Anyone live in South Laurel 20707? Safe or not? (North Laurel, Beltsville: apartments, condos)

[T2015]

How is South Laurel 20707 for a family? Is it safe? Can someone shine some light on living in South Laurel? Is it safe to run to the local grocery store to grab milk after 10 pm? We have small kids so we always find ourselves running to a store late at night for milk or medicine or whatever.

I've driven through South Laurel and I'm attracted to some of the newer developments there like High Ridge Meadows (close to 20707), The Crescent at Cherry Lane, and more. The surround areas seem worn out but once you get in a desired neighborhood and fall in love with a house, you forget what's around it. I don't want to be delusional and be confined to a safe neighborhood, that might get robbed because of the sketchy areas around it.

We want to do private schools so the schools don't matter but I know in general, better schools mean a better place to live too.

I looked through the City of Laurel crime report and it's pretty dreadful reading it. But isn't that expected when you are reading crime reports? How do I know if these are 'normal' crimes occurring in a populated city or if these crimes indicate that South Laurel is a dangerous place? All crime reports will list crime, that's a fact. How do I know if Laurel is particularly worse or better then surrounding cities?

I guess the best thing to do is compare the crime reports of surrounding cities near Laurel to get an idea of how bad South Laurel may be compared to Beltsville, Hyatsville, Lanham, etc.


I know this can include South & North Laurel
https://www.cityoflaurel.org/police/.../crime-reports

[papichulo2]

Laurel has its pockets but if u just street smart and not naive u should be ok. Those are newer developments and the area is not bad there but yah the surrounding area has crime. i work in laurel and most of the downtown area is rundown but u go south is nicer. the hs sucks but there are nice private schools there. ask the people around there! good luck

[watapple]

I've lived in Laurel Lakes for many years and I think it is safe. There are lots of townhouses, single family homes and condos. IMO, the crime is just normal neighborhood stuff that I've never been affected by. There are a lot of strip malls and shopping centers that bring lots of people and traffic, but I think when you get over towards Contee and route 197, near the apartments, there are more issues over there.

[mondyRE]

Been living in Laurel (20707) since 2012 and yes, it does have its pockets. Crime stats are a good thing to look at, more than anything, for your own peace of mind. Personally, nor myself nor my family have ever felt threatened anywhere in the area. We like the diversity and the care that goes into our City government and police force. Very proactive, very progressive. Hope this helps! :-)

[Niyadahin]

If I'm not mistaken, the property tax in South Laurel, PG county is higher than North Laurel, Howard county. And schools in PG county are mostly bad. If you plan on sending your children to private schools, then your tax dollar won't serve you any purpose. I'd rather get a place where I get to use my tax dollars. That is just me. Good luck on your house hunting.