THE WASHINGTON POST.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021EZ
2ty,founded in 1967 by developer
James Rouse.
“I likethe people,”said Joann
Biele,anoriginal owner who
moved to Hickor yCrestfrom
NewYork after 9/11 to be near her
daughter,who was pregnantat
the time.“The residents are very
friendly and welcoming and sup-
portive of one another.”
NancyWhitelock, one of a
group who gathered in the club-
houseonarecentmorning to
share reflections on the neigh-
borhood, was the recipient of
some of thatneighborlyvibe. For
her 90th birthday, Biel eand
about20neighbors serenaded
her outdoors with birthdaygreet-
ings.
“Itwas wonderful,”she said.
“Inaway, I’ve metmore ofmy
neighbors in the pandemic,be-
causeeveryone’salwaysoutwalk-
ing around.”
In addition to her neighbors,
Whitelock also appreciated
downsizing toaone-storyhouse
from her previous two-story
houseonahalf-acre lot about
threemiles away.Asafourth-
generation resident of the region,
she has deep roots in the commu-
nityand wanted to maintain her
routines.
“I watcheditbeing built fromHickor yCrest, by Patriot
Homes, is acommunityof88
homesestablished in 2000.The
homesvaryfrom one to three
levels, with options such as
porches,sunrooms andfireplac-
es. It is locatedinthe Hickory
Ridgearea of Columbia, one of 10
villagesoft he plannedcommuni-the ground up,”she said.“It’s so
nearmy church,storesand doc-
tors.It’ssoconvenient.”
HarryHamiltonand his wife
moved to Hickor yCrestfrom
Wilde Lake,anotherColumbia
village,where theyhad lived
since2015. He noted thatthe
greater Columbia region’s94
milesofpathwayswere another
appealingfactor in his choice.
“I had read about Columbia as
ateenager and knewitwas a
planned community,”hesaid.
“Columbia andHickor yCrestpay
attention to qualityoflife,tot he
original goals and intentions.
Hickor yCresthas beenashining
example of that.”
Living there: Hickor yCrestis
bounded by Owen Brown Road to
the north, CardinalLane to the
east,Freetown Road to the south
and southwest, and CedarLane
to the west.It was built intwo
sections connected byafootpath,
so there’s no through traffic. In
the past12months,two homes
have sold, according to Vincent
Orlando ofLong &Foster Real
Estate,aHickory Crestresident
since2005.The highestprice was
$437,000 forathree-level, three-
bedroom, three-bathroom house
builtin2001. Thelowestprice
was $430,000 foratwo-bedroom,two-bathroom house built in
2002.No houses are on the mar-
ket.
Hickor yCresthomeowners as-
sociation dues are $229 monthly,
which support aclubhouse and
events such as apoker club, a
book club, Biblestudy,aMonday
coffee, speakers and happy
hours.Many of the activitieshave
eitherbeen held inapandemic-
friendly outdoor settings or on
Zoom. Theneighborhood is
abouttwo miles from theMerri-
weatherPost Pavilion,4½miles
from theMiddlePatuxentEnvi-
ronmentalArea &Foundation
and 9½ miles from historicOld
Ellicott City.
Schools: ClemensCrossing El-
ementary, Wilde Lake Middle,
AtholtonHigh.
Transit :RegionalTransporta-
tion Agency(RTA) buses have
routes through the community,
providing access to the Metro
system and the DorseyMARC
trainstation. TheGreenbelt and
Shady GroveMetro stations are
each about ahalf-hour drive
away.
[email protected]If you’dlikeyour neighborhood
featuredin WhereWeLive,email
[email protected].WhereWeLive HickoryCrest in Columbia, Md.
BYCONNIEDUFNER
Twentyyears ago, when it
came tofindingahome for the
next stageofl ife, CharlieMcGov-
ernlearnedthatbipartisanship
has aplace in real estate as in
politics.
McGovern,89, aretired prop-
erty manager for theMaryland-
National Park and Planning
Commission, was aDemocratic
precinctjudgeatthe time. He
mentioned to his Republican
counterpartthatheand his wife,
Walli,80, aretired seamstress,
were consideringamove toHick-
oryCrestinColumbia,Howard
County’sfirstactive-adult com-
munity, open to residents55and
older.
At the time, demand for home-
sitesat Hickor yCrestwas so high
thatthe developer usedalottery
to determine buyers.TheMcGov-
erns entered, hoping to be chosen
for ahousethatbacked up to a
wooded area. When their name
wasn’t drawn, theysuspended
their search temporarily.
Notlongafter,Charlie’s col-
league, who worked for the devel-
oper,crossed the aisle to clue him
in to another house thatwas
availableinthe community. This
time, theydidn’t need to go
through alotter y. TheMcGov-
erns toured it and immediately
casttheir vote “yes,”becoming
one of Hickor yCrest’soriginal
residents.
“Weliked this even more,”
McGovern said.“The other house
had no basement andaveryshort
drivewaysonoone couldparkin
it.”
They appreciate the house’s
layout, in which the main living
areas and primarybedroom are
on one level.Theoutdoor patio
look sout ontoawoode darea,
andtheirstreetadjoinstherestof
the neighborhood by green space
and afootpath.Theroomybase-
ment and loftareas are accessible
each bytwoshortstaircase sofs ix
steps andalanding,rather than
one long staircase, aplus for
aging knees and hips.Thecouple
says thatvisitors’firstresponse is
often, “wow, this isbiggerthanit
looks.”Ayoung
haven for
those 55
and older
Walkablecommunity’s
residentslikeitsmany
activities, friendly feel
FR
EE
TO
W
N
RD
.Source: OpenStreetMap
THE WASHINGTON POSTHOWARD
CO.P.G.
CO.A.A.
CO.BALT.
CO.CARR.
CO.MD.
VA. D.C.MONT.
CO.Balt.Detail2932Hickory
CrestOWENBROW
NRD.CE
DARLN
.1/4 MILE1/4 MILEHickory
RidgeHickory
RidgePHOTOS BY AMANDA ANDRADE-RHOADES FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
CLOCKWISEFROM TOP LEFT:HickoryCrestisdesigned forwalkability, and homesvaryfrom oneto three levels, withoptions suchas
porches, sunroomsandfireplaces.Twoyoung people stroll on one of thepathwaysthatlink the neighborhood.It wasbuiltin twosections
connected byafootpath, so thereisnothroughtraffic.Falldecorations andadoorwaysignreflectHickoryCrest’sneighborly vibe.