Laurel? Safe? (South Laurel, North Laurel: low income, apartments, crimes)

[quakerchick]

I would love to live in laurel near my brother, however, in the last few years he keeps saying it has gotten dangerous. I live in NYC so it looks safe to me. I dont want to pay over the roof. My brother lives off of cherrywood in west laurel. Are there any safe areas in laurel to live?

[goldenage1]

I know the area around Cherrywood Drive, and there is some low-income housing there. The town of Laurel looks a bit seedy, but there are plenty of places with Laurel addresses that are safe. One better areas is North Laurel in Howard County. Another good area is the Russett development to the east near the BW Parkway.

[PGC Native]

South Laurel is nice too, in the 20708 zip code, as long as you stay away from the garden apartments.

[EducatedBro82]

Most of Laurel is fairly safe. As a Laurel resident I dont have any issues there. The good neighborhoods outweigh the bad. No murders, rapes, robberies, and heinous crimes. They have a little brekaing and entering and personal disputes here and there. But overall the living is better than anywhere in the Inner Beltway Area.

However, Laurel is experiencing a building boom with the BRAC closures around the USA, the ICC Interchange (last phase is the Laurel exit), and the Laurel Town Center (old mall was torn down and being rebuilt) and hopefully Konterra are being built here. Market rates for homes and apartments are increasing, which is pushing out some of the low income areas, especially in Laurel Square.


Here is a breakdown of the City though:

Laurel/PG County- 20707, 20708-This is the "city" part of Laurel, Most businesses are here, the schools are good Elementary and Middle school wise. Laurel High School is good, nothing really goes on over there and they have the most students graduate from AP courses. They also have an International Baccalaureate Program. They were also nationally ranked in Newsweek. There are a few McMansions in this area such as Wilshire Estates, Snowden Pond, Sumner Grove, Blue Fields at Snowden Pond and the Villages of Wellington. Also Snowden Pond and most neighborhoods off Muirkirk Road are safer. The Montpelier Neighborhood has Most of your Levitt Style homes. Alos the Greens a Patuxent, which is a golf course community Scotchton Hills has townhomes and SFH as well.Most apartment communities are in this area. Parke Laurel is a good community, so is the Point at Laurel Lakes, and Windsor at Contee Crossing. Emerson at Cherry Lane is good, however the noise level may be higher due to the construction of the Laurel Town Center. West laurel is nice. Older homes over there and the newer "McMansion" called Bond Mill Estates.

Laurel/Anne Arundel County-20724-The schools here are better than Prince George's County. Also the Russett Community has apartments and homes that can suit your budget, but may be more expensive. Homes can range from upper 300s to low 500s. This area also hosts a lot of the military families due to the proximity with Ft. Meade. The apartment communities are Concord Park, Camden, and Tall Oaks. If yo have children, the schools are better since it is in Anne Arundel County.

Laurel/Howard County-20723-This is considered the best part of Laurel. It is mainly all suburban with the McMansions all over the place. The Emerson Community, which is STILL growing is pretty nice, but the price may be higher than your budget. The schools are considered the best in the State since it is Howard county. The apartment communities are Bowling Brook, Country Meadows and The Seasons, all may be in your budget but may be priced higher.

There is no Metro line to Laurel, so you will need a car to get around. However Laurel does have a "mini" bus system to connect all 3 counties.

I hope this was helpful to you.

[quakerchick]

Interesting my family lives in 20707 tells me how terrible the schools are and send their kids to private schools. And when looking at school ratings online they are very low compared to other areas in MD.

[EducatedBro82]

not all the schools are terrible. PLus most ratings websites are biased. Bond Mill is a good school so is Scotchton Hills MLK Middle is good also. Outer Beltway schools are generally better than the inner beltway schools. But in most of these threads even these schools are considered subpar than other areas of MD.

[bowian]

Originally Posted by EducatedBro82

not all the schools are terrible. PLus most ratings websites are biased. Bond Mill is a good school so is Scotchton Hills MLK Middle is good also. Outer Beltway schools are generally better than the inner beltway schools. But in most of these threads even these schools are considered subpar than other areas of MD.

Yes. Bond Mill has had decent MSA scores in recent years, and so has MLK Middle. In fact, MLK Middle outranked Samuel Ogle (the other top middle school in the county) in 2012 on schooldigger.com. OP, its best to do your research and tour the schools you are considering.