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Old 05-21-2008, 12:19 AM
 
Location: Aviano Air Base, Italy
28 posts, read 124,619 times
Reputation: 37

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Thanks for everyone putting all of this great information on this forum. I'm finding it very helpful. I was wondering what everyones opinion is of Camden vs. Smyrna. There are two arguments, one...if we move to Smyrna we could have a home built for us for around $250K...mind you a new home, in a new community. Or, I could move into Camden, I would be purchasing a pre-existing home, still beautiful but potentially more expensive. What does the forum think? Of note, I have two girls, one is 10 and the other is 3. I am active duty Air Force and will be working on the base.

thanks in advance...
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Old 05-21-2008, 04:43 AM
 
Location: Delaware Native
9,691 posts, read 14,169,518 times
Reputation: 21415
Quote:
Originally Posted by MiYoNiAri View Post
Thanks for everyone putting all of this great information on this forum. I'm finding it very helpful. I was wondering what everyones opinion is of Camden vs. Smyrna. There are two arguments, one...if we move to Smyrna we could have a home built for us for around $250K...mind you a new home, in a new community. Or, I could move into Camden, I would be purchasing a pre-existing home, still beautiful but potentially more expensive. What does the forum think? Of note, I have two girls, one is 10 and the other is 3. I am active duty Air Force and will be working on the base.
thanks in advance...
In the past, Smyrna's market values were lower than those in Dover/Camden/Wyoming. I lived in the Smyrna area from the time I was 5 years old until I was 45 years old, finally moving to the Dover area. I'm not seeing one community being inferior/superior to the other in regard to market values. Pre-existing homes and new construction differ in prices, for the most part, no matter what the location. Have you checked new construction vs. re-sales in Smyrna? and then the same comparison for Dover/Camden?
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Old 05-21-2008, 07:05 AM
 
14 posts, read 60,635 times
Reputation: 17
I live in Dover but work in Clayton (small town bordering Smyrna) and I think Smyrna is a nice town. Its definitly a better school district than Capital (in Dover), IMO. I choice my daughter up to Clayton. I wouldnt say its dangerous here at all. I couldnt see the link but I dont think Smyrna has high crime rates at all. If you look in the weekly paper, all the police calls are mostly car related.
All the Clayton cops do is sit at the corner all day! Yes, there is a dumpy part of Smyrna but Smyrna is growing exponentially and there are neighborhoods popping up all over the place, nice ones at that. If you get a realtor to show you these nice new neighborhoods, you can rest assured that it will be safe and pleasant.
There are also businesses popping up all over the place in Smyrna. Its definitly growing. People from Wilmington are moving down here to escape the city. As far as small-medium size American towns go, this is a great one and Im not even from here!
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Old 05-21-2008, 07:15 PM
 
Location: Aviano Air Base, Italy
28 posts, read 124,619 times
Reputation: 37
Default I sure you're right, but when I consider...

Quote:
Originally Posted by MelissaC View Post
I live in Dover but work in Clayton (small town bordering Smyrna) and I think Smyrna is a nice town. Its definitly a better school district than Capital (in Dover), IMO. I choice my daughter up to Clayton. I wouldnt say its dangerous here at all. I couldnt see the link but I dont think Smyrna has high crime rates at all. If you look in the weekly paper, all the police calls are mostly car related.
All the Clayton cops do is sit at the corner all day! Yes, there is a dumpy part of Smyrna but Smyrna is growing exponentially and there are neighborhoods popping up all over the place, nice ones at that. If you get a realtor to show you these nice new neighborhoods, you can rest assured that it will be safe and pleasant.
There are also businesses popping up all over the place in Smyrna. Its definitly growing. People from Wilmington are moving down here to escape the city. As far as small-medium size American towns go, this is a great one and Im not even from here!
I agree with you Melissa, and thank-you. I would ask though, according to city-data.com there are 46 registered sex offenders living in Smyrna, De. I have a hard time getting past the fact that very nearly 1% of the population is a registered sex offender. Again, you are right...the area is growing exponentially but is it a controlled growth or is it becomming a place i'll be worrying about my girls everytime they're not directly under my nose. Ultimately, I don't know. I have found a really nice home for around $250K and it looks nice but I do worry about my kids safety and the quality of the schools. Thanks, Mike
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Old 05-21-2008, 07:38 PM
 
