Kings Contrivance, Columbia, Maryland

Kings Contrivance is one of the villages in the planned community of Columbia, Maryland, and is home to about 11,000 residents. It contains a Village Center (open-air shopping center) and many apartment complexes and housing developments. Neither the least nor most expensive village in Columbia, it takes its name from a [http://columbiamarylandrestaurant.com local restaurant] of the same name. The housing developments are separated into three neighborhoods:

*Huntington is located to the Southeast of the village center.
*Macgill's Common extends to the northwest towards the center of Columbia, and takes its name from the Reverend James Macgill, the original owner of the land in a land grant dated 1830.
*Dickinson, to the west, takes its name from the famous American poet, Emily Dickinson.

The street names of Huntington are derived from the works of Carl Sandburg, and those of Macgill's Common come from the "Folksongs of North America" compilation recorded by Alan Lomax. Dickinson, naturally, has street names taken from the work of Emily Dickinson.

There are many scenic and recreational parks in and around Kings Contrivance, including Gorman Park, Huntington Neighborhood Park, and Savage Park, all of which are maintained by Howard County Recreation and Parks and the Columbia Association (CA). Many trails weave in and around the neighborhoods of Kings Contrivance, providing access to the county parks, as well as to Columbia's extensive bike/hiking trail system.

hopping & Entertainment

The Village Center contains a Bagel Bin & Deli, a McDonald's, a Chinese restaurant, an Italian diner, a Subway restaurant, a pub, a liquor store, a CVS, several ATMs, a beauty salon, a dry cleaner, a formal wear shop, office space, medical offices, an Allstate insurance agency, and a cobbler. The Safeway grocery store closed in June 2006 and was replaced by a Harris Teeter in May 2008. A Rita's italian ice store was also added in 2008 along with a Burrito Brothers restaurant. The Village Center is also home to Amherst House, the site of the Kings Contrivance Community Association. This building, named after Emily Dickinson's hometown in Massachusetts, also serves as a rental hall for community events, parties, and meetings.

Education

The public schools [http://www.hcpss.org] serving the village include:
*Elementary Schools
**Atholton Elementary School [http://www.howard.k12.md.us/aes/default.html]
**Bollman Bridge Elementary [http://www.howard.k12.md.us/bbes/default.html]
**Forest Ridge Elementary [http://www.howard.k12.md.us/fres]
**Guilford Elementary [http://www.howard.k12.md.us/ges/default.html]
**Hammond Elementary [http://www.howard.k12.md.us/HES/Default.html]
*Middle Schools
**Patuxent Valley Middle [http://www.howard.k12.md.us/PVMS/default.html]
**Hammond Middle [http://www.howard.k12.md.us/hms/default.html]
**Murray Hill Middle [http://www.howard.k12.md.us/mhms]
*High School
**Hammond High School [http://www.hammondhs.org]

External links

* [http://www.columbiavillages.org/kingscontrivance Kings Contrivance Community Association]