Laurel is a city about 14 miles northeast of Washington, D.C., that is located in Prince George's County, Maryland. Parts of three other counties Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Howard County, Maryland, and Montgomery County, Maryland, are adjacent to the city limits and are commonly called "Laurel" but are not in the city limits. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,960. Laurel is home to a modest horse racetrack, Laurel Racecourse, which is actually located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Laurel was also formerly the home on an automobile racetrack, decades ago. The city is nearby to Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. The postal code of nearby Montpelier, Maryland, is also referred to as "Laurel", though it is not part of the city.
The ZIP code for the City of Laurel is 20707.
Laurel is located at 39°5'54" North, 76°51'33" West (39.098258, -76.859093). This positions it on the bank of the Patuxent River, which was the power source for the mills that were the early industry of the town. Laurel, proper, is at the northern tip of Prince George's County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.9 km2 (3.8 mi2). 9.8 km2 (3.8 mi2) of it is land and 0.1 km2 (0.04 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.79% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 19,960 people, 8,931 households, and 4,635 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,038.8/km2 (5,280.2/mi2). There are 9,506 housing units at an average density of 971.0/km2 (2,514.7/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 52.24% White, 34.50% African American, 0.38% Native American, 6.89% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. 6.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,931 households out of which 26.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.9% are married couples living together, 13.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 48.1% are non-families. 37.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.22 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 42.9% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $49,415, and the median income for a family is $58,552. Males have a median income of $37,966 versus $35,614 for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,717. 6.4% of the population and 4.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 7.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Originally called "Laurel Factory" by its 18th- and early 19th-century settlers (due to the presence of an iron works along the local Patuxent River), the town's name was not shortened to "Laurel" until 1875. Laurel was incorporated as a town in 1870, and reincorporated in 1890 to coincide with a new electric power plant and paved streets.
In 1899, Laurel's seven-time mayor Edward Phelps succeeded in constructing the first high school in Prince George's County, despite several financial obstacles. The school building still stands on the corner of Montgomery and Eighth Streets.
On May 15, 1972, Governor George Wallace of Alabama, running for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, was shot and paralyzed by Arthur Bremer (An Assassin's Diary), a disturbed, out-of-work janitor, while the former was campaigning at a rally at a shopping center in the city of Laurel. An Alabama state trooper and a Secret Service agent were also wounded, as was a female campaign worker. At the time, Laurel did not have a comprehensive hospital, so Wallace was taken to Silver Spring, Maryland. However, for more than two decades, Laurel has been the home of its own large, multipurpose hospital.
In 2001, it was revealed that Laurel had some small involvement in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Quotes are excerpted from:
On August 12, 2005, two teenagers were stabbed and choked in an area of the mall that was off-limits to shoppers; the attack may have been linked to an attempted drug transaction. Shortly after Christmas 2005, chunks of concrete fell from the garage's ceiling, closing the garage indefinitely.
Source:
LaurelMaryland.com
HOTELS • REAL ESTATE • JOBS