Location: Delaware Native
9,691 posts, read 14,169,518 times
Reputation: 21415
Quote:
Originally Posted by MiYoNiAri View Post
I agree with you Melissa, and thank-you. I would ask though, according to city-data.com there are 46 registered sex offenders living in Smyrna, De. I have a hard time getting past the fact that very nearly 1% of the population is a registered sex offender. Again, you are right...the area is growing exponentially but is it a controlled growth or is it becomming a place i'll be worrying about my girls everytime they're not directly under my nose. Ultimately, I don't know. I have found a really nice home for around $250K and it looks nice but I do worry about my kids safety and the quality of the schools. Thanks, Mike
Mike, here's the link for the Delaware Crime Map. Select your community, and it will give you the type of crimes reported within the last year, or click again for crimes reported within the last 2 weeks. You can check each individual crime, or click "All" crimes.
delawareonline ¦ The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.
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Old 05-21-2008, 08:47 PM
 
Location: Aviano Air Base, Italy
28 posts, read 124,619 times
Reputation: 37
Thumbs up Thanks Delly

Quote:
Originally Posted by Delly View Post
Mike, here's the link for the Delaware Crime Map. Select your community, and it will give you the type of crimes reported within the last year, or click again for crimes reported within the last 2 weeks. You can check each individual crime, or click "All" crimes.
delawareonline ¦ The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.
Delly--
Thanks so much for the link. Like I've said before, my wife and I aren't scheduled to arrive until September and having this link will be helpfull as a barometer to gauge our home selection vs. crime.

Thanks so much, Mike
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Old 05-21-2008, 09:33 PM
 
Location: North Carolina
903 posts, read 3,495,162 times
Reputation: 362
Hi Mike,

As a fairly newbie to DE, I may have already posted to this topic, but I don't recall replying directly to you. We are not military, but moved to the Camden area from NC last September. To date, we have been very happy with our choice; very centrally located in the state, and we love the school district we are in.

Delly has a strong knowledge of the state, and our family has had the good fortune to get to know her off the forum. Given the fact that you will be "attached" to DAFB, I would like to add that Camden/Wyoming/Magnolia, etc are a good bit closer to the base. Given the fuel costs, I personally would factor that in while considering the overall budget and choosing the town you move to. Housing prices will be comparable, from what I have seen.

Keep researching this forum... lots of knowledgeable folks here! Congrats to you and your family on coming back stateside!

Mary
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Old 05-22-2008, 11:31 AM
 
Location: Aviano Air Base, Italy
28 posts, read 124,619 times
Reputation: 37
Talking Thanks Mary

You're right. This forum is proving to be a wonderful tool helping us make an informed decision about this move. I'm originally from New Jersey and Delaware is just a around the corner from my family. My sister is bouncing off the walls at the prospect of us finally being so close to home. I just need to keep my feet on the ground and not spend more than $250K on a home. So long as I am active duty military, I won't be able to afford more...and trust me $250K is ALOT of money for what I take home. We're doing all we can to make this a reality, but it'll take a lot of footwork and advise from this forum to make it a reality.

Mike
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Old 05-23-2008, 11:48 PM
 
Location: North Carolina
903 posts, read 3,495,162 times
Reputation: 362
Hey Mike,

My dad is retired Navy, and hubby was a lowly seaman in the Navy when we met many moons ago. We have lots of friends and family members still active in various branches of the armed forces, so I know just what you're sayin' about take home pay from Uncle Sam!

