Laurel, MD (Fort Meade, California, Bladensburg: townhouses, buy, middle schools)

[jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj]

i have lived in laurel my whole life and yea the crime is pretty bad but there are advantages of living there, close to baltimore and d.c. it basicly has any store you could ask for.

[triniboy]

Where in Laurel is the crime pretty bad? What part of Laurel are you talking about? Are you talking about petty crime? Like car break-ins and robberies? Please, when last have you heard of a serious crime in Laurel. I would love to know where in laurel you are.

[laurelengineer]

Originally Posted by jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

i have lived in laurel my whole life and yea the crime is pretty bad but there are advantages of living there, close to baltimore and d.c. it basicly has any store you could ask for.

Crime is pretty bad??? Maybe, when compared to Antarctica. I've seen NOTHING anywhere in Laurel to suggest such a thing. Seriously, where do you live in Laurel?

[triniboy]

If it`s in an apartment I could understand because we know the story with apartments. You have to expect crime in apartments unfortunately because of the wide spectrum of residents. Not every apartment tenant is a bad influence but as I said without putting it out there. We coudl expect crime in those sort of settings. Aagin, not all apartments are crime ridden or run-down but some are. It depends on how much you pay monthly and if it`s an old complex so please remember that.

[Oldtowner]

Laurel- You learn to love her. My husband dragged me kicking and screaming across the bridge ( American Legion- over the Potomac) in 1987 from Virginia . W moved to Laurel Lakes. Lots of DINKS( Double income-no-kids) at the time. It was difficult to connect with "Laurel" .In 1989 we moved to the historic district. At first I found the area to be depressing, but upon closer look there was a magnitude of treasures to be found.
If you walk around the historic district, there are houses with character and delightful little gardens to be found along with the friendly residents that reside there. There is a lively main street with housing, shops, restaurants and business's that is beginning to come into it's own.(Don't miss Olivers Tavern,and Red, Hot and Blue,)
The city celebrates itself in many ways. The Board of Trade sponsors the MAIN STREET FESTIVAL the Saturday before Mother's day , with an average of 100,000 folks attending.a grand 4th of July celebration at the Laurel Lakes cumulating with a fantastic fireworks display over the lake.In the summer there is a Thursdays Farmers Market on Main Street , an Emancipation Day celebration and Parade,a Riverfront Festival in the fall. There is a Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting ceremony with a childrens party following. The neighbors in the historic district have Epiphany parties starting in Jan.The Laurel Historical Society has a bi annual holiday house tour. There is a Laurel Musuem, "The Factory House" where you can learn about the history of Laurel, an old mill town.
The fire department has a Sunday breakfast buffet the first Sunday of every month. The American Legion has crab feasts, bull roasts, turkey shoots.
There are every kind of organizations to join , civic,humanitarian, etc .Laurel has an official web site and an unofficial one and there is much information to be garnered from them both.
The Laurel City Council is very accessable and there are many committees to become involved in. Although you pay county and city taxes, the city has it's own police dept, volunteer fire dept, 2x a week trash pickup and recycling . If you go on vacation, you can request that the police drive by and check your property. Our State represenatives are very responsive to us.
Laurel is a high density area with many apartments and townhouses. There are new developments of upscale homes and condo's. There are pockets of lovely quiet neighborhoods with historic homes . The Laurel Mall is scheduled for redevelopment and hopefully some upscale shops. I do not travel there in the evening. There are many national shops and restaurant chains in Laurel as well as mom and pop restaurants.
The schools can certainly be improved, but there are private schools here as well as home schooling groups. There are churches of almost every demonation, some of them historic.
We are close to the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, Montplier Mansion and Art Center, Savage Mill, Columbia, to several golf courses. There are wonderful little historic communities not too far away - Elicott City etc.
We are in a very central area, close to many other communities , major highways( Rush hour traffic on 95 or around the beltway is a nightmare)The Marc train goes into DC and into Baltimore.
There is some crime , mostly in "high opportunity" areas, such as the high density apartments.
While it is not Brigadoon- it can be what you make it, depending upon your involvement in the community. IF I had more time, I would cover more subjects. C

[la_bruja]

Hello Laurel:

Laurel is was my hometown from 1961 to 1978. I moved to Denver, Colorado (quite reluctantly) at the age of 15. I am 46 years old now and my heart remains forever in Laurel. After Laurel I lived in 30 places over 5 states until I ran out of gas in Portland, Oregon. Been here for 23 years now.

I lived on Parkway Drive in West Laurel. I attended Bond Mill Elementary, Margaret A. Edminston Elementary, Laurel Junior High (when we had the church annex for 7th grade) and then majored in parking lot getting high at Laurel Sr. High . If you think you know me let me know. I left alot of friends back there and I have lost contact with all of them.

[kjg1963]

Originally Posted by la_bruja

Hello Laurel:

Laurel is was my hometown from 1961 to 1978. I moved to Denver, Colorado (quite reluctantly) at the age of 15. I am 46 years old now and my heart remains forever in Laurel. After Laurel I lived in 30 places over 5 states until I ran out of gas in Portland, Oregon. Been here for 23 years now.

I lived on Parkway Drive in West Laurel. I attended Bond Mill Elementary, Margaret A. Edminston Elementary, Laurel Junior High (when we had the church annex for 7th grade) and then majored in parking lot getting high at Laurel Sr. High . If you think you know me let me know. I left alot of friends back there and I have lost contact with all of them.

My boyfriend and I live in Laurel. He grew up in Laurel. He's 46 and he went to Laurel High also. He grew up close to old Laurel though. I don't know if you would remember, but there was a car dealership on Route 1 called Mid City Chevrolet. His grandfather owned it. I grew up in Langley Park and back then Laurel was the boonies to us, lol.

[zipty22]

I live in Laurel Lakes now and I love it. The lake is cool to walk or jog around and the mall is being renovated. Construction on the mall is suppose to began this fall, I saw pictures of what it is going to look like and amazing how nice it will look with all the new stores etc. etc.

[triniboy]

Yep, it will be called Laurel Commons with upscale stores and really a freah breath for the area. Laurel is one of the place to start investing in now and there are a number of projects that are taking place simultaneously in a wide all four counties of Laurel including the mini mini-city off of Van Dusen road called Konterra. If you don't believe me check it out for yourselves on this website Konterra - The Premier Business and Residential Community and that is a 2200 acre parcel of land right off I-95. It's going to be so sweet but a long time to wait as I live very close to Laurel Hospital so everything is convenient already as it is for me but it will be really interesting seeing everything progessing. So far I have no complaints with Laurel.

[ace22]

I lived in Laurel from 1986 to 1997 and have made many trips back - the last time was 2 years ago, and I was amazed at how much Old Laurel had been renovated (and I'm sure the prices reflect it).

Laurel was a great location for my husband to commute in to DC on the MARC train. Plus, since it's right on I-95, it's easy to reach Baltimore or DC by car.

It was a good place for us, and from what I'm reading, and what I've seen over the last 10 years, I think it's improving and will continue to improve.