HoCo Laurel (20723) qs on schools, crime (Columbia, Hebron: home search, best school, living)

[sfo]

In our home search we're also considering the Laurel area west of I-95 in HoCo.

The schools here (Gorman Crossing, Murray Hill and Atholton) are reportedly good. I have read that Centennial & Mt Hebron are better as are the schools that feed into them. Apart from greatschools.net are there any websites to help compare? I was also hoping for some opinions from ppl who've dealt with these schools.

I can't tell if Laurel gets a bad rap on crime, but I've been looking at the 'Maryland Extra' feature in the Post and compared to Columbia (11 crime reports) Laurel had 3. This has been a similar trend for the past few weeks. So is this a perception issue? Are there any sites I can use to research local/nbhd crime? Laurel locals, your inputs would be invaluable as well.

Many thanks!

[Jmandl]

I am also investigating diff schools because we are looking to move to md in the summer. I find this web site very good.

[WannaComeHome]

That side of Laurel is well away from the city limits, and the general sprawl. It's barely even a section that people think of when they hear Laurel. It's so far outside of Laurel, that for the most part, none of the restaurants deliver out there (there might be one Chinese place that does, not sure). I have some friends who live off Rt 216, it's nice (compared to the city and montpelier sections).

They have a 16yr old who went to Hammond elementary and I think is going to Atholton now. They've been happy with his schools - he was in a lot of AP classes.

Laurel can have a lot of crime - especially around Whiskey Bottom (just east of I95) and around the mall on rt 1. The far side of I95, I don't hear much about for crime.

Oh, yes: the Centennial school district, is considered the best in the area, possibly the best in Howard Cty.

[newhart]

Originally Posted by sfo

The schools here (Gorman Crossing, Murray Hill and Atholton) are reportedly good. I have read that Centennial & Mt Hebron are better as are the schools that feed into them. Apart from greatschools.net are there any websites to help compare? I was also hoping for some opinions from ppl who've dealt with these schools.

I can tell you that Atholton is an excellent high school, as are the other high schools you mentiond, but I don't know much about the elementary and middle schools. If you look at the profiles for the individual schools, the Fast Facts section gives a breakdown of the demographics. The free and reduced lunch rate is a good thing to look at. You might want to stay away from a school with a really high rate. Here are links to all of the schools. Just click on "School Profile" for a particular school.

Elementary
Middle
high schools

[starr71]

Hi, this post is timely because my husband and I just looked at Ryan's Kings Arms development off of Whiskey Bottom Road/Manorwood Road yesterday. The homes seem nice, and the price unbelievable (low $400s fully loaded single family homes), but I need more info about the area. I lived in Laurel from '99 to '05 in the 20707 and 20708 zip codes, and while I was living there, the Whiskey Bottom area had a bad rep. We also have a newborn baby so, schools are an important factor. The zoned high school for that area is Reservoir, which is a ways off for us. The elementary school, Forest Ridge, seems to rate well based on the stats on the Howard County Schools web site.

Any thoughts about that area? I remember there used to be a bunch of kids hanging out in front of the strip mall on All Saints, but I see now that there is a Howard County Police office in that shopping center. Guess that took care of that!

[TuborgP]

Originally Posted by starr71

Hi, this post is timely because my husband and I just looked at Ryan's Kings Arms development off of Whiskey Bottom Road/Manorwood Road yesterday. The homes seem nice, and the price unbelievable (low $400s fully loaded single family homes), but I need more info about the area. I lived in Laurel from '99 to '05 in the 20707 and 20708 zip codes, and while I was living there, the Whiskey Bottom area had a bad rep. We also have a newborn baby so, schools are an important factor. The zoned high school for that area is Reservoir, which is a ways off for us. The elementary school, Forest Ridge, seems to rate well based on the stats on the Howard County Schools web site.

Any thoughts about that area? I remember there used to be a bunch of kids hanging out in front of the strip mall on All Saints, but I see now that there is a Howard County Police office in that shopping center. Guess that took care of that!

And if budget cuts force the police satellite office to close?

[WannaComeHome]

Starr71, I know there are some new (and nice looking) developments over passed the end of All Saints, I guess they're on the northern end of Whiskey Bottom. I don't really know much about that area since I'm never over there.

That strip mall we also tend to avoid because it's such a PitA to get out of.. and I dunno... still has a bad feeling around it.

Whiskey Bottom area in general still shows up a lot in the police blotter section of the Laurel Leader. It's still has a bad rep.

BTW, I wouldn't count on the presence of a police station to have too much effect: the parking lot of the old police station off Main St (they're moving to... 5th st?) I'm told was a frequent place for drug deals. pretty sad/gutsy.

[effulgent7]

As for schools- Atholton is great, I used to work there. Best school in the county IMO. But then, there are few bad schools in the county.

If you are not from Howard County, Laurel is not a bad area. I used to live in the the PG county part of Laurel, and there was a lot of crime and loud neighbors in my area near Rt 198/95- the Howard section was/is? much better. People from HoCo seem to think it's a dump, though- it's all about your perspective!

I am actually moving out of the area, and am concerned about crime since I am from Carroll Co. where there is very little- anyway I always find it helpful to call the local police, tell them where you are thinking of moving, and ask about crime. Some police depts. have online crime reports. I have also found spotcrime.com to be helpful.