Laurel, Maryland

On May 15, 1972 a disturbed, out-of-work janitor named Arthur Bremer shot and paralyzed Alabama Governor George Wallace while Wallace was campaigning for president in the town.

Geography Laurel is located at 39°5'54" North, 76°51'33" West (39.098258, -76.859093)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.9 km² (3.8 mi²). 9.8 km² (3.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.79% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 19,960 people, 8,931 households, and 4,635 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,038.8/km² (5,280.2/mi²). There are 9,506 housing units at an average density of 971.0/km² (2,514.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 52.24% White, 34.50% African American, 0.38% Native American, 6.89% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 2.30% from other races, and 3.47% from two or more races. 6.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 8,931 households out of which 26.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.9% are married couples living together, 13.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 48.1% are non-families. 37.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.22 and the average family size is 2.97.

In the city the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 42.9% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $49,415, and the median income for a family is $58,552. Males have a median income of $37,966 versus $35,614 for females. The per capita income for the city is $26,717. 6.4% of the population and 4.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.8% are under the age of 18 and 6.4% are 65 or older.

History

On 15 May 1972, Govenor George Wallace of Alabama, running as the presidential candidate of the American Party[?], was shot and paralyzed by Arthur Bremmer[?] while he was campaigning at a rally at a shopping center in the city of Laurel. An Alabama state trooper and a Secret Service agent were also wounded, and so was a female campaign worker.