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Much like another post I saw, I will call "shenanigans".
I've lived in every county in DE, raised mainly in Central(Dover) area, and currently live near wilmington.
Yes, it is boring, end of story. If your looking to raise a family, getting a good job in the vicinity and want a relatively low cost of living, or looking to retire somewhere then it's great.
Frankly, if your under 40, single, and male, pretend it's Jersey and make hissing sounds, put up your warding of evil sign as you drive through it hoping it won't suck you in like watching the TV during the Poltergeist movie.
Public transportation even in Wilmington itself is more or less a joke. It's gotten much better, but I still wouldn't depend on it. There's a few things to do in the city itself, art galleries, theatre, etc...But their still far, few between, and sparsely attended. Other than major event type holiday outings, the "nightlife" is more like the living dead. Expect sausage. The only decent hang-out bars that you might be able to have a conversation with someone you don't already know that haven't really puttered out completely are all pretty much near the colleges, esp Newark (UofD).
Delawareonline.com has articles and filler for what is going on to give you an idea. But my initial instinct is say, ya, if you do it it'll get your ***-face in a few weeks time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluzman
Delaware is like anywhere else it is as boring or as interesting as you want to make it. There is plenty to do and see if people would take the time to discover them.
Last edited by toobusytoday; 05-12-2009 at 07:51 PM..
Reason: inappropriate language
My family is seriously considering moving to Dover, DE this summer. My husband was offered a job at Delaware State Univ. I've never been to Dover before, but my husband was whizzed in and out for an interview and mentioned it seemed very rural. We like the suburbs feel.
Any suggestions as far good areas to live with subdivisions, malls, schools, activities? We have a teenage daughter in high school that wants to make new friends and is looking to do more then what's available in Louisiana. Besides, we’ve had enough hurricanes to last a lifetime!
Any thoughts? Decisions, Decisions!!!
Last edited by toobusytoday; 05-13-2009 at 06:42 AM..
Reason: removed html
Yes, it is boring, end of story. If your looking to raise a family, getting a good job in the vicinity and want a relatively low cost of living, or looking to retire somewhere then it's great.
Frankly, if your under 40, single, and male, pretend it's Jersey and make hissing sounds, put up your warding of evil sign as you drive through it hoping it won't suck you in like watching the TV during the Poltergeist movie.
Public transportation even in Wilmington itself is more or less a joke. It's gotten much better, but I still wouldn't depend on it. There's a few things to do in the city itself, art galleries, theatre, etc...But their still far, few between, and sparsely attended. Other than major event type holiday outings, the "nightlife" is more like the living dead. Expect sausage. The only decent hang-out bars that you might be able to have a conversation with someone you don't already know that haven't really puttered out completely are all pretty much near the colleges, esp Newark (UofD).
Delawareonline.com has articles and filler for what is going on to give you an idea. But my initial instinct is say, ya, if you do it it'll get your ***-face in a few weeks time.
Good post and I agree. Eveyrone is different but if I was under 40, this is not a place I dream of.
We are retired and it is a wonderful place to retire. Plenty for us to do.
The big beef I have with DE is poor transportation. Where we live, you have to walk miles and miles to get a bus. my area is not convenient and you do need a car which we have but there have been times we needed to take public trans. Trying to figure this out was nuts.
The do have DART shuttle for seniors but that is not dependable. And I dont' think I ever saw a tax cab. Do they have taxi's in DE.
In no particular order! Elizamary, there are a few cabs around Dover, but I rarely see one, so very few indeed, and sorry to say that the ones I have seen have appeared to be in poor condition. This is the way it has been for 30 years, so I tend not to expect a change. Anyone who moves here should prepare themselves to drive everywhere, both near by and farther away.
Also, Eliza, I admire your honesty in stating that you would not want to live in the area if you were a young person. I have witnessed droves of young people leave for college elsewhere, never to return.
too busy, your comments are always kind (to the extent that I've been able to drop by and read them!) and tactful. My husband and I have lived in Dover for over 30 years, essentially since we were not much more than kids, and our children grew up here. It was good enough when the children were younger, and our work (and related) situations have always made leaving just too hard to arrange, but we would have left before the kids started high school had we been able to manage it. Virtually everyone we've ever known and truly enjoyed has left along the way.
Dover has several historic, attractive areas, and a few museums, but half the stores in town are closed, and few of us feel any real sense of community. (I make a large exception for the people who have always lived here!) You can see Dover's few sights just so many times before you've had enough. You can participate in a few events just so many times. What's more, as people have pointed out here, this town with several colleges doesn't feel at all like a college town.
Magilla, Dover IS the big city. That is, south of Wilmington, Dover is the city. And, yes, it is quite rural. I like some aspects of this. It's nice to be able to drive in almost any direction for a few minutes and be amongst horses, cows, goats, and so on in (sometimes) attractive countryside. A few more minutes, going east and you're near Delaware Bay. (Bombay Hook is an interesting national wildlife refuge, for those interested in a diversity of birds.) Delaware doesn't have many miles of ocean beaches, but some of those miles are lovely. Already, in mid-May, they're busy and the traffic, unless you choose your times carefully, is bad.
Magilla, I would strongly recommend that your family visit for a week. You may be able to get some idea as to whether this area has more to offer than your part of Louisiana. You need to be here and to imagine whether what's available, visited and experienced over and over again, will sustain you and your family. If not, are you able to live in Dover and spend a good deal of time driving elsewhere, taking trips?
In terms of hurricanes, I can reassure you, at least from our experience. Hurricanes have not had major impact during the many years we've lived here. We have seen quite a lot of impressive damage from thunderstorms and microbursts though, and even some tornadic activity. But not like Louisiana.
