Maryland vs. Delaware? (Baltimore, Frederick, Annapolis: townhouse, employment, buying)

[CarlyZZ]

Hi, just curious if anyone has lived in both Delaware and Maryland and wondering which one you thought preferable or not? I'm asking because I'm currently in New Jersey and wanting to move to either Maryland or Delaware. I'll be truthful and say I don't really know much about either state, that's why I'm counting on your replies here, to try to educate myself. I've googled of course both Maryland and Delaware but to be honest, the sites basically sounded like advertisements for both states. I think hearing it from people who live here and have first hand knowledge, you tend to get more honest, accurate replies. Thank you so much for any direction or help you can give me

[bufflove]

Neither state is homogeneous; both states have many completely different areas. The invisible line between MD and DE is not the differentiation that matters.

[MidValleyDad]

Originally Posted by bufflove

Neither state is homogeneous; both states have many completely different areas. The invisible line between MD and DE is not the differentiation that matters.

It does matter for tax purposes

[beasley106]

The lower two counties in Delaware (Sussex and Kent) and Maryland's Eastern Shore have more in common with each other than they do with other parts within the same state since they are both rural areas consisting of mostly farming communities and a few beach towns along the coast. New Castle County in Northern Delaware is primarily a suburb for Philadelphia, and the area stretching from Hartford County along I-95 to Prince Georges County/Montgomery County in Maryland are mostly suburban extensions of Baltimore/Washington DC. Western Maryland (west of Frederick) in addition has more in common with Pennsylvania and West Virginia than it does with those other areas since it lies within the Appalachians and is also primarily rural.

That being said Delaware has much more favorable taxes compared to Maryland.

[PylesFord]

Maryland resident. The "current favorable" tax situation in Delaware has attracted people from many other states primarily to southern/beach areas of the state. BUT, you may want to read this article:

State budget grim, but leaders hope to avoid tax increases

[CarlyZZ]

Originally Posted by PylesFord

Maryland resident. The "current favorable" tax situation in Delaware has attracted people from many other states primarily to southern/beach areas of the state. BUT, you may want to read this article:

State budget grim, but leaders hope to avoid tax increases

Thanks for this, I read the whole article. Not too worried about it since I'm from New Jersey and they practically tax the air you breathe there lollll Seriously, N.J. is insane with their taxes, so ending up in Delaware, I don't see it being too much of a hardship on me should taxes go up here, they still will never equal what Jersey has... you need a second job to pay your property taxes there, just crazy. When I sold my house, I was paying almost $13K a year in property tax, and it's not like I had a mansion, they are just totally out of control. I appreciate your posting this for me, any info I can get is so helpful to me

[CarlyZZ]

Originally Posted by beasley106

The lower two counties in Delaware (Sussex and Kent) and Maryland's Eastern Shore have more in common with each other than they do with other parts within the same state since they are both rural areas consisting of mostly farming communities and a few beach towns along the coast. New Castle County in Northern Delaware is primarily a suburb for Philadelphia, and the area stretching from Hartford County along I-95 to Prince Georges County/Montgomery County in Maryland are mostly suburban extensions of Baltimore/Washington DC. Western Maryland (west of Frederick) in addition has more in common with Pennsylvania and West Virginia than it does with those other areas since it lies within the Appalachians and is also primarily rural.

That being said Delaware has much more favorable taxes compared to Maryland.

Thank you so much for the information, I was actually thinking of the Sussex area, I know it gets really crowded there in the summer, but I can deal with that... just not the odors from the chicken farms lollll but I know it's an agricultural state and they have right of way which of course is very understandable

[BuyingAnnapolis]

If you are considering DE my parents live in Millsoboro in a community called Pelican point. They LOVE it. Just far enough off the beaten path to not have the traffic in the summer and close enough to still be considered "at the beach". They moved there from MD last year for retirement. I still live in MD in Annapolis. I guess it depends on your lifestyle and career. If you are retired then your lifestyle only. MD is more "city" living no matter where you are and DE is more "rural" even in the busy parts. Good luck!

[CarlyZZ]

Originally Posted by BuyingAnnapolis

If you are considering DE my parents live in Millsoboro in a community called Pelican point. They LOVE it. Just far enough off the beaten path to not have the traffic in the summer and close enough to still be considered "at the beach". They moved there from MD last year for retirement. I still live in MD in Annapolis. I guess it depends on your lifestyle and career. If you are retired then your lifestyle only. MD is more "city" living no matter where you are and DE is more "rural" even in the busy parts. Good luck!

Thank you very much for replying to my post, it's very appreciated. I know Pelican Point, it's actually one of the places I was looking at. I don't know if I want a build or something existing, a single family or a townhouse, my head is all over the place lollll I'm retired but I'm a young retired...shopping is my thing, so if I did go to Delaware, it's just a hop, skip and jump away from the Maryland shops. I've heard how horrendous the traffic is in the summer in Delaware, so this helps a lot what you have told me here. I'm thinking it's going to be Delaware where I finally end up I'm glad your parents are happy with their decision, it's so hard to know if you are making the right choice are not, so I'm glad it worked out for them and they are happy

[DaveinMtAiry]

First off welcome and let me say you are right to come to a place like this for advice. We're happy to help.


First question I had was your employment situation and if you need to be close to a major city because the areas discussed are not that at all. The MD Eastern Shore and the surrounding areas in Deleware are very similar, of course the first thing I thought of was the tax difference. Just because you paid huge taxes in NJ does not mean you should ignore the differences between MD and DE. People retire to DE for just this reason.