Columbia Among Money Magazine's Best Places to Live for 2014

How many times have you heard that Howard County is one of the best places to live in America?

It’s not just the politicians who are saying it today—Money magazine named Columbia and Ellicott City the sixth best place to live in the U.S. in its 2014 rankings, released Monday.

Here’s what Money magazine said about the Howard County communities:

“Ellicott City has quaint older homes and a charming downtown. Columbia is a planned community stocked with pools and sports facilities, plus lots of big-box shopping and other practical amenities. Though the two unincorporated places have their own unique feel, they function as a single city in many respects. For residents, that means shared access to parks, rec facilities, and a diverse and outstanding school district. The area is also rife with good jobs—many of which require only a short commute. Lorien Health Systems (Ellicott City) and Howard Community College (Columbia) are right there, and the NSA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab are less than a 25-minute drive. While Baltimore and Washington, D.C., are close, public transportation is limited, as is local nightlife.”

County Executive Ken Ulman said that he was “thrilled” about the national recognition.

“What is most gratifying is that this ranking is based on the very things we work hard on every day: great schools, a model public health community and a thriving local economy,” Ulman said.

Columbia and Ellicott City are the only communities that have been ranked among Money’s top 10 on the list for five consecutive two-year cycles dating to 2006, according to Ulman.

Money releases its “best places to live” list annually, but it rotates the types of communities that are on it; the magazine ranks large cities (with populations between 50,000 and 300,000) during even-numbered years and small towns in odd-numbered years.

Columbia and Ellicott City were ranked fourth in 2006; eighth in 2008; second in 2010; and eighth in 2012.

Other areas in Maryland to make the best places to live list were Rockville (#24) and Bowie (#28).

Related: Columbia Once Again Among Top 10 Best Small Cities in America