Newark -- General advice about places to live? (Pike Creek, Bear: apartment complexes, renters)

[MjEj]

I am a mid-30s professional returning to graduate school. It looks like the University of Delaware is a real possibility. We're excited about the prospect of living back on the east coast (we're in the Midwest now), but I know nothing about the Newark region. So I'm hoping someone can help!

I am married & have a 3 year old, so safety & noise are a concern. I know large college towns are not necessarily ideal places for families, but I'm wondering if anyone might lend some general advice about Newark, the adjacent area, or even commutable-to-Newark region?

Since I'll be in grad school, our family will have a limited budget for housing, but I'd like to find at least a large apartment or small house to rent, preferably not in a "kegger" neighborhood or an urban environment (it would be nice to have a park nearby).

Any suggestions?

[MjEj]

Or, any information about Newark, in general?

[queenofbavaria]

one fact (to me ) is, that newark is NOT a large college town. If you move closer to UD, prices for houses/apartm. will get up and your kids will very likely be in christina school district, which is not the most desirable one.
I would move south (south newark/bear area, which should be part of appoquinimink (lol still having trouble to spell this right ) school district, for sure one of the better ones in DE.
another option would be the pike creek area (red clay district) and pretty close.
I always liked newark, there is one big main street with young folks, lots of little shops, restaurants, some night life, food co-op etc ... but it's way smaller than I expected it to be.

If you have not been there, you should really come down and take a look yourself.

we also have a couple of threads with very helpful information about newark - just use the search button and they will pop up

good luck !

[whereshome]

Originally Posted by queenofbavaria

If you move closer to UD, prices for houses/apartm. will get up and your kids will very likely be in christina school district, which is not the most desirable one.
I would move south (south newark/bear area, which should be part of appoquinimink (lol still having trouble to spell this right ) school district, for sure one of the better ones in DE.
another option would be the pike creek area (red clay district) and pretty close.

Really?!? The OP's kid is 3 and the OP is a grad student and they want to rent! Why can't they live in Christina school district???? If I was a grad student I absolutely would live in Newark. It is a nice little town, not too big, not too small and several of the elementary schools are perfectly fine.

You did not mention a budget or places you are looking at on-line. The closer you get to campus the more student renters but even if you go out 1/2 mile from campus you will have less and less students and certainly not the rowdy ones.

Newark is very safe, no need to worry about that. We recently settled in Pike Creek but if I was in your shoes I would look in Newark. Or if you really think it is too much city then I would maybe recommend Bear.

And for what it is worth, I grew up in college towns and always found them fun places to live as a child. When my brother was about 3, we lived on a college campus for 2 years. We were surrounded by rowdy college students but I loved living there and my brother found it extremely entertaining.

[queenofbavaria]

I apologize, those stories sometimes sound pretty much the same. maybe I mixed it up with another post with two kids.

I personally always liked the vibe of newark and would not be scared at all to leave there. To me being cautious about neighborhoods/school districts was very weird in the beginning (it's totally different in germany ...) and maybe it was contagious .

since the OP is going to rent anyway, the decision should be much easier. with a toddler aged kid I would give newark a try and if it's not the best pick, go somewhere else after you got to know the options. I like the european way of walking to school, restaurants, parks, shops ... and there are just a few places where you can actually do that. may also save a second car .

[gertdog]

We moved to Newark 1 1/2 years ago for my husband's job at UD. Our kids are 3 and 6. We're currently renting near downtown and LOVE being close to Main St. and the university, but we are also too close to the students and it's noisy. Luckily it's short term and we hope to buy in the area within the next year, with the hope of staying close to the university. The middle schools and high schools in Newark are the ones people tend to want to avoid, but the elementary schools here are good, so if you are here long enough for your 3-year-old to start K you wouldn't need to worry much about schools. The university has a great lab preschool (though pricey and has a waitlist) and also a very good childcare program near campus. There are other good preschool options in town as well.

There are plenty of neighborhoods in Newark that are close to the university but still family-oriented, and one of my favorite things about the neighborhoods here is the abundance of parks. Many neighborhoods have a small park tucked in somewhere, and there are many large city parks that are quite nice.

The students live mostly close to campus. North of Main St., you wouldn't want to live along Cleveland Avenue or between Cleveland and north campus. The side streets off Main St. are mostly student rentals. Side streets off S. College and S. Chapel down to Kells Ave. also tend to be student rentals. However, west of S. College there are some streets that have a lot of owner-occupied homes with rentals sprinkled throughout. Nottingham Green and the Oaklands are family-oriented neighborhoods west of Elkton Rd. that are close to downtown and very pleasant. I don't know much about apartment complexes in the area.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk more about the area...I don't check the forum that often but do get email notification of PMs.