Laurel, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laurel, Virginia
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A building from the Laurel Industrial School Historic District
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Location of Laurel, Virginia
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| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Henrico |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.4 sq mi (14.1 km2) |
| • Land | 5.4 sq mi (14.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 243 ft (74 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 17,769 |
| • Density | 3,291/sq mi (1,260/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
23075, 23228, 23229, 23231, 23233, 23238, 23242, 23255, 23288, 23294
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| FIPS code | 51-44280 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1469155 |
Laurel is a special kind of community in Henrico County, Virginia, United States. It's called a census-designated place (CDP). This means it's an area that the government counts as a town for statistics, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or a regular town. In 2020, about 17,769 people lived there. Laurel is also the main administrative center for Henrico County.
You can find the Laurel Skate Park here. It used to have a big bowl and a vertical ramp. Now, the bowl is smooth concrete, and the ramp is gone. This change was made to make the park safer for everyone. Laurel is also home to the Laurel Industrial School Historic District, which has important old buildings.
Contents
History of Laurel
Laurel has had a few different names over the years. Some of its old names were Hungary, Hungary Station, Jenningsville, and School. In the 1800s, Laurel was an important stop on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad (RF&P) railway line.
Railroad and Civil War Connections
The RF&P railroad had a special track that connected coal mines in western Henrico to the main rail network. This helped transport coal. During the American Civil War, the train station in Laurel was burned down. An important Union Army officer, Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, was secretly buried there in March 1864. Later, his body was moved to Philadelphia. Today, the CSX Transportation company uses the same railway lines that the old RF&P railroad used.
The A.A. Harvey General Store
Around 1910, the A.A. Harvey General Store was built in Laurel. It was a place where people could buy many different things. Over time, this building changed a lot. It was a general store, then a home, and even an ice company called Crystal Ice Co. It also served as the Laurel Post Office for a while. Lillian Merkle was the Postmaster there. This Post Office was special because it was one of the few in the United States that was owned by a private person, not the government.
In 1991, the building was completely fixed up and restored. It now houses the Laurel Gallery. A person named Robert Bluford worked hard to make sure the restored building looked just like it did when it was first built.
Geography of Laurel
Laurel is located at a specific point on the map: 37.634012 degrees North and -77.506661 degrees West.
Land and Water Area
The United States Census Bureau says that Laurel covers a total area of about 14.1 square kilometers (or 5.4 square miles). Most of this area, about 14.0 square kilometers (5.4 square miles), is land. Only a small part, about 0.1 square kilometers (0.0 square miles), is water. This means that about 0.71% of Laurel's total area is water.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 10,569 | — | |
| 1990 | 13,011 | 23.1% | |
| 2000 | 14,875 | 14.3% | |
| 2010 | 16,713 | 12.4% | |
| 2020 | 17,769 | 6.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In the year 2000, there were 14,875 people living in Laurel. These people lived in 6,288 homes, and 3,634 of these were families.
Community Life
About 27.2% of the homes in Laurel had children under 18 living there. Many homes, about 42.0%, were married couples living together. Some homes, 12.0%, had a female head of the house without a husband present. About 32.8% of all homes were made up of people living alone. Also, about 7.1% of homes had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. On average, there were 2.24 people in each home and 2.87 people in each family.
Age Groups
The people in Laurel were spread out across different age groups.
- About 20.2% of the population was under 18 years old.
- About 10.6% was between 18 and 24 years old.
- The largest group, 38.5%, was between 25 and 44 years old.
- About 19.6% was between 45 and 64 years old.
- And 11.0% of the population was 65 years old or older.
The average age of people in Laurel was 34 years old. For every 100 females, there were about 93.4 males.
See also
In Spanish: Laurel (Virginia) para niños
