Howard County is frequently cited for its affluence, quality of life, and excellent schools. It is located in the Piedmont Plateau region of Maryland, with rolling hills making up most of the landscape. It is bounded on the north and northeast by the Patapsco River, on the southwest by the Patuxent River, and on the southeast by a land border with Anne Arundel County. Both the Patapsco and Patuxent run largely through publicly accessible parkland along the county borders. The main population center of Columbia/Ellicott City was named second among Money magazine's 2010 survey of "America's Best Places to Live.