I’m fairly new to the area so admittedly not the best person to comment on this. But my early impression so far is that local activism and engagement exists but mainly takes place at the county level—that’s especially the case with the schools (just Google “redistricting, Columbia” ). Also, in Maryland in general, counties oddly have a lot of power and take on a lot of the governing responsibilities that cities usually handle in other states. Then there’s the obvious fact that Columbia is unincorporated and technically not even a city (also oddly common in Maryland), and is largely governed by an HOA and not a mayor and city council. I think that too inhibits local engagement despite advantages an HOA may offer. For evidence of this, just read the recent posts in this sub about the crusty HOA board members who reportedly are out of touch and get little done, yet are continuously elected and face little accountability.

Overall, I will say I do love the community so far. I especially love the bike trails and parks, which ironically, exists because of the HOA.