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Compare towns

Bell vs Laurel Hill

230 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+77% in Bell) and street grid (2.7× in Bell).

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Bell, FLKnown for its schoolsFlorida · 563 people
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Laurel Hill, FLHomes around $205KFlorida · 355 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

BellKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 88%of FL districts Housing$297K typical home21% below the FL typical home All about Bell →
Laurel HillHomes around $205K
Housing$205K typical home45% below the FL typical home SchoolsBetter than 77%of FL districts All about Laurel Hill →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Property tax bill+77%
Tax bills are bigger in Bell
Bell $1,037Laurel Hill $586
Street grid2.7×
Bell has the more walkable street grid
Bell 45.9Laurel Hill 17.0
Average commute13 min
Bell has the shorter commute
Laurel Hill 39 minBell 26 min
Age 65++12.4 pts
Laurel Hill has more people 65 and up
Laurel Hill 24.8%Bell 12.4%
Jobs per worker2×
Bell is more of a job hub
Bell 0.47Laurel Hill 0.24
Homeowners+14.1 pts renters
Bell has more renters
Laurel Hill 87.5%Bell 73.4%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $540 more a month in Bell

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Bell$1,700/mo
Typical home $297K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.60% · or rent about $963/mo · Housing →
Laurel Hill$1,160/mo
Typical home $205K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.50% · or rent about $742/mo · Housing →

The difference: $540 a month, about $6,500 a year, between Bell and Laurel Hill.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Florida ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
ABellBetter than 88% of districts in the state A−Laurel HillBetter than 77% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BellLaurel Hill
Snow a year0″0″
January low40°F35°F
July high92°F91°F
Growing season (days)255d230d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd88th
Outdoors & history
BellLaurel Hill
Trails1 mi—
Conserved land2%—
Settled—1895
Archive photos10—
Famous people born here1—
Community
BellLaurel Hill
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

230 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BellFLLaurel HillFL
Bell ↔ Laurel Hill230 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BellLaurel Hill
People
Population 563Highest 355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +8.8% FL: +14.6%
Median age 39.5±8.8Lowest 7% below FL 43.8±15.2Highest about the FL average
Laurel Hill and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.1%±6.4Highest FL: 19.5% 18.6%±7Lowest FL: 19.5%
Bell and Laurel Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.4%±2Lowest FL: 21.3% 24.8%±5.2Highest FL: 21.3%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11%Highest FL: 34.1% 10.6%Lowest FL: 34.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.1%±3.9Lowest FL: 6.1% 7%±6.4Highest FL: 6.1%
Laurel Hill and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,938±$25kHighest 12% below FL $63,036±$10kLowest 15% below FL
Bell and Laurel Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $171,800±$39kHighest 52% below FL $117,900±$45kLowest 67% below FL
Bell and Laurel Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $963±$410Highest 42% below FL $742±$165Lowest 56% below FL
Bell and Laurel Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,037Highest 62% below FL $586Lowest 79% below FL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 24.5%±46.3Highest FL: 60.1% 13.3%±100Lowest FL: 60.1%
Bell and Laurel Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 13.1%Lowest FL: 12.6% 13.3%Highest FL: 12.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 73.4%Lowest FL: 67.6% 87.5%Highest FL: 67.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1990Highest 2 yrs newer than FL 1984Lowest 4 yrs older than FL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minLowest 7% below FL 39 minHighest 40% above FL
Work from home 2.3%±2.1Lowest FL: 15.7% 4.9%±4.7Highest FL: 15.7%
Laurel Hill and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0.5%Lowest 0.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 31.8 miLowest 37.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.47Highest 0.24Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Gainesville (13%)Crestview (15%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Laurel HillFew work in Bell
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 45.9Highest 17.0Lowest
Schools
School district GILCHRIST—
High school in town Bell High School—
Students per teacherat that high school 18.3 —
Florida average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Bell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bell’s Town Square.

Laurel Hill neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Laurel Hill’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bell and Laurel Hill

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Towns like Bell

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Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Florida towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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