Biohazard and Crime Scene Remediation in Laurel, MD

Laurel is an incorporated city in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, located midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River.

Laurel was founded as a mill town in the early 19th century on land at the fall line of the Patuxent River that the Snowden family had patented in 1658 as part of the 12,250-acre New Birmingham plantation.

Nicholas Snowden built a grist mill at the site around 1811, and it grew into a small cotton mill by the 1820s, powered by the Patuxent River.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Laurel in 1835, the Patuxent Manufacturing Company was chartered the same year, and the mill complex expanded greatly with the Avondale Mill building in 1844.

Laurel was incorporated in 1870 and reincorporated in 1890, a period when a new electric power plant was built and streets were paved; the Patuxent Bank of Laurel was also founded in 1870.

In 1874 Laurel sent a delegation to Annapolis seeking to become its own county, to be formed from land in Prince George's, Howard, and Anne Arundel counties, but the effort did not succeed.

Because of its rail link, Laurel became an early commuter town for workers traveling to both Washington and Baltimore.

The 2020 census counted 30,060 people in Laurel, up from 25,115 in the 2010 census, making it one of the most densely populated Maryland cities at about 6,243 people per square mile.

Laurel Park, the thoroughbred racetrack that opened on October 2, 1911, on 229 acres just outside the city in Anne Arundel County, has hosted Triple Crown winners including Secretariat and War Admiral and is scheduled to host the 151st Preakness Stakes in 2026 while Pimlico Race Course is rebuilt.

The Washington, D.C. International, launched at Laurel Park in 1952, drew elite thoroughbreds from around the world and made the track an internationally known racing venue.