Lake Kittamaqundi is a 27-acre man-made lake named for the first recorded Native American settlement in Howard County. Kittamaqundi means “meeting place” appropriate for the location of many community events and festivals. The lake was created by the Rouse company in 1966 during the first phase of Columbia development.
Lake Kittamaqundi originally featured an island known as Nomanisan Island, named by Columbia resident Alan Levine in a contest held by the Columbia Association in 1980. Like many of the street names in Columbia, the island’s name came from literature, “No Man Is an Island” by John Donne. The gap between the island and the east bank of the lake was filled during the 2010 dredging project, and is now a peninsula.
The pathway around the lake was first constructed in the early 1990’s, but did not go all the way around, instead a loop on the east side of the lake sent pedestrians back along the same route. The path was extended completely around the lake in 2014 measuring 1.4 miles, and now features beautiful river views and a new footbridge at the north end of the lake.