It's important to know that the area works on a county basis, not city basis. County government, county school district, county libraries, etc. Hoco encompasses more than just Columbia, so it might help to broaden your search into other parts of the county. Savage, jessup, elkridge, Fulton, North Laurel, Ellicott City...in some of these places you could purchase a single family home in your range. Columbia may have more walkability with the trail system and may be more central, but that comes with a high price of Columbia Association or other homeowner fees. All schools have strong special education programs and systems, but I'm sure any differences you would notice would be because of the special educator, the special Ed team leader, or possibly administration. Also, in a huge district like Howard county, redistricting is a thing that comes up every few years, so don't get married to one particular feeder school, because your school path may change (there's been a ton of NIMBY complaints over the years regarding some of the redistricting decisions, we'll say). So, broaden your horizons to other parts of the county would be my recommendation (speaking as someone who moved here a few years ago from out of state). The library system is incredible, with several branches throughout the county. The Elkridge branch even has a DIY center with classes, tool check outs, 3d printing (I believe), and more. The library also offers a TON of classes and events for kids and teens. If you walk in, the chalkboard will be FULL of things going on that week...I saw an anime club recently. There's also a ton of activities through the county in the summertime based on interest and ages. I would honestly think they have a film class or something like that, because we get a magazine every year of their offerings. Check out https://www.howardcountymd.gov/recreation-parks/programs to see what parks and rec have.