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I should be able to work from home next year, so good-bye NY! I have heard good things about Delawares quality of life, and it seems like a cool place. I was considering PA, but Delaware has beaches, so it wins.
Only thing is, I've never been there. But from what I've read it seems I'd like Sussex county. Here are my issues I need help with:
1) My daughter is high functioning autistic. Ive heard good things about Delawares services, is there anyone with personal experience? Does it matter which county you live in? Any particular school districts to look out for,m be they good or bad?
2) I am from Long Island, NY originally. I miss the beach. If anyone is familiar with Fire Island, how do your beaches compare? Again, I see based on research Sussex has the beaches. Are they sandy or rocky? How are tides, waves, and undertow? Being a short (say 15 mile) drive to a beach is important.
3) Sussex seems more agricultural based on what I've seen. Is there farmer markets and such? Are there malls and department stores? Or is most shopping in the northern counties.
4) Whats the ballpark property taxes you guys pay? Its average 11k/year here for comparison.
5) I like to target shoot recreationally, overall how is the gun climate in Delaware?
I will have more questions later on, but for now help is appreciated. Thank you.
Kreutz: I should be able to work from home next year, so good-bye NY! I have heard good things about Delawares quality of life, and it seems like a cool place. I was considering PA, but Delaware has beaches, so it wins.
Only thing is, I've never been there. But from what I've read it seems I'd like Sussex county. Here are my issues I need help with:
1) My daughter is high functioning autistic. Ive heard good things about Delawares services, is there anyone with personal experience? Does it matter which county you live in? Any particular school districts to look out for,m be they good or bad? MaryCh is the expert here, a member. Hope she sees this as she is very knowledgeable on this subject.
2) I am from Long Island, NY originally. I miss the beach. If anyone is familiar with Fire Island, how do your beaches compare? Again, I see based on research Sussex has the beaches. Are they sandy or rocky? How are tides, waves, and undertow? Being a short (say 15 mile) drive to a beach is important. Not at all familiar with NY, and have lived in Delaware my entire life. Beaches - beautiful, sandy ones, all easy to access from all points in Delaware, since the state is 96 miles long. Much reasonable housing available very close to the beach (estimate 7-10 miles). Not much undertow, and waves/tides depending on weather and time of year. Crowded during the summer months, and much traffic, consisting of mostly out of staters. Locals I know stay away from the beaches, for the most part, until Fall.
3) Sussex seems more agricultural based on what I've seen. Is there farmer markets and such? Are there malls and department stores? Or is most shopping in the northern counties. Mid to western Sussex County, and Kent County are comprised of much agricultural land, gradually changing to residential use as farmers sell to developers. Eastern Sussex County is the beach area. There are plenty of farmers markets throughout the state. Here's a link to only one outlet in the Rehoboth/Lewes area (Sussex County). There's much more. Tanger Outlet Centers :: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware :: Directory (http://www.tangeroutlet.com/rehobothbeach/directory - broken link) Shopping is available in New Castle County (one of the three counties in Delaware) and there's spotty shopping in Kent County, around Dover. No sales tax in Delaware.
4) Whats the ballpark property taxes you guys pay? Its average 11k/year here for comparison. Property tax is based on the school district your property is located in (assessment). But, taxes are cheap, accounting for the huge influx of people from elsewhere. I've seen taxes from $250/year for a $100,000-$125,000 home, to $1,500-$2,500/year for a $300,000-$400,000 home. That's really "ballpark". And as I said, it's based on the school assessment, (per hundred dollars of assessed value)
5) I like to target shoot recreationally, overall how is the gun climate in Delaware?
Lots of hunting in Delaware and skeet shooting. Here are some links: http://www.claytargetsonline.com/list.php/DE http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Pages/FWPortal.aspx
I will have more questions later on, but for now help is appreciated. Thank you.
If by "locals" who ostensibly stay away from the beaches until autumn is meant residents of Sussex County, yes possibly. I can tell you that loads of us who live up here in New Castle County are going down to the beach regularly from Memorial Day on.
