Complaints: I've Moved To DE, And Wish...... (Wilmington, Dover: transplants, sales)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Wait, I thought this was a thread where we could state our opinions and what we missed? I moved here from Lancaster Co and compared to there, yes the produce selections are pathetic. I had three very large farmers markets within 15 minutes of my house in Lancaster and NCCo is not exactly overflowing with them.
Sure, complain away!
New Castle County, towards Wilmington, is another situation. However, Delaware is only 96 miles long, top to bottom. If you don't like Willey's Farm Market, head on downstate. We prefer the Amish Farms dotting the countryside vs. farm markets. Come on down!
Wait, I thought this was a thread where we could state our opinions and what we missed? I moved here from Lancaster Co and compared to there, yes the produce selections are pathetic. I had three very large farmers markets within 15 minutes of my house in Lancaster and NCCo is not exactly overflowing with them.
Indeed you can post your views. And indeed others are free to comment on them. That said, for someone lamenting the paucity of fresh produce in Delaware, I would have thought you would have welcomed learning there are more outlets than you knew about.
Given you are in NCC, did you look at any of the links I provided? Here are some more:
I feel so bad that you are completely in the dark..... Don't know where in Delaware you live, but all around the Dover, Kenton, Sandtown, Chapeltown, and Marydel areas, we have tons of Amish farms who sell fresh produce and much more. They even have fresh churned butter, buttermilk, fresh free range chicken, fresh baked bread-cake-cookies-pies, bacon, scrapple, strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, and pumpkins, along with all the starter plants so you can grow your own. I buy fresh tomatoes, parsley, corn, peppers, and make my own Pepper Corn Relish, and I buy fresh grown flowers from them, too. I grew up with the Amish, and helped them tend to their roadside stands, and I can count on one hand how many times I bought any of the above in a grocery store.....over a period of 50 years.
Farm Markets and orchards are plentiful in Kent and Sussex Counties. If I don't have time to visit my Amish friends, I stop in at Spence's Bazaar in the City of Dover, the big red barn. By June, fruits/veggies will be making their appearance, with each vendor competing with the next....all fresh homegrown products. If you're closer to Townsend, Willey's Market is the answer for ALL Fresh!
I think a lot of these remarks here are because people just don't know the area. They seem to think a "high-end" grocery store is the answer, over a WalMart, Shop Rite, or other. Not so; get out of your box and explore our area and all we have to offer!
This is an excellent point, and we are looking forward to exploring local farms (including Cecil County, MD) this spring and summer.
The other thing that crossed my mind as my son went to a friend's birthday party today . . . independent toy stores! It would be nice to have options other than Toys R Us and Target (or maybe there are some, and I just haven't found them yet?).
Status:
"Spring is here and in full bloom..."
(set 22 days ago)
Location: Ocean View, DE
1,017 posts, read 684,716 times
Reputation: 281
Kristen, there is a really, really unique toy store right in the town of Lewes you should check out if you are ever down that way. Kids LOVE it-and so do their parents.
Regarding produce at the DE beaches...I grow my own in my backyard, and what I don't grow I always buy locally from late spring through the fall. I avoid the "tourist trap" produce stands and stick with the smaller ones such as the guy with the table on his front lawn. These home grown fruits and vegetables are almost always excellent and they are also cheap. Once fall rolls around, I buy pumpkins and bales of straw from a local farmer.
Lancaster PA reminds me of English county towns. The old part of Lancaster is pretty unique and I don't think you will find that so many places in America. Lewes is IMO the most charming town in DE and that includes it's little complement of shops.
Interesting thread. There are many things that I am not so happy about that also provide me a slice of happiness. For example I love the peace and quiet of where I live yet sometimes get annoyed having to drive so far for some action. Since we have been invited to offer our opinions, I will!
Grocery shopping - sigh...yes, we have stores but the selection is limited. In actual grocery stores I find the prices to be high but Walmart prices are better yet still limited selections. I really enjoy when produce is in season and can find plenty of places to shop for everything I want and love.
Lack of community and school spirit. Disappointed with the lack of activities, assemblies etc. at the schools. Schools are a great venue to bring the community together. We try to shop, eat, play etc. in our town. I wish more people would stay in-town and take advantage of our great Main Street.
Television news! Ugh not so fond of having to watch Philadelphia news stations. Sometimes I feel as if I am seeing the same news pieces played over and over again. There is very little actual news coverage for our area.
When we meet people and they find we are from NJ they immediately assume the only reason we moved here was to escape high taxes and think we want to change to everything about Delaware. Some people moving into DE may have come with that in mind. The lower taxes have been a nice bonus for us.
Now for things that I knew would be different for me but am suprised how much they bother me. I truly miss the beach/ocean. I make the hour drive and enjoy the beaches in Delaware but miss being able to go up to the boardwalk for a walk and to grab ice cream or pizza. (We were only 10 minutes away when we lived in NJ) Living in a development has been difficult for me. It isn't the closeness or sameness of homes - it is the population. Most of the developments in our town were built around the same time period and have the same size homes. I notice in my own development that most of the home owners are of the same age, demographic, have several young children etc. I miss having neighbors of all ages from all walks of life, etc. Many times I feel "old" because... well I am about 10 years older than most of my neighbors and have very different interests than they do.
We have lived in Middletown for 2 1/2 years. If we would be faced with having to relocate again because of my husband's employment i would be torn. I guess you can say that I have fallen in "like" with Delaware. I would consider retirement in Delaware but would want live more south than we do now and closer to the beach.
I just want to say thanks for all the produce places. I have had not had time to adventure out as much I would like since moving here. Hopefully this summer, once the kids are not in school and produce is in abundance, I can check some of these places out.
Doctorjef - Lancaster is very unique. I have no desire to re-create that here. We moved away on purpose. I just miss all the wonderful farmers markets.
Does anyone know where I can get fresh poultry in NCCo??
In NJ some of our grocery stores (Wegmana and Shoprite) had free babysitting while you were shopping. That was great. Many places also had delivery, with a charge of course. We always had our milk and bread delivered on Mondays. We had a milk box.
Wegman's is a grocery chain that was started in Rochester, NY. They have free babysitting at their stores and they are moving South.
Milk was delivered in Delaware when I was growing up. Was that something that you had recently Sandee?
So far I haven't heard too many outlandish complaints. Yay! The only quibble I have is the person that said it was two hours to get to the beach. I don't know how that could be if one is living in Delaware unless they're counting sitting in traffic.
Milk, buttermilk, pies, cakes, strawberries and such are still delivered to our doorsteps here, if we ask, by the Amish.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $53,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I moved here from Lancaster Co and compared to there, yes the produce selections are pathetic. I had three very large farmers markets within 15 minutes of my house in Lancaster and NCCo is not exactly overflowing with them.
Don't know where in Delaware you live, but all around the Dover, Kenton, Sandtown, Chapeltown, and Marydel areas, we have tons of Amish farms who sell fresh produce and much more. They even have fresh churned butter, buttermilk, fresh free range chicken, fresh baked bread-cake-cookies-pies, bacon, scrapple, strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, and pumpkins, along with all the starter plants so you can grow your own. I buy fresh tomatoes, parsley, corn, peppers, and make my own Pepper Corn Relish, and I buy fresh grown flowers from them, too. I grew up with the Amish, and helped them tend to their roadside stands, and I can count on one hand how many times I bought any of the above in a grocery store.....over a period of 50 years. 
