Laurel’s industrial growth and development into a suburb of Billings
Laurel is a growing residential city located north of the Yellowstone River and about 20 miles away from Billings. “Laurel has a small-town feel, and that’s an appeal. You have one high school there, and people like that your kids grow up in the same town and attend all the same schools. That creates community,” says Drew Hedrick, a Tightline Property Brokers LLC broker at Real Estate Hub Billings, licensed since 2009. “Another reason people look in Laurel is that its home prices tend to be more affordable than those in Billings. It’s only a few miles away and has both a refinery and a railroad hub, which employ many people and give opportunities to have a good-paying job in town while still getting lower real estate prices.”
In the 1880s, it was a wheat farming community and, in the 1910s, it became a leading terminal of the Great Northern railroad. The railroad boom led to mass construction, including local businesses and homes. The agriculture and railroad industries held strong through the late 1920s, when an oil refinery was added to the landscape. Decades later, when the interstate was finished in southern Laurel, the city’s commercial center shifted and national chains became commonplace.
Century-old homes in central Laurel and sprawling properties nearby
Many Minimal Traditional homes, some cottage-like from the 1920s, sit on gridded streets with sidewalks in central Laurel, ranging from around $220,000 to $450,000. Ranch-style homes, which go for $350,000 to $1.6 million, and multistory, single-family houses, which fall between $350,000 and $950,000 — including split-level, bi-level and New Traditionals — are common. Some properties are horse-friendly and can span over 20 acres.
Laurel’s locally-centered Main Street and national chains nearby
Brick storefronts were erected along Main Street in the early 1900s and comprise the Laurel Downtown Historic District, where the Blessed Beginnings antique store and The Yogurt Shop are. On the outer reaches of Main Street, where shops and restaurants have limited parking spots, the Pelican Cafe serves American fare in a rustic dining room. High Plains Brewing hosts food trucks and live music on its outdoor patio. An Albertsons, a Tractor Supply Company and a Walmart Supercenter are near First Avenue and Fourth Street.
Natural recreation near Yellowstone River, parks and Laurel Golf Club
The Bureau of Land Management oversees the Sundance Lodge Recreation Area, an open space on the Yellowstone River that includes equestrian-friendly paths and designated hunting areas. “People get on the river and do inner tube floats," Hedrick says. "It’s a made area where you can get outside and do anything. It has hiking and biking trails, you can walk a dog or fish.”
Many parks in Laurel have open space and playgrounds, such as Kiwanis Park, which has a castle climbing structure. Nutting and Thompson parks both have baseball fields. Thompson Park also has a splash park and hosts the annual Independence Day celebration with fireworks.
The Laurel Golf Club is an 18-hole course that requires membership.
Learning from the elementary school district to Laurel High School
Laurel Public Schools district serves the community, which students can apply to attend, and consists of the Laurel Elementary School District — a kindergarten through eighth-grade district — and Laurel High School. Laurel Elementary School District earns a C-plus grade from Niche and is comprised of three elementary schools and Laurel Middle School. South Elementary School serves kindergarteners and has not yet been rated by Niche. West Elementary is a first- and second-grade school that receives a B overall. Fred Graff Elementary School serves third and fourth graders and scores a C-plus. The C-graded Laurel Middle School oversees the education of fifth through eighth-grade students. Laurel High School is a comprehensive ninth through 12th grade school that maintains a C overall. High schoolers may try out for various sports, including basketball, softball and wrestling.
Drives to Billings, an oil refinery and medical offices
Interstate 90 runs west to east through the area, connecting it to Billings, including the Billings-Logan International Airport, both within a 20-mile drive. The Laurel Clinic and various medical offices are also in the area, and the nearest hospital is in Billings. A CHS oil refinery is located on U.S. Highway 212, which ties Laurel to the mountain ski town of Red Lodge, about a 45-mile drive, and Yellowstone National Park, about 115 miles away.