The OP really should make an extended tour of Delaware in the summer, concentrating on northern New Castle County (greater Wilmington area) and the Sussex County beach towns (esp. Lewes, Rehoboth, Dewey, and Bethany).
Sussex County has a sh**load of outlet malls strung up and down DE 1 in the Lewes-Rehoboth corridor. The best overall regular shopping mall is presently Christiana Mall in northern New Castle County, outside of Newark (it will be getting better in 2011 with the completion and opening of Nordstrom's). However, aside from our absence of sales tax in DE, I wouldn't call shopping in this state exactly brilliant overall.
The beauty of Delaware is you can get away from it all but still have access to it all. I transferred here from Chicago 4 years ago and love it. "Getting away from it all" starts at the canal and includes everything going south.
1) I forget the exact name, but there is a foundation in Lewes with a lot of Autistic Programs and Services. Junior golf, swim and music programs and the like. Googling autism Lewes, DE should do it. Indian Creek School District is ranked one of the best in the state.
2) Sandy beaches with small pebbles in areas. Not that different than the Jersey Shore.
3) Almost anything you need to shop for can be bought at the beaches. Tanger Outlet Mall is over 100 stores; all the major brands are there. Near the outlet mall is also Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, Home Depot and all of the other comforts of life. If you need to travel for shopping (which I doubt would be often), then it would to Christiana Mall at Route One & I-95 in Northern Delaware, about a 2 hour drive from much of the beach areas or to Annapolis, MD Mall, also a 2 hour drive.
4) Delaware relies on income taxes. Property taxes here are next to nothing compared to MD, PA or NJ. Taxes on a $300k home in much of the state is $2k/year. Beware what you see for current RE taxes in Sussex County however. It has not been reassessed in years and there is debate that it should be.
5) Very, very gun friendly. Sussex county, away from the beaches, is very southern in culture and the rural areas are scattered with chicken farms. Purdue is one of the regions largest employers.
Hi Kreutz, welcome to City Data/DE forum! First thing, I am not so sure how much of an expert I am (thanks, rdlr!), but we did research quite a bit prior to our move to DE. We have a 15 year old son with autism, and the schools were our main reason for choosing DE. As I have posted before, we moved to central Kent County from central NC about 2-1/2 years ago. There is an autism program in each county, and from what I have gathered through meeting other parents, each program functions quite differently than the others. And if your daughter is high functioning, as our son is, she will not qualify for some of the more intensive services. There is the DAP, which is the Delaware Autism Program, in each county. Our son did not qualify for it as he is too high functioning. Every school district has an element of the program, and it really is hard to say which district is "best" since (as you know) autism presents itself very differently in each child. How old is your daughter? What services has she received to this point? I heard long ago that NY has awesome education laws for children with autism, but that districts are hard pressed to meet the needs. In fact, my in-laws are all on Long Island, and despite the cost of living there, we considered that for a while. I could go on and on with this subject, so feel free to send me a direct message and we can talk more at length.
As far as the beaches... I am not very familiar with Fire Island, as my in-laws are on the north shore and closer to Queens. I grew up in Va Beach, and I find DE beaches (at least the ones we've been to) to be pretty comparable to Va Beach. As others have mentioned, the summer environment is very different for locals, but I am sure you can relate to that if you live on or near Fire Island. We are about 45 minutes to an hour from the beaches, and I have not noticed much impact from the season. We have friends in Milton, which is much closer to the beach, and they say it is not an issue for them either. I find that once you learn your way around, the seasonal traffic, etc. can be avoided if it is a concern.
I have to beg to differ with doctorjef on his assessment of where to focus... either northern DE or Sussex County. Northern DE can be much more congested on a daily basis, as it is closer to the I-95 corridor. Most of the bigger businesses are in New Castle county/Wilmington area, and is the biggest reason for the congestion. As rdlr mentioned, Sussex County IS much more rural, as parts of eastern LI are. Kent County is a good mix of both, and a reasonable drive to either (north for the shopping, southeast for the beaches). We found Kent County to be an overall better fit for our needs.
