Welcome to Laurel ...
Laurel is located in Chester County<1>.
The location of Laurel has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Laurel, you might get a feel for it by knowing that the earliest mention that we've found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
When the people of Laurel refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use terms like Laurelite or Laurelian.<3>
Laurel is 260 feet [79 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Laurel lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area codes for Laurel: (610) & (484)<5>
Communities Also Named Laurel ...
While we believe that this Laurel is located in Chester County, we know of another 3 Pennsylvania communities named Laurel. Those communities are located in the following counties: Allegheny, Cumberland and York County.
Beyond Pennsylvania, there are 40 communities that are also named Laurel - they are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California (3), Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky (2), Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina (2), Ohio, Ontario, Oregon, Quebec, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee (2), Texas, Virginia (3), Washington (2) and West Virginia.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Laurel.
Communities near Laurel ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Laurel.
- Wilmington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Wilmington is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 70,376 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilmington <6>
- Newark
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
- Newark is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 33,849 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newark <6>
- West Chester
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chester
- West Chester is located in Chester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,048 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Chester <6>
- Phoenixville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phoenixville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoenixville
- Phoenixville is located in Chester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,910 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phoenixville <6>
- Coatesville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatesville
- Coatesville is located in Chester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,006 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coatesville <6>
- Downingtown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downingtown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downingtown
- Downingtown is located in Chester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,419 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Downingtown <6>
- Kennett Square
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennett Square
- Kennett Square is located in Chester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,203 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kennett Square <6>
- Elsmere
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elsmere
- Elsmere is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,761 people
- Oxford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
- Oxford is located in Chester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,594 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <6>
- Parkesburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkesburg
- Parkesburg is located in Chester County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,057 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkesburg <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Laurel. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Laurel.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Laurel. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Laurel.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel. See our Newspapers Page for Laurel.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Laurel ...
Looking for more information about Laurel? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Laurel, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Laurel.
Adding Laurel to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Laurel in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Laurel was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Laurel on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Pennsylvania (1911).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Laurel.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Laurel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Chester County: www.chesco.org/
The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties, including Chester, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Laurel refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Laurel may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Laurel - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | Area code (484) is an overlay for area code (610). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |