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The best place near the area in question is Delaware, either Bethany, or points north on the DE coast as far as Lewes. It's the only part of that part of the world that's first world conditions.
Hyperbole, in case you were wondering OP. The Rehoboth area has their fair share of transit drug addicts and suddenly broke and desperate retirees.
Speaking of crime, you bring up the point that, statistically, Salisbury appears to be quite dangerous. I'm not going to tell you its Mayberry (is anywhere?), but there are some important factors to consider.
- City boundaries are bizarrely shaped, and commercial properties are vastly over represented. Why does this matter? Because shoplifting is a part one crime. Because getting caught stealing $50 of headphones should be ranked equally with shooting someone. Obviously.
- Small town. One year it will be the most dangerous city in the state. Then next it will be the safest. One year there were six murders. The next two didn't see any. That sort of thing.
- Salisbury University. Although the university is barely in the city limits, and 90% of campus is outside the city proper, every single crime that occurs on school property is addressed at 1100 Camden, which is in the city limits and therefore added to the crime stats.
Wow! I didn't realize I live in a sesspool of chicken crap and crime. I guess I'll never leave the house anymore. I sure as hell won't go to my mom's house in Salisbury as I'll probably get shot!
Ocean Pines is one of the safest communities in the state. The whole lower shore is not bad either. Berlin proper has a small area as in Salisbury. Overall it is a safe and nice place to live.
Yes, IMO Ocean Pines/berlin/west Ocean City is, IMO, the nicest of the places to live and there is still affordable housing. Ocean Pines is a community of 40 year old 1000sqft ranchers to 3000 sq ft modern contemporary's, sometimes side by side. So affordable housing can be found in a nice and safe community.
My parents, now my mom, bought a house in the outskirts of Salisbury and it is a nice community in a nice safe area. What they didn't realize, though, is that even though their house is on the "outskirts" of town, it is in Salisbury proper so they have to pay city taxes. If they had bought just one community over, they would be outside the city limits so would not have to pay city on top of county taxes. Just something to think about if buying anywhere in the area as some towns, such as Berlin and Salisbury have their additional taxes.
As far as chickens? I have never had feathers land in my open windows in almost 30 years of being over here. Yes, Berlin, Salisbury can have their smells just as living next door to a chicken farm can. But is it bothersome? For me, no, as I don't live next door to a chicken farm, I have no need to spend time in Berlin proper and the chicken processing in Salisbury is just on a small stretch of 50, in town, on my way to see my mom where there are no smells.
As far as that paper you would need to sign? Good! It's not nearly as bad as some here make it out to be. So you may get behind a slow moving tractor or combine! So, you may pass chicken farms! You may also see all the wildlife, such as deer, turkeys, eagles etc that are here because of all the corn and bean fields. You may have some tasty tomatoes, sweet corn and melons in season because of it. If you are worried about chicken houses being put next door, don't buy next door to a farm with plenty of acreage. I bought in Ocean Pines. My parents bought in a community on the oytskirts of Salisbury. I know plenty of others who have bought in other similar types of communities. Yes, we all had to sign that paper but we will never have to worry about a chicken farm opening up next to us. It just won't happen. The nearest places possible would not have us smelling them other then when in our frying pan at home. Then it'sa good smell!
Wow! I didn't realize I live in a sesspool of chicken crap and crime. I guess I'll never leave the house anymore. I sure as hell won't go to my mom's house in Salisbury as I'll probably get shot!
Ocean Pines is one of the safest communities in the state. The whole lower shore is not bad either. Berlin proper has a small area as in Salisbury. Overall it is a safe and nice place to live.
Yes, IMO Ocean Pines/berlin/west Ocean City is, IMO, the nicest of the places to live and there is still affordable housing. Ocean Pines is a community of 40 year old 1000sqft ranchers to 3000 sq ft modern contemporary's, sometimes side by side. So affordable housing can be found in a nice and safe community.
My parents, now my mom, bought a house in the outskirts of Salisbury and it is a nice community in a nice safe area. What they didn't realize, though, is that even though their house is on the "outskirts" of town, it is in Salisbury proper so they have to pay city taxes. If they had bought just one community over, they would be outside the city limits so would not have to pay city on top of county taxes. Just something to think about if buying anywhere in the area as some towns, such as Berlin and Salisbury have their additional taxes.
As far as chickens? I have never had feathers land in my open windows in almost 30 years of being over here. Yes, Berlin, Salisbury can have their smells just as living next door to a chicken farm can. But is it bothersome? For me, no, as I don't live next door to a chicken farm, I have no need to spend time in Berlin proper and the chicken processing in Salisbury is just on a small stretch of 50, in town, on my way to see my mom where there are no smells.
