Laurel Today - (Page 6) continued from page 4 Development Officer for the City of Laurel, notes that the City of Laurel itself has a population of 23,000, and that greater Laurel spans Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Howard, and Montgomery counties. The city and the surrounding postal area are home to approximately 75,000 to 125,000 men and women. “We have housing that includes executive homes, as well as affordable apartments and condominiums,” says Brendle. “On Main Street, we have Patuxent Place, which is made up of 10 separate mixeduse buildings. On the ground and first floors are commercial businesses such as Red, Hot and Blue, a deli, a pharmacy, and so forth. There are businesses on the second floor, and the top floor is residential. Patuxent Place residents who work in Washington or Baltimore can walk to the MARC commuter train station.” An enormous undertaking now in its final planning stages, Konterra, which is directly southwest of the city, is a mixeduse—retail, residential, and business— community that will offer more than 1.5 million square feet of retail space and 3.8 million square feet of office space, as well as 4,500 residential units, including townhomes, condos, and apartments. “There will be a Konterra Town Center just to the east of I-95, which will include a number of high-rise office buildings and a 600-bed high-rise hotel,” says Moe. “Building is set to begin in 2011 or 2012.” III Laurel is rightly proud of its public transLaurel’s African-American Community The Grove area became the center of the African-American community. Laurel’s African-American community has celebrated its history for more than 100 years with an Emancipation Day Parade. Laurel into the 21st Century The 20th century cemented Laurel’s place as an independent small town that also served as a prosperous suburb of Washington, DC, and Baltimore. Laurel’s proximity to Ft. Meade meant it was deeply involved in wartime activities during both WWI and WWII, and the town more than doubled in the period after WWII, as many defense-related agencies, including the NSA and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, moved nearby. The Laurel Shopping Center opened in 1958, and the Laurel Mall in 1964. Today, Laurel’s traditional Main Street features antique stores, gift shops, historic churches, a still-operating 1898 E. Francis Baldwin railroad station, and several restaurants. The town continues to grow and expand its boundaries. Much can be learned about the history of Laurel and its people by studying its buildings. A walking tour of Laurel Old Town is available through the Laurel Historical Society (www.laurelhistoricalsociety.org) and in libraries and city buildings. Visit the Laurel Museum, located at 817 Main Street, on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., or Sundays from 1-4 p.m. Group visits are available by appointment. portation systems. “We have the Corridor Transportation Corporation [CTC], which is a division of the Baltimore-Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce,” notes Moe. “We have a bus system that is run by the chamber of commerce. The CTC bridges the gap in the central corridor and crosses county lines. Howard Transit, under contract to the Corridor Transportation Corporation, also runs buses into the City of Laurel.” One can also commute to Baltimore by MTA buses that begin at Laurel Mall and continued on page 12 LAURELhistory Early Years Laurel’s growth and evolution mirror the growth and evolution of small towns across the Unites States. Originally called Laurel Factory, Laurel began as an 1811 grist mill on land owned by the Snowden family. Located on the newly built B&O Railroad, by the 1840s, the mills employed hundreds of workers. Many were housed in still-standing two-story stone and brick houses constructed by mill president Horace Capron. One is now the home of the Laurel Historical Society and the Laurel Museum. A Growing Suburban Community The mills continued operating after the Civil War, but by the late 19th century, Laurel was evolving into an early suburban community. The town incorporated in 1870 as Laurel. Laurel’s central role in the county led to its being the site of many Prince George’s County firsts. These include the first public library, first public high school, and first national bank. Laurel can also boast of having Prince George’s County’s oldest continuously operating volunteer fire department. LAUREL today: A Supplement to Maryland Life 6 http://www.laurelhistoricalsociety.org Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Laurel Today Laurel Today Laurel! Smart Move. Laurel History Konterra: New Ideal for City Life Laurel Events Laurel Today Laurel Today - Laurel Today (Page Cover1) Laurel Today - Laurel Today (Page 2) Laurel Today - Laurel! Smart Move. (Page 3) Laurel Today - Laurel! Smart Move. (Page 4) Laurel Today - Laurel! Smart Move. (Page 5) Laurel Today - Laurel History (Page 6) Laurel Today - Konterra: New Ideal for City Life (Page 7) Laurel Today - Konterra: New Ideal for City Life (Page 8) Laurel Today - Konterra: New Ideal for City Life (Page 9) Laurel Today - Konterra: New Ideal for City Life (Page 10) Laurel Today - Konterra: New Ideal for City Life (Page 11) Laurel Today - Konterra: New Ideal for City Life (Page 12) Laurel Today - Konterra: New Ideal for City Life (Page 13) Laurel Today - Laurel Events (Page 14) Laurel Today - Laurel Events (Page 15) Laurel Today - Laurel Events (Page Cover4) http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sheridan/laureltoday http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
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