Pros and Cons of Delaware (Dover, Lewes: HOA fees, how much, home)

[doctorjef]

There are a number of books that I've seen locally in bookshops that have a Delaware section, but I'm afraid I can't give you any references to hand. There are indeed many historical attractions.

Old New Castle, the original colonial part of the City of New Castle (within but not the same as New Castle County) includes a few bits that date back to the late 17th Century, though most of it is 18th and early 19th Century. Before the Rockefeller Foundation finally settled on Williamsburg as the site for a living history museum, they originally wanted Old New Castle for the project. That didn't prove feasible, because Old New Castle was still occupied and thriving, whereas the old colonial part of Williamsburg was in a largely ruinous condition. People in Williamsburg were often happy to sell their properties to the Foundation, whereas people in Old New Castle had no interest in selling. New Castle was the original capital of Delaware before it was moved to Dover during the Revolutionary War, considered safer because not directly on the Delaware River and farther from Philadelphia, hence less susceptible to successful seige and occupation by the British. Old New Castle includes a number of historic public and private buildings open to the public, as well as historic churches still in active use, and a town Green originally layed out by authority of William Penn.

Lewes, in Sussex County, is the "First Town in the First State", originally founded by the Dutch in the 1630s. It has a wealth of 18th and 19th Century buildings, and a couple of 17th Century ones. It was the site of a seige by the British Navy in the War of 1812 and there is quite a bit of history pertaining to that. The town itself is absolutely charming and looks somewhat New England-ish, being on the water and with many cedar shake panel structures.

Dover, the capital, includes a lovely capitol building - Legislative Hall - built during the Great Depression and modelled on late Jacobean/early Georgian architectural style (the only one of its kind in the US). This replaced the Old Statehouse, dating from the 18th Century and now entirely restored. The Old Statehouse is one of numerous historical structures surrounding the historic Green, again dating to colonial and early federal times.

Back in New Castle County, there are several properties connected with the Du Pont legacy, open to the public and inclusive of beautiful grounds and historic collections. Winterthur showcases the largest collection of American antique furniture and decorative arts in America, besides having splendid, naturalistic gardens. Hagley is the original Du Pont estate, dating to the beginning of the 19th Century when the Du Pont de Nemours family came to America and started their mills for the manufacture of a superior type of gunpowder.

The City of Wilmington's historic structures include Old Swedes Church, now a part of Trinity (Episcopal) Parish and still functioning as a place of regular worship. The building dates from 1699 and is said to be the oldest protestant house of worship in continuous and current regular use as a church. It was originally Church of Sweden and part of the old colony of New Sweden (the founding of the colony predated the construction of the present church building by several decades).

Barrett's Chapel on Rt 1, near the southern Kent Co/northern Sussex Co boundary, is known as the Cradle of Methodism in America, and dates to the late 18th Century.

Out in the Delaware River there is Pea Patch Island, on which is located Fort Delaware, a fort that became a major POW camp for the internment of Confederate prisoners during the Civil War, and indeed has been called "the Andersonville of the North" (though things were never anywhere as bad there as at the infamous Andersonville POW camp run by the Confederacy).

Along Delaware's Atlantic Coast there is a series of WWII "fire control towers" used for anti-submarine warfare. They are very cool, concrete structures, from which U-boats could be spotted and fired upon. There was at least one U-boat surrender on the DE coastline at the end of WWII, and DE was home to several POW camps for captured German troops.

Well, the foregoing comprise only the tiniest fraction of interesting historical sites and facts about Delaware. There are so many others. But this very small selection might begin to give some idea of what is here.

I will add that Delaware had a significant role in abolitionism and the Underground Railroad. Several sites around the State deal with that fascinating history.

[rdlr]

Delaware's Forgotten Fort is Fort Saulsbury, in Slaughter Beach. From the road, one can see the iron bunker which is the entrance. It is now privately owned, and there are No Trespassing signs everywhere. Here's just one link Fort Saulsbury - Delaware
There are other links, private, I believe, so I'm not sure if I can post those. Just Google "Fort Saulsbury" and they will come up. This is a fascinating place with so much history.

[slowlane3]

Rather curious -- Delaware has slot-machine casinos, not so many miles from Amish farms.

[slowlane3]

Thomas Garrett was, I believe, a Quaker in Wilmington, who helped smuggle many fleeing slaves on the Underground Railroad. The famous slaves Harriett Tubman, and Frederick Douglass, fled thru Delaware on their escape routes. I seem to recall reading that there was also a free, black woman in Delaware who had a habit of betraying fleeing slaves and turning them in to authorities for a reward. The defined northern border of the state is the only such place in the USA based on a surveyed round line semi-circle (I forget what it's called).

