"Cute" or quaint part of Wilmington? (Greenville: real estate, apartments)

[X_travelbug_X]

I am wondering about the different areas in Wilmington. Can you recommend which areas have some of the following things:

Nice big trees
non-chain restaurants/bistros/shops
low crime
lots of things to walk to (or short drive)
etc...

Thank you

[doctorjef]

Trolley Square fits that to some extent, though there is some property crime like car break-ins that sometimes occurs. Greenville also has some excellent and more upscale non-chain restaurants and bars, though the commercial part is more suburban and much newer than the old, urban setting of Trolley Square. I have an idea, however, that what you're looking for, Wilmington doesn't really have.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by X_travelbug_X

I am wondering about the different areas in Wilmington. Can you recommend which areas have some of the following things:
Nice big trees
non-chain restaurants/bistros/shops
low crime
lots of things to walk to (or short drive)
etc...
Thank you

That was in the 30's and 40's, more specifically when my mother and her family lived on Franklin Street in the Polish neighborhood. But, I digress.....

[X_travelbug_X]

Thank you for the replies.
Well, if I can't find an area that has it all, which area would you suggest is the most scenic? By scenic, I mean lots of trees, near a nice park or water?

I will look into Greenville and trolley square.
Thank you

[doctorjef]

Trolley really isn't very scenic per se. If you want scenery I'd suggest Greenville and Montchanin, including the Brandywine State Park, the Hagley estate, and perhaps Garden Valley Park (located in Greenville). The problem is that the area as a whole isn't very walkable except for the parks themselves. There are miles of nice and very scenic country lanes to drive, but the lack of shoulders makes it difficult to walk along these lanes most places. Another pretty spot is at the location of the Montchanin Post Office (you can google it and/or use a GPS), which is in a 19th Century stone building that also houses a commercial art gallery and is on the banks of the Brandywine River at an especially scenic spot.

[Joe84323]

I'd recommend 40 acres. Close to Trolley, close to Rockford, low crime. quaint.

[doctorjef]

Contiguous with Trolley, actually, and often lumped in together with it. To orient the OP, St Ann's Church is one of the anchors of Forty Acres. Not much spectacular nature though and Rockford Park IMO isn't particularly spectacular and is in the Highlands, anyway (i.e. another neighorbood that - in contrast to Trolley and Forty Acres - is quite upscale for the most part).

[butterfly_229]

hi was going thru the posts ...we are moving to Wilmington and looking at some apartments near rockford park because it appears to be peaceful and at the same time close to downtown- is it a safe area?

[doctorjef]

butterfly -- Yes, the Highlands, which is what that area is called, is quite safe. That doesn't mean that something untoward might not happen, but only with the average likelihood that you're apt to meet with almost anywhere. It's a pretty pricey neighborhood, with some real estate going for well over a mil. Contrariwise, it's possible to pick up a semi-detached (aka "twin") for 350-400K there, though the supply of those is limited. At a farther distance from Rockford - say Forty Acres - it's a bit less safe, I'd say, but hardly the ghetto or wild west.