As far as that paper you would need to sign? Good! It's not nearly as bad as some here make it out to be. So you may get behind a slow moving tractor or combine! So, you may pass chicken farms! You may also see all the wildlife, such as deer, turkeys, eagles etc that are here because of all the corn and bean fields. You may have some tasty tomatoes, sweet corn and melons in season because of it. If you are worried about chicken houses being put next door, don't buy next door to a farm with plenty of acreage. I bought in Ocean Pines. My parents bought in a community on the oytskirts of Salisbury. I know plenty of others who have bought in other similar types of communities. Yes, we all had to sign that paper but we will never have to worry about a chicken farm opening up next to us. It just won't happen. The nearest places possible would not have us smelling them other then when in our frying pan at home. Then it'sa good smell!
Dilly Dilly, nice post!!!! and I agree with you %100! Its nice down around your parts and some of south DE, so what would you say is the biggest difference between your area and say Milton/Lewes DE besides the property taxes, same type of environment if you lived there full time?
Dilly Dilly, nice post!!!! and I agree with you %100! Its nice down around your parts and some of south DE, so what would you say is the biggest difference between your area and say Milton/Lewes DE besides the property taxes, same type of environment if you lived there full time?
I'll chime in, since I'm looking at property in the aforementioned areas as well as N. Worcester.
So the main financial difference between the two states is property tax. Sales tax might matter if you want to buy a new car, but I don't think sales tax is worth making a housing decision over. However, you will find that a comparable house in DE lists for a lot more than in MD. So if you have a nice down-payment from your house in NJ or CT, you probably don't care but otherwise that may impact your decision.
Second, I find that DE is considerably more elderly and far more.. exurban I guess. If you purchase a home in Ocean Pines, I doubt you'll drive more than 20 minutes for anything. It takes a lot more than 20 minutes just to get to the other side of Millsboro. In MD you are either in a medium density subdivision, a fairly dense rural town, or in the middle of freaking nowhere. Delaware is just a sea of endless SFHs on 1.5 acres and chicken houses. In my opinion, DE has substantially less character and aesthetic value.
I'll chime in, since I'm looking at property in the aforementioned areas as well as N. Worcester.
So the main financial difference between the two states is property tax. Sales tax might matter if you want to buy a new car, but I don't think sales tax is worth making a housing decision over. However, you will find that a comparable house in DE lists for a lot more than in MD. So if you have a nice down-payment from your house in NJ or CT, you probably don't care but otherwise that may impact your decision.
Second, I find that DE is considerably more elderly and far more.. exurban I guess. If you purchase a home in Ocean Pines, I doubt you'll drive more than 20 minutes for anything. It takes a lot more than 20 minutes just to get to the other side of Millsboro. In MD you are either in a medium density subdivision, a fairly dense rural town, or in the middle of freaking nowhere. Delaware is just a sea of endless SFHs on 1.5 acres and chicken houses. In my opinion, DE has substantially less character and aesthetic value.
Thanks for the reply. I would agree with riding around both places that MD has more character and a bit more charm in many aspects. I did notice that houses on the average where cheaper in MD , but the property taxes where a bit lower in DE. I don't know if that equates to less services or better services or not. I will say however the Lewes area seems nice and Milton has potential. I didn't care for RB though. The only other concern is health care providers , primary care, and specialists when you get older. I see OC has a hospital but that's about it . In DE you have BB and the new hospital they are building in Milsboro, so don't know with south DE having a bigger aging population if that means more doctors and medical care to support that population?
I am also in the same boat of considering where to possibly move on the eastern shore, but for different reasons. My wife was born and raised in West OC, and her mom still lives there and her sister in Salisbury. We are just moving to be close to them and so that they can experience our kids growing up along with us. We are going down on the upcoming Easter/Spring break and doing some recon on areas. We are coming from across the bridge in a similar rural area, St. Mary's, so are used to things like 20 minute drives to get to places and lack of things to do.
What jumped out at me in this forum is a couple things. One, St. Mary's has a great sports and rec/parks program, and with kids at 8 and 10 years old, this is an important aspect for us for the next 5-10 years. How are the rec and parks programs and facilities in Salisbury and outlying areas? I see a indoor rec area in Snow Hill and wonder if it's used like the ones here. Do they have little league baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, etc? I saw one poster say some schools can't even field a HS team? Seems like Salisbury would have a hub and the college would put on things like clinics and camps during summer. I hope. Which area is better for leagues and recreation, OC or Salisbury?
Two, we think we'll eventually go to somewhere between Salisbury and OC, but Pocomoke City/Westover and Eden did jump out at me yesterday when looking at houses/prices, and the Pocomoke City website sounded interesting (although when I hit the restaurant link only 3 came up, LOL). Is the jail at ECI in Westover ever a concern?
Thanks for your help, I found this thread this morning and it's been a good help.
One personal thing I don't like about DE as far as the beach areas is the way it's set up. I like the Ocean City style as far as a barrier island with the town on it. Everything is right there and walkable, or accessible with the bus or one of many taxis. it's a typical, IMO beach town whereas Rehobeth, Lewes and Bethany are spread out, not very walkable except for small sections and not many taxis it seems. Of course I don't live in OC proper so I still need to drive there but I like the way it's set up. And West OC, Berlin area is growing up.
as far as medical, the whole area is springing up on that. There is a hospital in Berlin as well as all the supporting services, and they seem to be increasing yearly. Likewise, Salisbury is the same way. It has a larger and better class hospital as well as all the services surrounding it. I had my bypass surgery there and go to a dialysis clinic (yes I drew a short straw somewhere along the way) right down the road from me in Berlin. If working in the medical field is your thing, there should be plenty of jobs, likewise, if aging and worrying about decent medical care, there is plenty of that as well. This place has been growing as far as retirees it seems so the medical care is growing with it.
