>It's also important to know that if you buy within Columbia city limits, you'll have steep HOA fees.

I want expand on this a bit more since it's important to understand. The Columbia Association (CA) is essentially a large HOA with some unique features.

The CA sets all the usual HOA rules like the external look of the homes, yard maintenance, fence rules, etc. But, they also maintain a large portion of the trail network, the lakes, operate fitness centers and pools, and organize events. If your home is within a CA boundary then you have to pay an additional HOA fee, very rough ballpark I'd say is about $1000/yr for a townhome or single-family. As a result of being a CA member you receive improved pricing on the amenities as shown here.

You may see people referring to the CA as something like a "quasi government". I disagree with that characterization since they don't provide anything resembling basic government services. I tend to think of them as if a YMCA merged with an HOA.

There are also homes and whole communities in Columbia which do not fall under the CA umbrella and thus not charged the annual CA dues. These are referred to as "out parcels". Sewells Orchard is one example. Realtors will often highlight this fact in their listings, for example and another.

I'm personally biased towards Sewells Orchard since I lived there for awhile (now in western Howard County). It has nice balance, no CA fee, direct trail access, it's own (albeit small) lake park, no through streets, and otherwise easy access to everything Columbia has to offer. If you are able to come and explore I'd recommend checking it out. I'd also recommend checking out at least one of the other lakes (Wilde Lake, Kittamaqundi, or Elkhorn), the new downtown Merriweather district for a bite to eat, Blandair or Centennial Parks, and downtown Ellicott City.