Laurel, MD (Baltimore, Bowie, Annapolis: apartment complexes, crime, townhomes)

[pkoons]

Laurel, Maryland

This is the city that I spent the majority of my life in so far and even though it hasn't always been the most wonderful place to live, it always will be "home," so to speak. I still have family living there, lots of friends, and I hit all of the great Laurel nightspots on occasion too...

Laurel is loosely bordered by Rt 95 to the west, Rt 32 to the north, and Rt 295 to the east. It sits partially in four counties - Howard (the wealthiest section of Laurel with the most desired schools), Prince George's (the area I lived in, some great areas and some very rough areas), Anne Arundel (close to NSA/Ft. Meade) and Montgomery (a very small tip of the 20707 zip code off of Riding Stable Rd). It is approximately 20 miles from both DC and Baltimore, and 30 miles from Annapolis.

Laurel is most notable for being the city that George Wallace was shot in during his presidential campaign - my dad was at the event with his high school class listening to Wallace speak. Crime in Laurel has grown progressively worse since I moved there in 1986. I lived in some of the worst apartment complexes as a child, but at the time even those were safe. Recently, an on-duty police officer was murdered in a shootout minutes from my parents' home, and there is a major battle over the Stardust Inn strip club (the site of a triple homicide) moving to Laurel. Also, Laurel made headlines when some of the 9/11 terrorists sta*** in a Howard County motel.

It's not all bad, however, some of the nicest suburban neighborhoods in Prince George's County such as West Laurel and Montpelier are located here, and there are plenty of newer communities and high-end retail centers being developed. Laurel is home to the Laurel Park horse racing track, the Patuxent Wildlife Reserve, and was a proposed site for the Washington Redskins stadium 5 years ago.

Laurel is probably the best place to eat out in Prince George's County with the possible exception of Bowie, and perhaps the Riverdale/Bladensburg area in terms of ethnic food. Some good restaurants are Pasta Plus (real Italian food, and a great deli/market, with lines out the door), Bay & Surf (fresh seafood, always good if a little unexciting), your big name midpriced steak chains - Outback, Longhorn, and Lone Star, plus a few decnt BBQ joints spread over the four counties (I hear the best is the new one near Fulton in Howard County). Some of the most po****r local bars are Champions & the Greene Turtle, but the REAL Laurelites hang at the shadier redneck bars like Nuzback's, Crickett's, Sapphire, Oliver's, and especially Sportsmen's Pub (walk right across the street to Little Tavern, which is like White Castle but better!)

Last minute Laurel facts - Laurel Mall is terrible (yes, that's a fact!!!). Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman was born here. Author Steven King mentioned Laurel in one of his books. The old rock quarry houses some new expensvie developments like Emerson & Stone Lake. There is a comedy club on Main Street that occasionally gets some big name comedians. Dwight D. Eisenhower sta*** at a home on Montgomery Street for some time.

If anyone else has any questions or other information about Laurel, feel free to post it here.

[BIL Fillmore]

I see your post and hope that others will see and join in. I was born in Baltimore. Moved to Arizona in the 70's. I live in Alabama (Wallace Country) now. I've been interested in Genealogy for some time and need to head north for a fact finding trip. Do you know of any Genealogy groups in you area that may be able to help.
Thank you for your intrest in my home state.
BIL

[pkoons]

Thanks for your reply... I can't say I know of any, though my family in east Tennessee is very active in geneology. Wish I had a better answer for you...

Welcome to the board!

[Sundance]

Hello to Laurel, MD.
Lived there when I was a small child.
We went to Washington, DC when I was five.
Of course, that was the Stone Age.....

[chplanet]

I know the are very well. I moved to Bowie before kindergarden and left when I graduated from the University of MD. Married a Laurel girl and lived there for 10 years. We had to move when we realized we couldn't afford to send 3 kids to private schools because the public schools were so bad at the time. Busing ruined the PG County public school system and my kids would be bussed past one of the best scholls in the county, which was walking distance from our house, to one of the worst. I remeber when Laurel Mall was built and that it was a masterpiece of the time but it has gotten so bad that I avaoid it when I visit.

[missrpk]

Does anyone have any information about the new community Ryan Classics (Homes) is building off of vandussen and cherry lane . We are thinking about putting a deposit/contract on one of there townhomes. The Home is beautiful but cost just as much as a Single family home (base price) The community is set up differently from what i seen in other communities. There is even a large church/school that is being built in the back of the community with its only and main entrance being part of the main communits entrance.
any info would be helpful, thanks.

Originally Posted by pkoons

Laurel, Maryland


If anyone else has any questions or other information about Laurel, feel free to post it here.

[Rmx Christina]

nothing personal, but i read a few things on this forum about ryan homes...

[triniboy]

Yep that is true. Me too. How about NV homes. We bought a Roosevelt model which is the best bang for your dollar in terms of incentives and everythign they give you for the price. We built in the villages at wellington which is the new section by the Jewish Center side which is the smaller with the biger lots of both sections. This is by Laurel Hospital I`m sure many are aware of where I`m speaking of.

[landrover06]

Interesting facts about Laurel. I lived there in 1987 for a year before moving to Oakton, VA, then to San Francisco. At the time, I was working at Fort Meade, and had little time to get to know the place.

[missrpk]

Ive only heard bad things about ryan homes in other states but nothing in maryland. NV Homes are great from the models thats I've seen - the issue though is the affordabilty. Were loking at townhomes and NV homes is priced 150k over what we can afford. Any other suggestions......................