Places To Live In Laurel
"Old Laurel": The oldest neighborhoods in Laurel are
those closest to the old town center and Main Street. While most
of the homes in this area have been there for decades, there have
been some new single-family homes, condominiums, and apartment
complexes built in more recent years.
Laurel Lakes: Built in the 1980's and 1990's, this subdivision
consists mostly of townhomes and condominiums. Located near the
lakes of Gude Park, west of the Laurel Lakes Shopping Center.
Russett: Started in the 1990's, Russett continues to expand it's
collection of townhomes, apartment buildings, and condomiums. Located
at the intersection of Route 198 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway,
in Maryland City, east of Laurel.
Villages at Wellington: High-end housing currently being built
on the southwestern side of town, along both sides of Van Dusen
Road.
Central Parke
at Victoria Falls: A new "active adult" community
for those over 55 years of age. Variety of housing options and
a central clubhouse.
Emerson: The latest of the communities
between Laurel and Columbia, with a wide variety of detached single-family
homes and townhomes. Shhhh, don't say anything about it being near
Laurel!
Konterra: Coming soon to the area between Laurel and Beltsville
is a very ambitious 2200 acre residential, commercial and retail
development known as Konterra. We'll add more details as we
learn them, in the meantime you can visit the
official Konterra web site. |
About Laurel
Laurel was originally a mill town, using
the Patuxent River as the source of energy for the mill. It's
also been home
to the Laurel
Park horse track for almost 100 years. While
the city of Laurel is located in Prince George's County, "Greater
Laurel" actually includes parts of four counties - Prince
George's, Montgomery, Howard and Anne Arundel. The city's proximity
to both Baltimore and Washington make it a good location for
commuting in either direction. Recent growth in the Laurel area
has been
driven by the nearby Fort Meade and National Security Agency
(NSA) facilities.
Laurel's commercial life first centered on the city's Main Street,
still home to a number of locally-owned and operated businesses
and restaurants. In more recent decades retail activity centered
on the Laurel Mall and Laurel Shopping Center next door. Since
the mid-1990's the mall has slowly declined as more popular shopping
centers were built to the south (along U.S. Route 1) and to the
east (the Maryland City area along Route 198).
You'll never have trouble finding a place to eat in Laurel, with
literally dozens of restaurants located in the two mile stretch
along Route 1 south of the Patuxent River. Just about every national
chain restaurant has an outlet in this zone and you'll also find
such local favorites as The
Bay & Surf, C.J.
Ferrari's and Pasta
Plus.
The city of
Laurel is governed by an elected mayor and city council,
each serving two-year terms. There are five members of the city
council, two from each of two wards plus one at-large member.
Almost all of the city's departments are located in the
city hall building on Sandy Spring Road.
Prince George's
County is one of two Maryland counties that border Washington,
DC. The county has an elected County Executive and County
Council, with representatives from each of the county's nine
districts. Montgomery
County, Howard
County, and Anne
Arundel County also operate under the "Council/Executive" model.
Public schools in Laurel are part of the Prince
George's Public School system. The local high school is Laurel
High School, fed
by the
middle schools and elementary schools of Prince George's region
5. Local private schools include St.
Vincent Palotti High School and the First
Baptist School of Laurel.
View an interactive
map of Laurel. |
