Characterized as a farming community, West Friendship also harmonizes beautiful historic homes with newly developed residential neighborhoods.  The town’s early residents were tobacco or wheat farmers, and many descendants of those 17th-century settlers still reside within the area.  Familiar family names like Warfield, Ridgely, Selby, Hobbs, Cross, and Cissel have helped to create the modern community of West Friendship.  The annual Howard County Fair is held in rural West Friendship, although suburban trappings now include a modern shopping center.  New construction in the West Friendship area features spacious single-family homes in colonial styling.  Many homes are set on large, wooded lots that offer natural beauty and seclusion.  The area provides a convenient commute into Baltimore City via Interstate 70.  Throughout the community, farms and historic homes blend with modern construction and retail centers, harmonizing a progressive attitude with reverence for tradition.