Ellicott City is an unincorporate community and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The population was 56,397 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howard County. Founded in 1772, the town features the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station Museum,built in 1830, a downtown historic district ,which is a very popular destination among antiques shoppers, with restaurants, eclectic boutique shops, coffee shops, a tea room and many historic sites. As of the 2000 Census, Ellicott City surpassed Towson, Maryland, as the largest unincorporated county seat in the country.