Advice for those thinking of moving to Wilmington: Don't (New Castle: safe neighborhoods, to buy)
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I respect your perception but since this thread is about Wilmington I feel none of that pertains to this topic...
"unremarkable" Really? How will that make Wilmington better?
idk
Since, as you say, you "don't know" (idk), I'll explain it to you. I see poverty in Wilmington - your posts have not enlightened me in the least. I just don't see at as any more remarkable the than more desperate poverty I've experienced elsewhere. Your posts reveal a certain lack of perspective, typically asserting that Wilmington offers the most dire depiction of poverty and crime in the nation (and beyond that of even the 3rd world, in some instances). It seems you may actually believe this, despite your stated travels. As someone who has lived in 7 states, traveled to 48 states and nearly 40 foreign countries on 5 continents, this only cause me to wonder if in your travels you actually opened your eyes and looked around you.
That is why your posts of this nature are not taken seriously by most who view them (I assume you've picked that up).
I just don't see at as any more remarkable the than more desperate poverty I've experienced elsewhere. Your posts reveal a certain lack of perspective, typically asserting that Wilmington offers the most dire depiction of poverty and crime in the nation (and beyond that of even the 3rd world, in some instances).
I felt more safe in 3rd world parts that are far more poor then Wilmington...
Most other countrys do not have the violent media & drug culture we do...
The US is far to wealthy, and has wasted so much money on war that it could clean up all the ghettos easily.
3rd world countries dont have billions of extra dollars each week to spend on the Military industrial complex. We do...
If Delaware has money to rebuild the riverfront, they have money to rebuild Riverside, South Bridge ect...
I felt more safe in 3rd world parts that are far more poor then Wilmington...
Most other countrys do not have the violent media & drug culture we do...
The US is far to wealthy, and has wasted so much money on war that it could clean up all the ghettos easily.
3rd world countries dont have billions of extra dollars each week to spend on the Military industrial complex. We do...
On the above points, we agree.
Quote:
If Delaware has money to rebuild the riverfront, they have money to rebuild Riverside, South Bridge ect...
On this point, we depart company. The riverfront investment offers a multifold return on investment in terms of increased tax base and additional employment. Re-building a neighborhood entails more than throwing money at problems. I have never seen any externally-imposed urban renewal project in any poverty-stirken neighborhood that has had long-lasting success. More successful are grass-roots community-based initiates from within a given neighborhood. There are private and public funds available through grants but the desire for change has to come from within these neighborhoods and not imposed by outside forces.
Hopefully, the rest of this thread has made clear that the OP closed his/her eyes to many aspects of Wilmington in the service of storyline. The real world is always a bit more complex than literary fiction. But I will add this: unless your mind is closed to the arts, history and natural beauty, and to entertainment, recreation and discovery, there is no reason not to move to Wilmington.
I lived and walked to work and everywhere else in downtown Wilmington for nearly 7 yrs. I (your basic wimpy female) was never personally in danger. In contrast, while in Houston, I had one guy climb on my car windshield in road rage, one guy who grabbed my book bag and ran, one guy who pointed a gun at me in a grocery store parking lot, another guy who sideswiped me for no particular reason (black pickup w/ gun rack), one guy who exposed himself and there were so many weapons on the buses/streets that I've blocked them all out. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.
But what else can we say about Wilmington besides "walk like you mean it and don't look stupid and likely you won't be a crime victim?"
I can answer that many different ways because my iPhoto library is my screensaver. So here are a few. Lush gardens. Historical estates. Peaceful trails. Quirky retail. Friendly people. Classic architecture and serious preservationists. The Christina River. The Brandywine. Expansive parks. Community events and concerts. A concern for the environment. Great theatre and performance venues. Smart, phased redevelopment, albeit with some spats/stumbles. Churches that care. The Blue Rocks. Diverse restaurants and galleries. The Art Loop. And I've kept everything within the city limits.
And, yes, as everywhere, some people that don't care hang out in Wilmington, including drug dealers and panhandlers that I could find near my apartment here in Seattle. I still miss Wilmington several months since moving for family reasons, and that includes North Market St. every bit as much as excursions to suburbia.
