was founded in 1772), Ellicott City snuggles up to one of its newest, Columbia (a planned community conjured up out of 14,000 acres of farmland in 1967). This duo remains a perennial contender on our Best Places list thanks to its mix of charm, comfort and careful zoning.

Though traffic can be a headache, it’s easy to escape it: More than a third of Columbia’s acreage has been set aside as open space, including a 950-acre nature preserve, a skateboard park and three lakes.