A September 23 Baltimore Sun article reported that both Columbia and Ellicott City again made Money Magazine‘s top 10 “Best Places to Live” list for small cities:

Fifth time’s still the charm: Columbia and Ellicott City have once again placed among the top 10 “Best Places to Live,” according to Money Magazine’s biennial ranking of small cities.

The two towns were jointly recognized as the sixth best small city in the United States by the magazine, which looked at 780 other cities with populations between 50,000 and 300,000 in making its decision. This year is the fifth consecutive time since 2006 that Ellicott City and Columbia have ranked among the top 10 cities on the list.  …

The article reported that the first place winner was McKinney, Texas.  The only other nearby city to make the list was Reston, Virginia, which placed 10th.  Rockville and Bowie made the top 50 list, placing 24th and 28th respectively.  Howard County Executive Ken Ulman expressed happiness with the recognition:

“I’m thrilled when our community receives national recognition,” he said. “What is most gratifying is that ths 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.”