Unless the OP spent a lot of time on Fourth St. or Hilltop, it's hard to imagine that s/he saw more than I did downtown. And yet 99.9% of what I saw didn't bother me, and the remaining 0.1% didn't hurt me. As other posters have noted, urbanization carries a price...but the rewards far outweigh that price, if you have a choice as to how you live.
So, welcome, future Wilmingtonians, and don't forget your camera.
I still miss Wilmington several months since moving for family reasons, and that includes North Market St. every bit as much as excursions to suburbia.
I live in North Wilmington (zipcode 19810), which is not anywhere near the City of Wilmington. I guess you can call it a "suburb" of Wilmington. It's close to the PA border. Everyone is friendly, it's clean, and it's a safe environment. I think this part of Wilmington gets missed, or is not even known of because when you think of Wilmington you think of the City. We have pretty good schools, alot of them are brand new "green" buildings. I love living here. I am planning on moving in a couple of years to Arizona, but only because I want hot hot weather, lol.
Well, yes, I am. If there's one thing most people would call me, it's probably that.
Here are some of the things I miss about North Market: going to Happy Harrys and the library, where people knew me. Picking up a Primos sub and taking it home. Going to shows at the Grand and the Dupont Theatre. Catching films at Theatre N. Walking down to the Brandywine and then along the towpath, often to the zoo, sometimes to physical therapy when I needed it. Going back the same way from shopping in Trolley. Holidays and festivals in Rodney Square (where we also saw Obama when he was still a do or die Super Tuesday candidate).
And going down North Market to the Riverfront Market, the inauguration whistle stop (cold!), festivals in Tubman Garrett, the Riverwalk, hot dogs @ Molly's, the grocery store and the buffet once they opened (crunching new snow sometimes -- admittedly not a lot of walkers down there), taking visitors to DCCA, seeing John Hiatt on the lawn festival around there, well I could go on and on but hopefully you take my point.
We have pics of all these things and I miss them all. So call me unsophisticated because we went for low-cost thrills instead of eating in four-star luxury, or point out that we walked more than most (my car largely sat in the garage in winter), but please don't question my honesty.
Well, yes, I am. If there's one thing most people would call me, it's probably that.
Here are some of the things I miss about North Market: going to Happy Harrys and the library, where people knew me. Picking up a Primos sub and taking it home. Going to shows at the Grand and the Dupont Theatre. Catching films at Theatre N. Walking down to the Brandywine and then along the towpath, often to the zoo, sometimes to physical therapy when I needed it. Going back the same way from shopping in Trolley. Holidays and festivals in Rodney Square (where we also saw Obama when he was still a do or die Super Tuesday candidate).
And going down North Market to the Riverfront Market, the inauguration whistle stop (cold!), festivals in Tubman Garrett, the Riverwalk, hot dogs @ Molly's, the grocery store and the buffet once they opened (crunching new snow sometimes -- admittedly not a lot of walkers down there), taking visitors to DCCA, seeing John Hiatt on the lawn festival around there, well I could go on and on but hopefully you take my point.
We have pics of all these things and I miss them all. So call me unsophisticated because we went for low-cost thrills instead of eating in four-star luxury, or point out that we walked more than most (my car largely sat in the garage in winter), but please don't question my honesty.
Are we talking about North Market Street Wilmington Delaware?
Just where are DMV employees nice? They aren't in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, or Louisiana. In fact, the trip to the registry on Churchmans Rd was very pleasant when I first came here. Registry workers are state (not city) employees who are generally underpaid and treated badly by their supervisors. Now, on to Wilmington. What drivel. There are parts of the City that are safe and livable - downtown for one - it has the lowest crime rate in the entire city - you can research that. The art school on N. Market St. has 200 resident students there 24/7, and they seem a happy bunch. Their parents must know something "Leaving Delaware" doesn't. An unhappy person will be unhappy where ever she or he may be. There are myriad reasons to like and live in Wilmington, but not everyone has the same sense of their surroundings. If a city is judged not on its true merits but by superficial annoyances, there is something wrong with the picture that the person paints (or something wrong with the painter). Look at the incredible architecture on N. Market St and at all that's being renovated and upgraded, look at the number of restaurants and businesses that are opening and then make a fair judgment.
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