Likewise, surprising to me in a good way, is the way it's turning into a year round area. When I first started coming here, Ocean Pines was known as some community with a lot of old people and summertime houses out in the boonies. Now it's loaded with families living there year round as well. And like Seanlax stated, one doesn't need to go far to get anything that is needed. Everything, including the beach, is within 20 minutes. Add 10 or so if going to the center of Salisbury.
One personal thing I don't like about DE as far as the beach areas is the way it's set up. I like the Ocean City style as far as a barrier island with the town on it. Everything is right there and walkable, or accessible with the bus or one of many taxis. it's a typical, IMO beach town whereas Rehobeth, Lewes and Bethany are spread out, not very walkable except for small sections and not many taxis it seems. Of course I don't live in OC proper so I still need to drive there but I like the way it's set up. And West OC, Berlin area is growing up.
as far as medical, the whole area is springing up on that. There is a hospital in Berlin as well as all the supporting services, and they seem to be increasing yearly. Likewise, Salisbury is the same way. It has a larger and better class hospital as well as all the services surrounding it. I had my bypass surgery there and go to a dialysis clinic (yes I drew a short straw somewhere along the way) right down the road from me in Berlin. If working in the medical field is your thing, there should be plenty of jobs, likewise, if aging and worrying about decent medical care, there is plenty of that as well. This place has been growing as far as retirees it seems so the medical care is growing with it.
Likewise, surprising to me in a good way, is the way it's turning into a year round area. When I first started coming here, Ocean Pines was known as some community with a lot of old people and summertime houses out in the boonies. Now it's loaded with families living there year round as well. And like Seanlax stated, one doesn't need to go far to get anything that is needed. Everything, including the beach, is within 20 minutes. Add 10 or so if going to the center of Salisbury.
Nice info, sounds nice! thanks! The only thing I would say about OP is how close a lot of houses are to each other; although on my drives around that area I did see some sections that weren't like that.
My 2 Cents Worth
Small Town USA varies greatly from region to region, state to state, even county to county. Easton, MD is, by big city standards, a small town. However it is really a small city. The price of houses is about 10-15% higher than say, Rock Hall, MD or Onancock, VA. What makes Easton attractive is it's "Old World" charm. The main business district looks like an English country village with gift shops, antique stores, a pub, and several better-than-average restaurants. It also is a complete universe in itself with a Lowes, hospital, some large corporate businesses just outside the town and it even has a Goodwill store--a must for me. It has the smell of affluence all about. If it is simply small town charm you seek with out all the convenience of having most of your needs close by, Snow Hill or Berlin fits the bill. The same for Chesterton or Rock hall. Even Denton-on-the-Choptank has some small town allure, though not in the groovy old world way. Virginia's Eastern Shore is less expensive than Maryland. There is a true rural feel to the small towns. Look at Google Earth and City Data for Wachapreague, Exmore and others. Other than Cape Charles to southern most town and Onancock these small burgs have little to offer other than proximity to marine recreation. There is no major city an hour's drive away--except if you take the tunnel/lbridge to Norfolk. Washington is more than 3 hours drive from Onancock compared to an hour and a half drive from Easton or Denton,MD. As was wisely said by a previous poster--take 2 weeks or more and examine these areas to get a true fell for them.
Gerania and Cruzincat
The Eastern Shore of Delmarva is hard to nail down in terms of a comprehensive overview. I've lived in Denton, a laid-back American style town with art fairs and festivals---but all-in-all not very exciting. I used to drive to Easton where the affluence oozes from the gift shops, brick street and English country town ambiance. St. Michaels in the off season is OK BUT in the peak season it's elbow-elbow in the bars. an almost urban crowding. We, Diane and I, still haven't made a final decision on where to buy our retirement home. We have been looking from Chestertown/Rock Hall to Exmore, VA are found several possibilities (including ho-hum Denton) that might work for us. We have limited funds so the challenge is to find a decent "fixer" in a safe, quaint, artsy town near some salt water. Cities don't suit us. Cambridge and Salisbury are too big and have many of the urban problems we do not want to deal with. There are some good things to be said about the Berlin/Snow Hill area but the ocean side of the Delmarva peninsula is more isolated. Rehobeth and Ocean City are fun for a weekend, but there are not very many actual houses for sale other than trailers and mobiles at least compared to the Chesapeake towns--Onancock and Easton are the main contenders. This Spring is our deadline to move. Several City Data posters have followed our search--now almost 2 years old. I will post when we finally make our purchase and you all can congratulate us on our wise choice or scold us for making an awful decision (I hope the former). Thanks you Gerania and Cruzincat for your many insights into delights and wonders of the Eastern shore communities.
Albert
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