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.[1] It is Columbia's southernmost village[2] 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.[1][3] 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.[1]
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.[5] 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.
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The Village Center, opened in 1986[4] contains a Bagel Bin & Deli, a McDonald's, 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.[1]
The public schools serving the village are[6]:
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