I think that anyone can find themselves in an area that just isn't a good fit. You can, for a certain amount of time, and in various ways, fight boredom, frustration, and so on. If you have family relatively near by (we don't) and you find friends who don't decide to move after a few years, you can find ways of managing. I think it depends on your age, your children's ages, your work, your interests. Sometimes, it may be possible to develop new interests. Sometimes this just doesn't work.
We are well aware that there's no perfect place. We have been searching!
I moved to Northern Delaware over 7 yrs ago coming from being born and raised in Philly. 1st impressions were that it was cleaner, less congested, just overall nicer than the city...close to the city with a little country charm in spots.
As I lived here, there are some items on my wish list but for the most part, I have been satisfied.
I would like there to be a Target between the one in North Wilmington and the one in Dover - Driving 25 miles one way gets old and has me spending more shopping time in Walmart...
I do find myself driving more than I would in the city but then again, I find the stores to be nicer than what I had in Philly...plus, I don't have to worry so much about my car being ripped off when I park it here. The price to be paid for living in a border rural/suburban fringe area...not as bad as living in the middle of Montana but not as convenient as living in Long Island either...
How close things are is all going to depend on where you live. I live a few miles south of Newark and getting to the Wilmington shopping areas (mainly north of the city) takes a little travel. If you live in Wilmington or north, then it will be much closer. The inverse is true if you want to visit the Walmart super centers...there is one a few miles down the road in MD or 10 miles away in Middletown. From Wilmington, that is at least a 15 mile trek.
We do have decent roads and they are generally only busy during peak travel times. But as others have said, banking industry is taking a beating now and Wilmington is full of those banks...no jobs to be had and plenty of people looking.
We are close to Philly enough to make it less than a hour drive from pretty much anywhere in New Castle county (if you can get to the highway in a couple minutes) which does have a diverse spread of things to see and do...nice to explore locally, but nice to get up there too. Philly airport is south of Philly and about 10 miles from the DE/PA border - generally very easy to get to.
I as much as figured a car is a must in central and lower DE. The ride to the store is more than I expected. But we do it. Firgure we stop for lunch and make aday out of it.
I love living here but I do have to admit if I were a younger person, this would not be my cup of tea. Unless of course, I was into farming or something else that would spark my passion.
As retired folks retired for 2 1/2 years.......Feel like i'm still on vacation. I am busy every day and it is fun stuff. Doing line dancing at the senior center which by the way has a load of activities, shows, trips. Yesterday we went to Tangier.
Talk about boring for the young. That has this area beat. Understand......It's a lovely lovely quaint place to visit. A must see in fact. But a young person may find the life a tad boring. One room school house, no cars, no malls. Just a picturesques lovely place that brings you back in time.
Senior living in DE is wonderful. Really wonderful. The weather is not as severe as other parts and if you have to time to play........there is plenty of playing.
Annie gave good advice. Come and see for yourself. Stay a few days and get the feel. We knew this was right for us with low taxes and a lower income. The homes are amazing reasonable.
We also like being near the beach. With not working, we go ANY time we want.
It is a good life but it is not for everyone. Some may beg to differ and that is okay.
I as much as figured a car is a must in central and lower DE. The ride to the store is more than I expected. But we do it. Firgure we stop for lunch and make aday out of it.
I love living here but I do have to admit if I were a younger person, this would not be my cup of tea. Unless of course, I was into farming or something else that would spark my passion.
As retired folks retired for 2 1/2 years.......Feel like i'm still on vacation. I am busy every day and it is fun stuff. Doing line dancing at the senior center which by the way has a load of activities, shows, trips. Yesterday we went to Tangier.
Talk about boring for the young. That has this area beat. Understand......It's a lovely lovely quaint place to visit. A must see in fact. But a young person may find the life a tad boring. One room school house, no cars, no malls. Just a picturesques lovely place that brings you back in time.
Senior living in DE is wonderful. Really wonderful. The weather is not as severe as other parts and if you have to time to play........there is plenty of playing.
Annie gave good advice. Come and see for yourself. Stay a few days and get the feel. We knew this was right for us with low taxes and a lower income. The homes are amazing reasonable.
We also like being near the beach. With not working, we go ANY time we want.
It is a good life but it is not for everyone. Some may beg to differ and that is okay.
I have to disagree with this area not good for anyone over 40. Sure, if you live in a + 55 community, that would be the case. Now I am well over 40 but live in a community of single family homes. Our community has open space behind our homes. The area has a bike/ walking path and our neighbors play badminton, field hockey, football and baseball right in their back yards. When my grand kiddies come to visit, they have playmates and we often fly kites right in our back yard. Traffic is a problem where they live and this gives them a safe place to ride and play.
The beaches are the same distance for the younger set as they are for the seniors. Again, I feel it is an unjust statement to make for people under 40 . I do feel we need a community pool for families. Killen's Pond State Park is nearby but it gets very crowded at the pool in the summer. No matter where I lived in the Philly burbs, I always had to drive to the grocery store and the mall. Most families are used to that and dropping their kiddies off to go bowling, ice skating, roller skating , or bowling is no big deal.
Caesar Rodney is the school district which is preferable over Capital. this comes from my neighbors who are teachers in the district and also the consensus on this forum.
Yes, do visit and see for yourself that this area has something for everyone, not just seniors.
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The only decent hang-out bars that you might be able to have a conversation with someone you don't already know that haven't really puttered out completely are all pretty much near the colleges, esp Newark (UofD).
Help! What's it Like to Live in Dover, DE?