Please continue posting your questions, as there are very helpful regulars posting here. And as I said, feel free to send me a direct message if you'd like to discuss your situation more indepth that in the public forum. Good luck in your search; it is not an easy choice with a special needs child.
Sussex County has the beaches. Northern New Castle County (essentially from Newark on up) is increasingly on the Appalachian Piedmont (the rest of DE is pretty much coastal plain). If you like the landscape of SE Pennsylvania, you will like the rolling hills, stone formations, sheer cliffs, forestation, and steams, creeks and "rivers" of northern DE. The Wilmington area also allows for travel convenience via rail and air (Philly International is about half an hour away from me) that living farther south in DE simply doesn't enable. The only real cultural sophistication - such as it is - is to be found in the Wilmington/Newark area. But if you're primarily into beaches, boats, guns, and bubbas, then Sussex is for you. That being said, Rehoboth has a significant gay scene and both Lewes and Rehoboth have a number of decent restaurants, so not all of Sussex is rural quasi-southern culture.
That being said, Rehoboth has a significant gay scene and both Lewes and Rehoboth have a number of decent restaurants, so not all of Sussex is rural quasi-southern culture.
LOL. My exact quote was "Sussex county, away from the beaches, is very southern in culture"
Whoa you guys are helpful. Great info here, thanks. I think Sussex is what we're looking for. But according to Sussex County Delaware Agriculture Facts -- Sussex County Online, Delaware its 50% farms, and apparently a very large producer of chickens. So I must ask where does it start to smell very bad due to said chickens? Its a weird question, but if the wind blows a certain way....
My wife and I are going to start narrowing our search down to 5-10 towns, and then try and head down for a weekend or two or three to look around this fall and then head back down to look at actual houses in the winter (we're looking to close around may-june of 2011).
Whoa you guys are helpful. Great info here, thanks. I think Sussex is what we're looking for. But according to Sussex County Delaware Agriculture Facts -- Sussex County Online, Delaware its 50% farms, and apparently a very large producer of chickens. So I must ask where does it start to smell very bad due to said chickens? Its a weird question, but if the wind blows a certain way...
Yes, broiler chickens...top producers are Townsends, Allen Family Farms, and Mountaire Farms. Middle and Western Sussex County is where most chicken houses are located. Also, in Kent County. When I was a teen, my parents had broiler houses. The stench, and Yes, it is a stench, occurs when the houses are cleaned out. That's between deliveries of the next batch of broilers, and it doesn't take much wind to propel that odor. Don't think it's changed much over the years, although maybe they have ways to diminish the odors some. Many have become accustomed to the odor, which is occasional. Actually when I go out of state to large cities, they stink. I don't know about laying hens and that industry. Here's another portion of that link you provided. Poultry Industry, Sussex County Delaware -- Sussex County Online, Delaware
So I must ask where does it start to smell very bad due to said chickens? Its a weird question, but if the wind blows a certain way....
My wife and I are going to start narrowing our search down to 5-10 towns, and then try and head down for a weekend or two or three to look around this fall and then head back down to look at actual houses in the winter (we're looking to close around may-june of 2011).
I will return with more questions, thanks again.
I don't believe odor is nearly as big an issue these days. The chickens are confined and the waste treatment setups are contained as well. Nothing is 100%, but odor is pretty minimal these days.
When making your list I offer the following recommendations.
1) Lewes and Rehoboth Beach are always must do's because that is where all the "stuff" is at. But it is my personal opinion that South Bethany and Fenwick Island are two very special beach communities. Expensive, but special.
2) Millsboro, just a few miles away from the beach towns is nice also. The areas south and east of Millsboro have a number of neighborhoods with water access on the Indiana River Bay.
3) My last suggestion would be to do one visit at peak season (July & August) to know what the area is like at that time. I am sure the beaches of Long Island are the same. A vastly different experience in October and February than they are in July.
Last edited by jdoll; 01-31-2010 at 07:18 AM..
Reason: last suggestion
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I don't know about laying hens and that industry. Here's another portion of that link you provided. 
