Long Reach, Columbia, Maryland facts for kids

Map showing the villages of Columbia

Long Reach is one of ten villages that make up Columbia, Maryland, in the United States. It is located in the northeast part of Columbia, near Maryland Route 108. Long Reach started in 1971, making it one of the older villages in the area.

This village includes four neighborhoods: Jeffers Hill, Kendall Ridge, Locust Park, and Phelps Luck. About 15,600 people live here. The village is managed by five elected members of the "Long Reach Community Association, Inc." The main office for the village is at Stonehouse, which is the community center. Stonehouse first opened its doors in 1974.

The History of Long Reach

Long Reach gets its name from a large piece of land, about 448 acres, called "Long Reach." This land was given to Major Edward Dorsey in 1696. It was located next to another area called Dorseys Search. Edward Dorsey had built a small stone summer house called "Bethesda" on this land in 1682.

Over the years, the land was passed down through families. In 1769, the "Bethesda Old Place Farm" house on the property was made bigger. The property stayed in the Pue family until 1859. By 1943, much of the land had been divided up. In 1954, a company called Columbia Hills Corporation built homes on the land.

Most of the original Long Reach property was bought by Howard Research and Development between 1963 and 1966. This company was developing the new city of Columbia.

Farms and Orchards

Besides the original Long Reach land, the eastern part of the village also had other farms. There was the 100-acre Brunner family farm. There was also a 200-acre apple orchard owned by Donald and Ethel Sewell since 1943. Part of the apple orchard was sold in 1963. The rest of the orchard kept growing apples until 1983. Then, it was sold for new buildings. Today, you can still find street names in the area that are named after different kinds of apples.

Pfeffer's Corner

The area where Waterloo Road and Old Montgomery Road meet was once called Pfeffer's Corner. Before the Civil War, this spot had a blacksmith shop, a general store, and a schoolhouse. During World War II, German prisoners of war from Fort Meade would come to this area. They helped local farmers with their work.

How Long Reach Neighborhoods Got Their Names

A sign welcoming visitors to the Phelps Luck neighborhood in Long Reach Village

Many streets and neighborhoods in Long Reach are named after famous works of art or people. For example, the Jeffers Hill neighborhood is named after the American poet Robinson Jeffers.

• Phelps Luck is named after a piece of land called "Phelps His Luck." This land was given to Walter Phelps in 1695.
• Locust Park gets its name from a land grant called "Locust Thickett." This land was given to Richard Owings in 1688.
• Kendall Ridge comes from two large land grants: "Kendall's Delight" (500 acres) and "Kendall's Enlargement" (400 acres). Both were given to Daniel Kendall in 1701.
• Jackson Pond was first called Hittman Pond. It was renamed after a community leader named Howard Jackson.

Village Services and the Center

The Long Reach Village Center is a large building, about 84,000 square feet. It was designed in 1971 and opened in 1974. It used to have 19 stores, including a grocery store, a restaurant called Pappy's, and a gas station.

The center also has The Columbia Art Center. This center offers classes in things like ceramics, drawing, and painting. It also shows art by local artists.

In the past, the village center faced some challenges. It was managed by one company, which made it hard for different businesses to own parts of it. Also, some people used the center as a gathering place rather than for shopping. Later, a police station was even opened in the center to help with community safety.

Making the Village Center Better

On January 7, 2014, Howard County announced plans to buy most of the Long Reach Village Center. The goal was to improve it. Celebration Church planned to move into the old Safeway and Family Market spaces at the center.

The county also thought about moving its arts council from Ellicott City to the village center. On March 3, 2014, the county said the area needed improvements. Howard County bought parts of the property for $5 million.

The county held a meeting on May 28, 2015, called "ReImagine Long Reach." The purpose was to discuss ideas for renovating the Village Center. They looked at how other village centers, like Wilde Lake Village Center, had been improved. They also talked about new possibilities for the arts in the center.

Schools in Long Reach

Students in Long Reach attend several schools in the area.

• Howard High School
• Long Reach High School
• Oakland Mills High School
• Bonnie Branch Middle School
• Oakland Mills Middle School
• Mayfield Woods Middle School
• Phelps Luck Elementary School
• Jeffers Hill Elementary School