'I'm All About Ellicott City' Ellicott City Residents & Business Owners React To Number 10 Ranking On Money Magazine's 'Best Places To Live List'
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- If you live in Ellicott City, good news! It's ranked the best place to live in Maryland scoring the 10th spot on Money Magazine's "Best Places To Live" list.
This year's rankings were out of 1,300 US cities.
"There is not any place in America that comes close to the heart and the vibe and the community feel of Ellicott City," said Pam Long, Ellicott City Board of Directors and owner of Pam Long Photography.
A diverse and quirky town that's brimming with history.
"To me, it feels like a Hallmark town, like everyone knows everyone," said Teresa Graham, Owner of Flower Barn.
Money Magazine recently ranked the town number 10 on its "Best Places To Live" list -- looking at several factors such as economic opportunities, housing and cost of living and health and safety.
"This honor reflects the resilience, the focus, the dedication and the stick to it-iveness of Ellicott City residents and businesses," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
Home to a number of eclectic shops, art galleries, restaurants and more, the city boasts anything from ordinary.
"I love the people. I mean I'm all about Ellicott City," said Graham.
It's the captivating culture that attracts people to the area.
"Getting to know the business owners. Getting to know the people, that's really what makes this town and it's the building foundation of the community," said Chris Pineda, Executive Director of Ellicott City partnership.
A community no stranger to hardship like its devastating flooding still rises above -- through thick and thin.
"We were tight before the first flood. I definitely think the experience of mucking together and getting everything together, brought us closer together. But really I think there's no weather event stronger than the people here in town," said Long.
And it's not just historic Ellicott City that has its charm.
"We have the route 40 corridor, which has so much diversity. It is one of the places that has the highest concentration of Korean businesses and restaurants," said Ball.
Whether you decide to pass through for a visit or stay for good, it's a title that residents and business owners are proud of and hope to keep for years to come.
"We're going to do whatever we can to keep this town on the map and keep moving forward," said Long.
Money Magazine also cited Ellicott City's hot housing market -- which is up five percent in the first quarter of the year and projected 13-percent job growth by 2025.