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by slowlane3

Rather curious -- Delaware has slot-machine casinos, not so many miles from Amish farms.

I actually saw 2 Amish guys in Dover Downs Casino a couple of months ago. They were walking around, checking out the place. I have seen Mennonites gambling there before, penny slots. You'd be surprised at our Amish community. Most have cell phones, and most work construction jobs building houses. One family, I know, has their own business - framing new construction. They have a beautiful pick-up truck and construction trailer. I have to laugh when newcomers say that their house was built by Amish! No foolin' ???? Around here, most of them were worked on by Amish - either masonry, framing, drywall, roofing, or other.

But, the Amish still hold on to their old traditions, as well. One of my Amish friends dropped me off some fresh buttermilk the other day, along with a big bouquet of wild flowers. We're within a couple miles of many Amish, and I was raised on a farm, with all Amish neighbors/friends.

[psurangers11]

Pros - Tax Free ... Total Wine & More!

[travric]

High COL in some areas (such as mine). You may save on propery taxes and no sales tax, but trust me....they get you at the store and when you need any home repairs (HVAC, electrical, etc.). In fact, I recently read a good article about how DE has a high COL...will have to dig that up.


I'd like to read that one. You see everything I've come up on Delaware sort of extols all that expense-shaving, i.e. that living there well saves you alot of money moreso than if you went to say other states. But I guess that's the 'average'. If what you are saying is correct then living in a CERTAIN area within the state wipes all that 'savings' out and consequently Delaware relatively speaking may not be so 'attractive' a destination if COL is a concern. Research as to locality is very important then. Should I read it that way? Thanks.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by travric

You see everything I've come up on Delaware sort of extols all that expense-shaving, i.e. that living there well saves you alot of money moreso than if you went to say other states. But I guess that's the 'average'. If what you are saying is correct then living in a CERTAIN area within the state wipes all that 'savings' out and consequently Delaware relatively speaking may not be so 'attractive' a destination if COL is a concern. Research as to locality is very important then. Should I read it that way? Thanks.

So much depends on the lifestyle that you need or want. New construction is priced higher, and location plays a major role in expenses. It also depends on how deep your pockets are and how much you want "hired" done. Are you not mobile and need everything done for you? or do you just not want any upkeep of property and want your Homeowners Assoc. to do everything for you? Do you want them to plan your activities? Ching-Ching Those things add up.

We're WAY beyond retirement age, but choose to operate a business, live in a small town, do our own lawn work and are self-sufficient. Our home is moderately priced, and our money is spent on fun things.....giving parties for friends, dancing, casinos, short trips. We just pay utility bills, our real estate tax bill is less than $800/year, and we don't think services are expensive. We have the advantage there, as we are 3rd generation natives and know local businesses having good reputations. Food is cheap to us, and we're conservative people.

I guess I'm trying to say - It's cheap to live here, unless you want to live in luxury and want everything done for you.

[travric]

rdlr...I understand all you have said perfectly. You speak the language of 'rationality' when one embarks on all this. $800 for prop tax. Wow. I swear I can't believe it. It does not compute. That shows how far I am ensconced in this so-called 'tri-state' frame of mind...;-)...

doctorjef...I'll be reading and exploring everything you've written on the history. Good stuff. Appreciate your time on that. I'll also hunt for a book too. Now I have one that describes Early, Colonial and Revolutionary America sites. I used it for New England trips. I thought it was good. If my memory serves me right I think there's one for the more southern states. I'll have to check.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by travric

rdlr...I understand all you have said perfectly. You speak the language of 'rationality' when one embarks on all this. $800 for prop tax. Wow. I swear I can't believe it. It does not compute. That shows how far I am ensconced in this so-called 'tri-state' frame of mind...;-)...

Whoops, I quoted you wrong. This is our county property tax bill, $289.53. Added to that is our town tax bill (small town living) of $352.30. Total: $633.81 for town and county taxes, per year.
CNTY COUNTY TAX 72.90
LB COUNTY LIBRARY TAX 8.02
CAESAR RODNEY SCHOOL 151.27
CAESAR RODNEY CAPITATION 24.00
VOCA VOCATIONAL SCHOOL 33.34
TOTAL TAX FOR YEAR 2013 289.53

Our home is a little over 100 yrs, has 1820 sfla, and is very comfortable for us. We get a break on school taxes, because we're over 65 years old, 73 & 74 years to be exact. Life is Good! I was telling my husband that our $289.53 county tax bill per year is equal to what some people pay per month for a homeowners association fee to have their grass mowed, outside work attended to, use of a clubhouse, and have activities planned for them. He thinks I made all that up.