The 1970s brought the begin of the rise of Columbia to Howard County-- literally and figuratively, pervading through every aspect of life in Howard County. During the decade of the 1970s, the population grew from approximately 61,900 to approximately 118,600-- a near doubling of the county's population. Eight of Columbia's villages were online by the end of the 1970s, with Dorsey's Search established soon after, in 1980.
The establishment of Columbia brought some much needed shape and form to Howard County. Prior to the building of Columbia, Howard County did not have a full-service, acute care hospital. But it gained one in Howard County General Hospital. So too, did Howard County establish a two-year college of its own, in the form of Howard Community College. While located in Columbia so as to be centrally located and accessible to residents of the new city for their use, they were of course for use by all the county's residents. Similarly, the Howard County Library System established branches in East Columbia, as well as a Central Library branch near the Mall in Columbia.
Perhaps most notably, the rapid growth of Columbia also meant the rapid takeover of Howard County's government by residents of the new city. In 1974, three Columbians were elected to the Howard County Council and a fourth-- Elizabeth Bobo-- was appointed during the 1974-1978 term. All four were re-elected in 1978. While the County Executive's office remained out of reach for the residents of the new city, the four Columbians on the Council-- Bobo, Ruth Keeton, Lloyd Knowles, and Virginia Thomas-- enjoyed a strong enough majority on the Council that if they so chose, could vote as a block and override any Executive's veto. Columbia held the political power in Howard County, and Howard County knew it.
And not all of Howard County was happy about it.
The 70s begins my personal story of growing up in Howard County. And growing up in eastern Howard County, people did not consider themselves people of privilege. It was a working class town where religious and community connections ruled the day and as such, politics and mores trended towards the conservative.
I recall very clearly being one of the few families that openly supported Jimmy Carter for President in 1976. I don't just mean on our street. I don't mean among my peer group of friends. I don't just mean in my class. I mean in the entire town. Being nine years old, we didn't exactly engage in highbrow political discourse; arguments about Ford vs. Carter basically revolved around who our parents liked and who our friends' parents liked, and that the other guy sucked.
Another thing that made us different among families on Montgomery Road was that we actually went to Columbia Mall to go shopping. Patowmack Toy Store was a favorite of my father's, and I wish I had all the 70s-era toys that were bought for me there.
Nevertheless, when I would go to school and bring in my Lincoln Logs, or newest toy trains, or slot cars styles after Formula One or Le Mans-type sports cars, and the kids asked where I got them from, and I told them, they would respond with, "We never go to Columbia." My friends' families preferred to shop in Laurel or Catonsville or Baltimore. Columbia was not much liked.
As the 70s progressed, I learned many things about Columbia and people who lived there that I didn't know. They were quite interesting. How many were true? Uhhhh, that's another matter. Here we go:
-- People in Columbia didn't believe in God since they didn't have churches (no doubt a take on the Interfaith Center concept)
-- Lots of black people lived in Columbia (Elkridge and other towns still had their pockets of minority concentration)
-- Columbia kids all go to school in open classrooms (so did we, but that was beside the point)
-- It was OK for men who lived with men to live in Columbia (cruder terms were used, of course)
-- Columbia had pools and gyms and we could not use them!
-- No kid in Columbia played baseball; they only played soccer and they will not let other kids in the county play soccer or basketball for that matter!
-- People in Columbia want everyone else in Howard County to live the way they do!
So that's what we were made to believe about Columbia. We have met the enemy, and they are close.
As the 70s continued, the symbiosis between Columbia and the rest of Howard County kept forming. Columbia became, by and large, the social, commercial, and cultural center of Howard County. Whereas Howard County benefitted from the taxes generated by Columbia's activities and used those funds to grown County Government and increase and improve county services, most notably the Howard County Public School System, that was for the benefit of all Columbians.
However, as the 1970s came to a close, one thing remained true about Howard County. It's leadership remained totally white. In terms of the County Executive, County Council, members of the Howard County Board of Education, Howard County Delegation to the Maryland General Assembly, and Howard County Courthouse positions-- every single one of them was white. Despite its hard turn to the left in many areas, enough of the previously extant power structure in Howard County remained in place to keep a person of color from advancing into positions of power.
And as it would happen, the power structure was starting to fracture in Howard County. Everyone in elected partisan office was a Democrat, but there were two types of Democrats-- "Columbia Democrats" and "Howard County Democrats". The former were more liberal and more in lines with the ideals of the new city. They were cosmopolitan and advocated for Columbia and Howard County to advance to lead Maryland. The latter were more moderate to conservative and wanted to preserve Howard County "the way it has always been"-- more rural, less progressive, and with only as much ambition to lead the region or state as they felt they needed.
The 80s would see a lot of things in many of these regards change. It would prove to be an exciting time and perhaps, lay the groundwork for the Howard County of today.
NEXT: The Go-Go 80s, and the Republicans get sneaky!
