North Laurel - Laurel, MD

The Patuxent River fueled economic expansion in 19th-century Laurel, supplying water for milling industries such as cotton and flour. As factory employment increased, developers constructed hundreds of brick apartment buildings to house the growing population.

Prosperity also attracted railroad investors, making Laurel an important thoroughfare between Washington, D.C., and Union territory during the Civil War. Central Laurel became the center of trade, transportation and recreation, while the surrounding areas, including North Laurel, remained rural bedroom communities.

Explore North Laurel's prehistoric origins at the Dinosaur Park, a small preservation site where kids can view ancient fossils and dig for hidden deposits. Mingle with the greater Laurel community at the annual Main Street Festival, a spring fair that showcases local vendors, musicians and artisans. Riverfest take places every fall, entertaining the townsfolk with games, live shows, hayrides and pie-eating contests.

Driving down the Baltimore Avenue strip takes you to a casual, multicultural dining scene. Along the ride, decide whether you want to eat at a cantina, steakhouse or sushi bar. Locals head to either Tampico Grill or Mango's Grill when a Tex-Mex craving hits. Both eateries prepare generous portions of saucy enchiladas and sizzling fajitas. Try a large steak burrito smothered in chipotle sauce at Tampico, or share a fish taco platter and seafood platter with friends at Mango's. Wherever you decide to dine, wrap up a great meal with staple Tex-Mex desserts such as tres leches, flan and sopapillas.

Enter fried-food paradise at Mid Atlantic Seafood to get your fill of chicken wings, jumbo shrimp and crab cakes. The restaurant also serves sandwiches, steak, ribs and steamed seafood. Locals love building custom platters from a choice of 20 sides, including black-eyed peas, hush puppies and stir-fried tofu. '

Savor the award-winning Italian cuisine at Pasta Plus, a family-owned business opened by Italian immigrants in 1983. Regular customers keep the seafood linguine and hay-and-straw pasta with cream sauce at the top of their favorites list. Stop by the attached market and carryout section to order a pizza margherita or buy fresh bread and cannolis.

Residents head to central Laurel or Columbia to share a few beers at a sports bar or catch a concert. Take advantage of the happy hour specials at Olive on Main to sample draft beers or try a pomegranate martini. True beer enthusiasts join the World Beer Club at Rams Head Tavern to earn an honorary passport and try 100 international brews.

While a few bars in the area host live music, Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia is the closest major venue. In addition to showcasing legendary musicians, the place promotes environmentally friendly practices such as solar-powered lighting.

North Laurel's long, semirural roads make cars the most practical option for traveling around and outside of town. Residents close to central Laurel have more-flexible public transportation options. The Camden line of the MTA MARC train makes two stops near the town's southeast border, providing fast trips to Baltimore, BWI Marshall Airport and Washington, D.C. RTA also offers rail service to central Baltimore, which is often cheaper than the MARC train, but requires several transfers and significantly longer travel times.

Wide streets, paved sidewalks and moderate car traffic make the area ideal for bikers. As most residents have cars and private homes with driveways, parking is free and abundant in North Laurel. Residents without cars may be able to arrange rides with cab companies in Laurel, but this suburban area falls outside of the flat-rate service area for Uber. When commuting by car, Interstate 95, Route 29 and Route 1 provide the most direct highway routes from the Laurel area to Baltimore and greater Washington, D.C.

North Laurel's neighborhood parks and recreation centers promote the year-round community involvement and family entertainment that attracts parents to suburban environments. North Laurel Park and Hammond Park both feature semi-enclosed playgrounds surrounded by green fields, allowing parents to exercise or walk the dog while keeping kids in sight.

Hammond Park also houses tennis courts, a baseball field and a membership-based community pool with short-term and long-term fee options. Athletes enjoy the sports facilities at North Laurel or practicing tricks at the 12,000-square-foot skate park. The community center regularly hosts recreational arts, sports and cooking programs for children and adults, and locals gather for events such as craft fairs and the Fall Spooktacular festival.

If you crave outdoor excursions, spend a day fishing or boating at a designated public-use section of T. Howard Duckett Watershed. While the park is not official, locals are welcome to use the grounds as long as they follow all watershed safety rules. Surrounded by forestland, the Patuxent River provides a natural border on North Laurel's southwest side. The facilities allow free picnicking, but permits are required for most woodland or aquatic activities such as horseback riding, hunting and kayaking.

The cost of living in North Laurel is roughly 24 percent higher than in Baltimore. Pricier transportation and housing increase living costs, and the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in North Laurel weighs in at $1,275. Depending on the rail service, taking public transportation to central Baltimore costs $4 to $10. If you prefer to drive, reserve enough cash for gas prices roughly 5 percent higher than the national average. Local pubs serve up low-cost beer for about $3 to $4 a pint.

Baltimore Avenue serves as a one-stop location for shopping, dining and everything in between. Locals visit the Towne Centre at Laurel and other nearby shopping centers for popular franchises such as Target, Old Navy and Burlington Coat Factory. Just north of town, the Mall in Columbia houses a diverse mix of discount, boutique and high-end stores ranging from Abercrombie to Sephora.

For a more-personable shopping experience, let the experts at Bra-la-la lingerie store find the most flattering sleepwear and lingerie for your form. Attentive staff members help women feel confident and eliminate sizing and fit issues. They accommodate customers who have specialty needs such as bridal, maternity or post-mastectomy lingerie.

Make Daedalus Books & Music your top media supplier. The store specializes in tracking down overstock books, magazines, movies and CDs for discount resale. But buyers beware: locals say the reduced prices and occasional sales make it difficult to escape this affordable outlet without loading up your cart with books, stationary and calendars.

North Laurel residents don't have to drive far to restock their groceries. Many Giant, Food Lion and Safeway locations serve the area, and fans of Trader Joe's can shop this specialty chain in Columbia. The Dutch Country Farmer's Market sells locally grown goods and prepared foods three days a week, while Gorman Farms connects agrarians and consumers through a harvest-share program that offers weekly deliveries of fresh produce.