Keep checking your resources; from what I've seen during our search for a house to buy, what you are looking for CAN be had within the $$$ you're aiming for! Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

Mary
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Old 05-25-2008, 10:12 AM
 
Location: Aviano Air Base, Italy
28 posts, read 124,619 times
Reputation: 37
Smile Please read and educate me

Quote:
Originally Posted by CMTAD View Post
Bingo! The data used here at City Data, and in many other places, is based on crime statistics furnished by the FBI. So, off I went to the FBI website and read their FAQs about statistics. Here is what I found:

"Understanding a jurisdiction's industrial/economic base; its dependence upon neighboring jurisdictions; its transportation system; its economic dependence on nonresidents (such as tourists and convention attendees); its proximity to military installations, correctional facilities, etc., all contribute to accurately gauging and interpreting the crime known to and reported by law enforcement."

If a community has a correctional facility and crime occurs within the walls of that correctional facility, it DOES count in the community statistics, even though the impact of the crime never makes it over the prison wall.

That explains why Smyrna looks as bad as it does on paper, yet looks better in reality.

That also casts a suspect light on statistics in general, which doesn't give someone like me particular comfort, but it is what it is.

I hope the person who initially started this conversation by asking about Smyrna is still hanging in there and has read this far. My advice is to go look at Smyrna yourself and see what you see ... and then make your decision based on what you see, with an understanding that the statistics might be skewed by the prison.

Charley
This is a wonderful bit of information! My wife and I really like the houses that we have been seeing in Smyrna Delaware (specifically Willowwood) but very seriously started shying away because of the very stats being referenced in this thread. After reading for a little today I came across this brilliant comment by Charley clarifying the reasons behind these stats. This is critical...it is critical in getting an accurate assessment of all that Smyrna Delaware has to offer. There are many elements to the data but for the purposes of what we're talking about here, I want to discuss the two largest bits of damning evidence for the crime rate in Smyrna. The first is the crime rate and the second is the disproportionate amount of registered sex offenders in Smyrna Delaware.

Smyrna Delaware is challenged by a reputation for having high crime...Charley seems to have accurately identified the reasons behind this. What happens inside of the prison walls unfortunately counts against the community of Smyrna. In my opinion, someone should be pounding on the city commissioners door to either identify this data as having additional information or having the data simply removed all together. It will and undoubtedly has steered people away from what is potentially a really great community.

My second point is the personal concern over the disproportionate amount of registered sex offenders (46 registered sex offenders living in Smyrna, Delaware) listed on the city-data pages. Now when you consider that there are 46 registered sex offenders in a community of less than 6000, that can and rightfully should raise an eyebrow. Now, here's where I am hoping that Charley (or anyone else) might be able to clarify. IF...any and all crimes that are reported by the prison that fall within the confines of the prison walls count against the community... then I would ask is it also safe to surmise that if this same prison has sex offenders serving their sentence...would they be required register as sex offenders living in the Smyrna community? If so, that could explain the reason for the disproportionate amount of registered sex offenders.

There is one other point I would like to make...it seemed to me that there was potentially a misunderstanding brought out when someone in the forum stated that in their opinion that there was a direct correlation between crime and education. I would tend to agree, now let me explain what "I" am saying. First off, I am in the United States Air Force and far and away the majority of people serving in the military do not have a college degree and I would doubt many can dispute the fact that these are some of the finest people walking the earth. But we do not live in a microcosm. There is overwhelming data to support the connection between education and crime. Unfortunately, Smyrna Delaware is stricken with stats that imply that only 80.3% graduated high school...not something to be proud of. I believe that is what X person was referring to, not someone who graduated high school. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule...there are fine upstanding members of any community that may have quit school just as there are people that are serving in the military that are not worth the skin they are bagged in. But again, we are not dealing in absolutes, we are dealing in generalities and as such I would agree that low education is inextricably connected to crime...okay I am off my soapbox.

MiYoNiAri (Mike)
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