Clarksville

In spite of the rapid growth and development that characterizes Howard County, the community of Clarksville has managed to remain a rural farming community.  The small-town ambiance of the unincorporated area has attracted those who appreciate the pleasures of a rural lifestyle and a location in close proximity to major metropolitan advantages.  Historians have referred to Clarksville as a “crossroads community” because of the Clarksville Pike or Route 108.  Although Clarksville is still primarily an agricultural region with residential communities, many of the local farms and patchwork fields are giving way to urban and suburban development.  To the north of Clarksville lies the University of Maryland Central Farm and to the southeast is the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, one of the nations premier companies for scientific research.  The laboratory is also distinguished as one of the county’s and the metropolitan region’s largest employers.