10 things I hate about Northern Delaware!!! (Wilmington, New Castle: house, to buy, schools)

[raven302]

Man I can't wait; 10 years and I'll be in LSD...

[Jennifer Ellis]

I have to move close to University of Delaware, because my husband has a job there. I read your comments. I am mostly worried about the cancer issue. How would I find a "healthy" place to live near Newark, Delaware? Also, Any suggestions on how to get used to the area? What I should watch out for? What fun things, places to do or go to?

Thank you.

jennifer

[jdoll]

Originally Posted by Jennifer Ellis

I have to move close to University of Delaware, because my husband has a job there. I read your comments. I am mostly worried about the cancer issue. How would I find a "healthy" place to live near Newark, Delaware? Also, Any suggestions on how to get used to the area? What I should watch out for? What fun things, places to do or go to?

Thank you.

jennifer

The State of Delaware has a number of different webpages addressing Cancer Clusters in the state. Here is a link to their synopsis.

[doctorjef]

Newark is not inside of one of the (controversial) cancer clusters. Newark itself should be a quite nice place to live if one is working for UD -- no worries.

[candycorn]

Originally Posted by Joe84323

The area seems to continue the ambience of dirty streets, rudeness, and crime from the Northeast, and mix it with McMansions, and it seems like if you are a person looking for a northeast city experience, you are left with a void due to Philly being close but not too close (nightlife, shopping, downtown attractions), and if you are looking for a relaxed, living large feeling, you don't quite get that because of the attitudes, the traffic, and low quality of schools. New Castle County is somewhere in the middle.
...

I moved out of New Castle county because, from Wilmington, the area gave me everything I ever needed in terms of adequate jobs, housing, and all, but it didn't have enough to offer me for the big-city attitudes, crime, and commuting stress it gave me. Wilmington is a fine small city, but the downtown is pathetic, and I wanted either an vibrant, urban culture, or I wanted a laid back, country/beach atmosphere where I could chill out and enjoy my days.

I found myself searching for arts and life and culture, but only halfassing it, or looking for peace, and nice people, and open spaces, and not even halfassing that.

Joe84323--
I know this was posted a while ago, but I just read it now in July 2010 --and it is "spot on" --as the British say... So nice to know, I'm not the only one who has made these same observations about Delaware!
I have lived and worked in the Tri-State area (PA, NJ, DE) and DE is by far the most uninteresting of the three. Unfortunately, it's where I've worked and lived (as an adult) the longest. (Moved here for a job in Wilmington 15 yrs ago, bought a "temporary" townhouse, got laid off and in my fight to regain income levels, find myself still living here --even though I now work in Philly. Ah, the irony of the fates!.....I also enjoyed reading posts by "DoctorJef" --esp in his advice to the guy moving here from London. That was absolutely right on as well --(Made me laugh out loud!), though he appears to have offended others with his accurate description of life in our average US car-dependent suburban sprawl (inaccurately called "town" or "city" by Americans)...

[doctorjef]

Most of my comments weren't meant as put-downs and certainly not as singling out Wilmington apart from what is true of most American cities/suburban sprawl. Actually, there's nothing that I can think of that I specifically hate about Northern Delaware. If you ask me for a list of things I dislike about American life, there would be many things that would hold true both for northern New Castle County and for the country as a whole. As to dirt and crime, well, all urban areas include bits for which those characteristics hold true. I actually haven't felt that these are especially prominent aspects of life in northern Delaware, but then I don't hang around the Hilltop neighborhood or Brandywine Village. What I personally dislike is soul-crushing Kirkwood Hwy (way worse than Concord Pike, which would come in a distant second in the sense-assaulting sweepstakes).

[Joe84323]

My above description of DE is a more general blanket statement that applies to the PA and Jersey suburbs as well, just to different degrees - ESPECIALLY Jersey. I am, of course, excluding the beach, which makes up for the rest of DE's shortcomings in my opinion.

[melbanie]

things i love about living in Northern DE
1. tax-free shopping
2. low property taxes
3. proximity to philly, beach and mts. oh... and booth's corner farmer's market!!!!
4. the 4 seasons
5. the pretty state parks(bellevue, cape henlopen and brandywine my favs.)
6. st. anthony's italian festival. like being in italy!
7. diversity. it's real life!
8. neighborhood block parties
9. eagles, phillies and flyers team passion!
10. ramsey's pumpkin patch!

things i dislike
1. congestion (especially during x-mas w/ out-of state shoppers!)
2. bad reputation w/ public schools. (which is untrue, do your research and get involved to find out for yourself before making your decision on what someone else says)
3. humidity in summer. (but that's what the lazy days at the pool are for!)
4. deer ticks. must spray yourself!
5. smell of chicken farms in the southern end of the state
6. strip malls & stores - there's just so many and too many decisions.
7. tree-less highways and roadways. kirkwood hwy. areas just kind ugly and boring
8. no real town feel in talleyville area. we have wilmington to go to but suburbs don't have quaint town feel.
9. can't think of really anything else

[doctorjef]

I think traffic congestion problems are way over-exaggerated. However, I suppose it depends on your reference point. Try Austin, TX -- your complaints about northern DE traffic will fade to nothing. Or compare to DC -- ugh! Really, the traffic's not bad here, folks! Absence of quaintness in the suburbs? Quaint suburbs would seem to me to be an oxymoron. Agreed that some burbs are more attractive than others. Hockessin and Greenville are your better looking burbs. Actually, I think Stanton-Newport are rather quaint; even Elsmere. And what about the Ardens or that old trolley suburb that starts with a B -- sorry, middle-aged moment, the name eludes me at the moment? Agreed, Kirkwood Hwy is butt-ugly! But so is most of suburban commercial America.

[doctorjef]

OK, so the more charming burb that I couldn't think of earlier today is Bellefonte. Even Claymont has some amazing bits, though it's very mixed overall.