Lewes? (Dover, Newark, Camden: hotel, university, living in) - Delaware (DE) - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

beachanyone · 02-10-2008, 11:07 AM

MMODAndrea- Thanks. I suppose I can live with that.
Ok, I have yet another question. It may seem silly but it is very important to me. As I have said before we have not visited any town in DE that we are considering moving to. We are planning on a trip during the spring. I am trying to get a real "feel" for the few towns I have narrowed my search down too. I have looked into cost of living but my question is really centered more on the "attitude" of the Lewes/Milton area. Im going to throw forth a scenerio and hopefully a few people can enlighten me on this one.
In the state/town we live in now, which is Mrtinsburg WV we are looked at as rich(we are not rich, just hardworking people) We drive a luxury car and dress nice. Ok, so when ever we travel back home to Freehold NJ, we are looked at as just regular hard working family ...no biggie.....which I like!
So here comes my question. How would we fare in Lewes/Milton? I want to surround myself and my family with other hardworking people that enjoy nice things and strive for a better life, to just be seen as regular people. However, on the flip side of that, I dont not want to be in the heavy "gotta keep up with the jones" attitude!!
Was that question confusing? That is the best way I could express my thought. I dont know, Lile I said I am really trying to get a feel for the town/people/attitude.
Thanks!
Everyone has offered so much great info. I have been following this board since about August 2007, but had not posted until January 2008, and I am so glad I did. You guys have been incredibly helpful.
Tabitha

nlblueyes · 02-10-2008, 03:43 PM

FYI... Milton, Lewes and Rehoboth comprise the Cape Henlopen School District.. all elementary and middle schools feed into Cape High School. I grew up in Milton and currently live in Baltimore. There are also some private schools (mostly Christian based) in Sussex County also.

maryCh · 02-11-2008, 02:59 PM

Hi Tabitha,

I am very much like you... don't care about keeping up with anyone, but don't want to be looked down on by those who do (keep up with the "Jones"). The area of NC we were in, we were the same as you... simply hard working folks who took care of our things, and therefore were considered "wealthy" by some. In the same token, we also lived in a mobile home for a few years, and were considered "trailer park" by other folks.

I will say I have been quite pleased with a general attitude of "live and let live" we personally have experienced here in DE. While there are surely those that will look down on you, there also seems to be just as many that will make you feel right at home. Now if you were looking at NC, you might get the "you're from WV???" jokes, but I won't go there!

Mary

beachanyone · 02-11-2008, 05:27 PM

Mary- I have been listening to the WV jokes since moving here to WV. In fact, I heard them even before we purchased our house here from our friends back home in NJ....I should have listened. However, all I could see was BIG house, little price tag! Shame on me! I still have to hear my mom, dad and in-laws..."What were you thinking, WV?" Well now I know better.
Thanks for addressing my concerns.
Tabitha

rdlr · 02-12-2008, 01:27 AM

Hello All! I was born and raised here, and I don't go to Lewes or Rehoboth unless I'm working down there (on the road work). During Spring, Summer, early Fall....previously I could only stand the traffic during the week (never go on Fri. Sat. Sun.), then the heavier traffic flow moved up to about Wednesday when the caravan of out of state license tags travel down Coastal Highway, which has been under construction for over a year. Now, I only go down on Tuesdays to work during those times I mentioned. Lewes is a beautiful town, but it consists of primarily second homes, as is the case of Rehoboth Beach. For the most part, homes are expensive in downtown Lewes, and outside the town, single family homes and condos are not cheap. The tax rolls prove the make up of the community, with homeowners' addresses noted as Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, etc. It's a melting pot, in my opinion. Gone are the days when a Delaware local could just pick up and visit a Delaware Beach for a day of water recreation, or boardwalk fun. I can't tell you how many years it's been since our family did the beach thing at Lewes or Rehoboth, and Lewes is about 35-40 miles away from us. My husband and I, a few years ago, decided to (willy-nilly) go to a Little Feat concert at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach, on a Friday night. 2 1/2 hours later, we weren't there yet. Lesson learned, again. Sorry to be so negative, but this is the way it is here.

deeker1 · 02-12-2008, 09:58 AM

It seems like everywhere you want to go to retire you are going to run into the same crowds and traffic you are leaving. It makes sense, we all want the same things and places that offer them.We looked south of Myrtle Beach. That made Rohoboth look like a speedway and where I am living now, on Long Island, EVERYDAY, not just summer weekends, the traffic is unbelievable. I visited Rohoboth last summer and didn't think much of the crowds or traffic. So I guess it just boils down to what you are used to.

rdlr · 02-12-2008, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeker1

I visited Rohoboth last summer and didn't think much of the crowds or traffic. So I guess it just boils down to what you are used to.

Yes, that's right. On the other hand, it's all "in the timing", i.e. weekends, events scheduled, road construction, etc. 2 1/2 hours is too much time for me to get from point A to point B, and cover just 35 miles. But I've also made some quicker trips down there. Actually I prefer the back roads, south of Milford, through Milton, and that route avoids Route 1. Of course once arriving at the beach, now that spring/summer is on the way, we will have to forget parking on Rehoboth Avenue again.

anniebleu · 02-12-2008, 11:58 AM

We still sometimes go to Rehoboth during the busiest season, but we do start out early. We time our trip to get us to the beach around 8 a.m. and we often take a picnic and go south of Dewey Beach to Delaware Seashore State Park. This park has various points of access, over the dunes, to the ocean on one side, and Rehoboth Bay on the other side.

We usually find that it's pretty quiet until around 11, and not crowded at all until noon or later, and at that time we head north back to Dover, with most traffic still headed toward the beach.

The "secret" is not only the time, but the State Park. Many people prefer to mingle with the boardwalk crowds, but we like the ocean and the dunes. Some days it's pretty sparsely populated in this area all day long!

beachanyone · 02-28-2008, 07:28 AM

Hi Everyone!
Well it looks like my husband may be working in Newark, which kinda throws a wrench into all my Lewes/Milton area research!!!
Can anyone tell me the closest beach to Newark? I am trying to find a place close enough to Newark yet close to the beach. Which I think is maybe Dover...which looks like an hour drive to Newark and about the same distance to the beach areas.
Ughh, so much for trying to plan anything!

anniebleu · 02-28-2008, 08:20 AM

beachanyone,

Yes, Dover would be about half way between Newark (depending on where in Newark, because the greater Newark area sprawls) and the ocean beaches (rather than bay beaches) which start around Lewes.

Depends on where you live in Dover too. We live about as far north in Dover as you can and still be in Dover, and it takes us an hour to get to the northern most ocean beaches.

It takes us about an hour to get to most places, say the vicinity of the University of Delaware), in Newark too.

Several people on this forum, as you probably know, live in smaller towns near Dover, such as Magnolia and Camden, and like them very much.

Annie