The TREE OF LIFE or People Tree is the symbol of Columbia and its most recognized sculpture. It is the work of Pierre du Fayet. He came to New York City in 1956 and worked as an industrial designer and commercial artist. He was known as an innovative sculptor when he answered an ad to work on a project in Baltimore. The brick-paved plaza surrounding the People Tree was part of the downtown renovation in 1991.
The Town Center and all the villages have residential community associations. These independent, incorporated, non-profit civic associations are formed exclusively for the promotion of the common good and welfare of the residents and property owners. Each has similar but separate Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and Covenants. Each has its own community elected Board of Directors.
The community associations administer the village covenants, manage community buildings, advocate for their residents in all aspects of community life, and foster community participation on a grassroots level. Each community center has a unique design and "personality." Each center offers classes for everyone from tots to senior citizens and space to rent for meetings, parties and special events. The community associations also sponsor free seminars, political forums, fairs and holiday parties.
One of the highlights of the year is the annual Columbia Festival of the Arts. Each year the festival presents a brand new season of world-class events including gala performances, exhibitions, free concerts, family events and activities, master classes, workshops and community dialogues. Last year, more than 35,000 people attended the event that is recognized as one of the Baltimore/Washington Corridor’s premier summer arts events.
Columbia features four lakes that provide residents with recreational opportunities and a chance to relax and enjoy nature. Lake Kittamaqundi is a 27-acre man-made lake. It was named for the first recorded Indian settlement in Howard County. Centennial Lake in Centennial Park is surrounded by a beautiful park and a paved jogging path, tennis courts, canoes and paddle boats and a nearby children's playground. Lake Elkhorn in Owen Brown Village is a 37-acre lake located within a 23-acre park. The lake is stocked in the spring with trout & bass and features a pavilion for picnicking. Wilde Lake in Columbia's First Village is a 22-acre man-made lake. The site was originally a low-lying meadow covered with rough grass, with a small stream running through it.
The history of Columbia dates back to October 1963, when the Rouse Company announced that it had acquired more than 21 square miles -- one tenth of the Howard County's total land area -- for the purpose of building a new city. Chairman James W. Rouse described his vision for the new city. Because it would be carefully planned right from the beginning, Columbia would avoid the sprawl, waste and inconveniences that have come to typify small-scale development. The new city, Rouse said, would provide jobs and recreation, shopping and health care, commercial and industrial development, along with a broad range of housing choices.
Long before construction began in Columbia, the city's first planners met with a group of 18 educators and sociologists, all experts in their fields, to help determine what the city's social objectives should be and how they might be reflected in the physical plan. Columbia was also thought of as a group of neighborhoods within villages, almost like a system of small towns, a city that is open to people of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. In January of 1966, construction began on Columbia's first village -- Wilde Lake. The first residents moved to Columbia in 1967.
When Columbia is completed, there will be approximately 100,000 people living in a series of villages around the city's downtown. Columbia, bold and groundbreaking experiment in 1966, is now a city giving shape and meaning to its original goals -- physical, social and economic. Columbia residents have reacted to the new environment with initiative and vitality, bringing in a broad and continually expanding list of education, recreation, entertainment, civic and political activities.
The Town Center and all the villages have residential community associations. These independent, incorporated, non-profit civic associations are formed exclusively for the promotion of the common good and welfare of the residents and property owners. Each has similar but separate Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and Covenants. Each has its own community elected Board of Directors.
The community associations administer the village covenants, manage community buildings, advocate for their residents in all aspects of community life, and foster community participation on a grassroots level. Each community center has a unique design and "personality." Each center offers classes for everyone from tots to senior citizens and space to rent for meetings, parties and special events. The community associations also sponsor free seminars, political forums, fairs and holiday parties.
One of the highlights of the year is the annual Columbia Festival of the Arts. Each year the festival presents a brand new season of world-class events including gala performances, exhibitions, free concerts, family events and activities, master classes, workshops and community dialogues. Last year, more than 35,000 people attended the event that is recognized as one of the Baltimore/Washington Corridor’s premier summer arts events.
Columbia features four lakes that provide residents with recreational opportunities and a chance to relax and enjoy nature. Lake Kittamaqundi is a 27-acre man-made lake. It was named for the first recorded Indian settlement in Howard County. Centennial Lake in Centennial Park is surrounded by a beautiful park and a paved jogging path, tennis courts, canoes and paddle boats and a nearby children's playground. Lake Elkhorn in Owen Brown Village is a 37-acre lake located within a 23-acre park. The lake is stocked in the spring with trout & bass and features a pavilion for picnicking. Wilde Lake in Columbia's First Village is a 22-acre man-made lake. The site was originally a low-lying meadow covered with rough grass, with a small stream running through it.
The history of Columbia dates back to October 1963, when the Rouse Company announced that it had acquired more than 21 square miles -- one tenth of the Howard County's total land area -- for the purpose of building a new city. Chairman James W. Rouse described his vision for the new city. Because it would be carefully planned right from the beginning, Columbia would avoid the sprawl, waste and inconveniences that have come to typify small-scale development. The new city, Rouse said, would provide jobs and recreation, shopping and health care, commercial and industrial development, along with a broad range of housing choices.
Long before construction began in Columbia, the city's first planners met with a group of 18 educators and sociologists, all experts in their fields, to help determine what the city's social objectives should be and how they might be reflected in the physical plan. Columbia was also thought of as a group of neighborhoods within villages, almost like a system of small towns, a city that is open to people of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. In January of 1966, construction began on Columbia's first village -- Wilde Lake. The first residents moved to Columbia in 1967.
When Columbia is completed, there will be approximately 100,000 people living in a series of villages around the city's downtown. Columbia, bold and groundbreaking experiment in 1966, is now a city giving shape and meaning to its original goals -- physical, social and economic. Columbia residents have reacted to the new environment with initiative and vitality, bringing in a broad and continually expanding list of education, recreation, entertainment, civic and political activities.
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