Kings Contrivance, Columbia, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Kings Contrivance is one of the 10 villages in the planned community
of Columbia, Maryland
, and is home to about 11,000 residents. It was first occupied in 1977. It is Columbia's southernmost village and includes a Village Center (open-air shopping center) and many apartment complexes and housing developments. The village takes its name from the restaurant of the same name, which in turn was named for the boyhood home of Howard County Circuit Court Judge James Macgill. It is neither the least nor most expensive village in Columbia. The three neighborhoods are:
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. 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.
, a Chinese restaurant, an Italian diner, a Subway
restaurant, a liquor store
, a CVS
, several ATMs, a beauty salon
, a barber
, a dry cleaner
, a formal wear
shop, office space
, medical offices, an Allstate Insurance
agency, a gas station, and a cobbler
. A Harris Teeter
grocery store, the second in Maryland, opened in May 2008, on the site of a Safeway
that closed in 2006. A Rita's Italian ice store was also added in 2008.
Amherst House, the location of the Kings Contrivance Community Association, is also in the village center. This building, named after Emily Dickinson's hometown in Massachusetts, also serves as a rental hall for community events, parties, and meetings.
s serving the village are:
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
of Columbia, Maryland
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
, and is home to about 11,000 residents. It was first occupied in 1977. It is Columbia's southernmost village and includes a Village Center (open-air shopping center) and many apartment complexes and housing developments. The village takes its name from the restaurant of the same name, which in turn was named for the boyhood home of Howard County Circuit Court Judge James Macgill. It is neither the least nor most expensive village in Columbia. The three neighborhoods are:
- Huntington is located to the Southeast of the village center, and is named for an historic home.
- 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 DickinsonEmily DickinsonEmily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
.
The street names of Huntington are derived from the works of Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
, and those of Macgill's Common come from the Folksongs of North America compilation recorded by Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
. Dickinson, naturally, has street names taken from the work of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
.
There are many scenic and recreational parks in and around Kings Contrivance, including Gorman Park, Huntington Neighborhood Park, and Savage
Savage, Maryland
Savage is a historic town located in Howard County, Maryland, about south of Baltimore and north of Washington, D.C. It is situated close to the city of Laurel and to the planned community of Columbia.A rich vein of American industrial history lies in Savage...
Park, all of which are maintained by Howard County Recreation and Parks and the Columbia Association. 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.
Services
The Village Center, opened in 1986 contains a Bagel Bin & Deli, a McDonald'sMcDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, a Chinese restaurant, an Italian diner, a Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
restaurant, a liquor store
Liquor store
In the United States, Australia and Canada, a liquor store is a type of store that specializes in the sale of alcoholic beverages. In South Africa and Namibia these stores are generally called bottle stores....
, a CVS
CVS Corporation
CVS Pharmacy, or simply CVS, is the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States , with over 7,000 stores in 41 states and Puerto Rico...
, several ATMs, a beauty salon
Beauty salon
A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment dealing with cosmetic treatments for men and women...
, a barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
, a dry cleaner
Dry cleaning
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene , abbreviated "perc" in the industry and "dry-cleaning fluid" by the public...
, a formal wear
Formal wear
Formal wear and formal dress are the general terms for clothing suitable for formal social events, such as a wedding, formal garden party or dinner, débutante cotillion, dance, or race...
shop, office space
Office Space
Office Space is a 1999 American comedy film satirizing work life in a typical 1990s software company. Written and directed by Mike Judge, it focuses on a handful of individuals fed up with their jobs portrayed by Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Cole, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, and Diedrich...
, medical offices, an Allstate Insurance
Allstate
The Allstate Corporation is the second-largest personal lines insurer in the United States and the largest that is publicly held. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada. Allstate was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and was spun off in 1993...
agency, a gas station, and a cobbler
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
. A Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter is a chain of supermarkets based in Matthews, North Carolina, just outside Charlotte. , the chain operates 207 stores in eight Southern states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.Harris Teeter is a...
grocery store, the second in Maryland, opened in May 2008, on the site of a Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
that closed in 2006. A Rita's Italian ice store was also added in 2008.
Amherst House, the location of the Kings Contrivance Community Association, is also in the village center. 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 schoolHoward County Public Schools
The Howard County Public School System is the school district that manages the public schools of Howard County, Maryland, USA. It operates under the supervision of an eight-member Board of Education. The Superintendent is Sydney L...
s serving the village are:
- 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 SchoolHammond High School (Columbia, Maryland)Hammond High School, established in 1976, is a public secondary school located in Columbia, Maryland and is part of the Howard County Public School System. It is located near the Kings Contrivance Village Center, south of Maryland Route 32, east of U.S...
http://www.hammondhs.org
- Hammond High School