Why visit Laurel
Townapedia lists 11 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 10 places to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Bethel Historic District and E. L. Hitch Potato House.
Weather in Laurel
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Laurel
Laurel is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. The population was 3,865 at the time of the 2020 census. Laurel is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. It once hosted the Laurel Blue Hens of the Eastern Shore Baseball League.
From the Wikipedia article Laurel, Delaware (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks11
Bethel Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Historic district in Delaware, United States
E. L. Hitch Potato House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Building in Delaware, United States
Laurel Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Historic district in Delaware, United States
Phillips Potato House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.7 mi
Laurel, Delaware, NRHP-listed in Sussex County
Rider Potato House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Building in Delaware, United States
Spring Garden
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Historic home located near Laurel, Sussex County, Delaware
Chipman Potato House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
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Chipman's Mill
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.9 mi
Wright Potato House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.5 mi
Laurel Historical Society, Inc.
Monument and historic site · 1.3 mi
502 East 4th Street, Laurel
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes10
Laurel Pizzeria
Restaurant · Pizza, American · 0.8 mi
417 North Central Avenue, Laurel
Pizza King
Restaurant · Pizza, Regional, American · 1.0 mi
307 North Central Avenue, Laurel
Domino's
Fast food · Pizza
30182 Sussex Highway, Laurel
Mo-Th 10:30-23:00; Fr-Sa 10:30-24:00; Su 10:30-23:00
Where to stay2
History
The site of the town of Laurel was a Nanticoke settlement known as Broad Creek Town during most of the eighteenth century. Its Nanticoke name is unknown. The Indian settlement was created on tracts known as Bachelor's Delight and Greenland in 1711 when the government of Maryland, who originally claimed this part of Delaware, set aside land for the Nanticoke tribe. Nearly all the Indian residents left within 50 years, relocating to western Pennsylvania. The present town was laid out along the Broad Creek in the 1790s and was named for the laurel bushes that grew alongside the creek.
On March 29, 1929, the town was merged with the neighboring town of North Laurel which comprised most of the current town north of Broad Creek (then known as Laurel River). This merger was not properly reported to the United States Census Bureau, which resulted in the North Laurel's population not being included with the population of Laurel in the 1930 United States census. As such, the US Census Bureau did not immediately make a change to the 1930 population statistics once the error was discovered, however it acknowledged in 1940 that the correct population for Laurel in 1930 was 2,542.
From the History section of Laurel, Delaware on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship2
Old Christ Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.0 mi
Shopping4
Laurel Community Hardware
Hardware store · 1.6 mi
1001 South Central Avenue, Laurel
Gas and EV charging7
Schools, colleges and libraries12
Healthcare3
Map of Laurel
52 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Sussex County has had 13 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2026-05-29: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2020-04-05: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2016-03-16: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm (Snowstorm)
- 2012-11-16: Hurricane Sandy (Hurricane)
- 2012-10-29: Hurricane Sandy (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Delaware Coastal Airport (GED) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 14 miles away.
- Blades 5 mi north, about 7 min by car
- Seaford 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- Delmar 7 mi south, about 12 min by car
- Delmar 9 mi south, about 15 min by car
- Bridgeville 11 mi north, about 17 min by car
- Hebron 12 mi southwest, about 19 min by car
- Georgetown 13 mi northeast, about 21 min by car
- Salisbury 14 mi south, about 22 min by car
- Millsboro 14 mi east, about 22 min by car
- Federalsburg 14 mi northwest, about 22 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- LRWalls-SpringGarden, FrontExt, Linda Roy Walls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LRWalls-Rider Potato House Ext1, Linda Roy Walls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Christ Church, State Roads 465 & 465-A, Laurel vicinity (Sussex County, Delaware), Cortlandt Van Dyke Hubbard, Photographer, Public domain
- LRWalls-LaurelHistDistric, St.Phillips-6thStreet, Linda Roy Walls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LRWalls - Phillips Potato House Ext2, Linda Roy Walls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ship-Carpenter's House Bethel DE Jun 60, Cortlandt Van Dyke Hubbard, Photographer, Public domain
- LRWalls-ChapmanMillSpillway, Linda Roy Walls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- LRWalls-ChapmanPotatoHs2, Linda Roy Walls, CC BY-SA 4.0
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