Mount Laurel New Jersey Real Estate

WELCOME TO MOUNT LAUREL!

Mount Laurel welcomes you to the Philadelphia metropolitan area! Located in Burlington County, many of Philadelphia’s workers call Mount Laurel home. Named for the large hill in the center of town, Mount Laurel traces its origin back to a 17th century Quaker settlement. This 22 square-mile suburban enclave contains a wide variety of housing types, ranging from townhomes to apartments and condominiums, and single-family homes. The Mount Laurel of today prides itself on the diversity of its approximately 40,000 residents.

Many companies have chosen to open offices in Mount Laurel for its close proximity to Philadelphia and the Philadelphia International Airport. Currently, about 60,000 people commute to Mount Laurel everyday to work for companies like Lockheed Martin, Commerce Bank, Okidata and NFL Films. Experts postulate that over 100,000 people could be commuting to Mount Laurel by the year 2010. Mount Laurel’s close proximity to the Philadelphia area has also spurred the growth of the hospitality industry in the township. Twenty-two hotels/motels with over 2600 rooms available welcome both tourists and business travelers to the Mount Laurel/Philadelphia area.

History of Mount Laurel

The history of the Mount Laurel area begins with the Lenni-Lenape Indians who lived in the Delaware Valley from approximately the 15th to the 18th century. Archeologists have found remnants of Lenni-Lenape farming and hunting villages along the banks of the Rancocas River. This group of Indians befriended and aided many of the early 17th century Dutch Settlers.

Mount Laurel is named in part for the original 300 acres bought by William Evans in 1682 at the intersection of what would become Hainesport-Mount Laurel and Moorestown-Mount Laurel Roads. This land at the “site of the Mount” that would become modern-day Mount Laurel is the first recorded deed in the area. Land given to the Society of Friends by Evans in 1698 became the site of the Friends Meeting House, which still is in use today.

During the 19th century, settlement in the area around William Evan’s original homestead grew. People settled within walking distance of the meeting house. A general store containing the area’s first post office and its first lending library was the heart of the village. The Farmer’s Progressive Club built the Farmers Hall (which still stands today and currently is undergoing restoration) in 1866, with this building later serving as the first Town Hall. With the great amount of growth in the area, Mount Laurel incorporated in 1872.

Other villages within the Mount Laurel Township sprung up in the 1800’s. Centerton, a village on the Burlington-Camden Railroad line, thrived because of its wharf, lumber and coal yard. The idyllic countryside of the village made Certonten a popular spot for vacationing families from Philadelphia. Another village, Masonville, formed when a highway was built in the area in 1794. Named after the James Mason Plantation, this village was home to about 100 people, an iron factory, facing mill and railroad depot. On the western side of the Mount Laurel Township, Fellowship was settled on land owned by well-known Quaker George Roberts. With general stores, a blacksmith, mechanics shops and a boarding school Fellowship, was one of the most well-established villages in the area. The first Catholic Church in the Mount Laurel area was built in Fellowship in 1849.

Mount Laurel has grown to become a major suburb of Philadelphia throughout the 20th century. And, unlike many suburban areas, more people work in Mount Laurel than actually live there. In spite of controversy surrounding the Township’s zoning practices in the 1970’s, Mount Laurel has a robust economy with an ever-growing, diverse population.

Mount Laurel Schools

Mount Laurel’s students are served by 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 4 high schools, as well as 2 private schools and an exquisite alternative school that offering unique educational strategies to students with special learning needs. I provide several helpful links for you to learn more about the schools in our area.

The Mount Laurel Board of Education was the first in the state to receive Master Board Certification status. "The Mount Laurel Board of Education was the first board in the state of New Jersey to receive Master Board Certification status. Board President Margaret Haynes received the Carol E. Larsen Master Board Certification Award at the annual New Jersey School Boards Association conference in October. The board qualified for the certification by attending boardsmanship training with Superintendent Dr. Antoinette Rath not once, but twice."

For links to district and school websites, please visit my Area Schools Page.

Mount Laurel Parks and Recreation

The Parks and Recreation Department offers over 20 parks and facilities maintained by the Mount Laurel Township. According to their website, “The Mount Laurel Department of Parks and Recreation is dedicated to serving as a partner in providing essential open space, parks, and recreation services that enhance the quality of life and deliver individual, community, environmental, and economic benefits to its customers.” You can enjoy wide open green spaces at the award-winning Laurel Acres Park, or maybe take in a game of roller hockey at Devonshire Park. See the historic John Darnell homestead and have an educational animal encounter at Township-owned Paws Farm Nature Center.

For more information on Mount Laurel Parks

In addition to the numerous parks in the area, Mount Laurel also has plenty of other privately owned recreational facilities. The International Sports Centre offers facilities for soccer, roller hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, skating and more. The Centre also offers tournaments and summer camps. Ramblewood Country Club is an upscale country club in Mount Laurel, offering golfing along with a range of other activities. Take to the ice at Igloo of Mount Laurel, an ice rink for the entire family, also offering hockey lessons, youth leagues and more.

Local Events in Mount Laurel

Local events in Mount Laurel include The Tri-State Jazz Society, which promotes and offers concerts that feature Dixieland, traditional, and swing jazz musical stylings by consummate musical professionals; and The National Ballet of New Jersey which presents professional renditions of ballet classics in Mount Laurel and the surrounding region.

For more information on Local Events in Mount Laurel