Working in South Jersey...where to live in DE? (Wilmington: low crime, homes)

[Shellys3angels]

My husband has a job offer in Salem County, NJ. I'm not sure if I want to raise our three young children in South Jersey. My husband and I are confused as to where to live. Some people say PA and others DE. Are there any areas in DE that would be a short commute to Salem County, NJ? We are looking for a safe community (low crime), excellent school systems, friendly community, affordable housing and a safe - walkable downtown would be a plus! Does anyone have any information that would make our decision a little easier?

[maryanncoburn]

If you want a public school education for your children - DON'T move to Delaware - YES taxes are cheaper - but the entire education system needs some serious re-vamping.

[Gone-2-Beach]

Originally Posted by momoftwinBOYS

If you want a public school education for your children - DON'T move to Delaware - YES taxes are cheaper - but the entire education system needs some serious re-vamping.

Is that a measure of the entire state, or specific counties, or specific school districts within the counties, or specific schools within certain districts?

Charley

[maryCh]

I know we are new here, but I am very satisfied so far with the public schools my boys are attending. They are in the Caesar Rodney School District, which I heard is one to target. Can't say much about other districts, but it is leaps and bounds above the district we were in back in North Carolina.

Mary

[Shellys3angels]

Thanks for your feedback. My family and I are going to be visiting a few areas this weekend. We definitely want to stay away from Wilmington, DE. Anyone have a nice town that they know of which would be nice to raise a family?

[peeweeaz]

Shellys3angels,

If you spend a little time going over many of the threads on this Delaware forum, you will, without a doubt, get most of the answers to the questions you seek. There are many threads and many posters who have provided a wealth of information about Delaware. Some are residents, some are wannabes; and all have contributed much. Good luck with your hunt.

[peeweeaz]

Charley,

The answer/questions you provided on the school districts were the kinds of questions I would have asked. The devil is always in the details. Good on ya!

[Gone-2-Beach]

Thanks.

I think it's a pretty important question. If it's the entire state, then it might be a state education department problem. And if the state ed department was problems, what OTHER state departments have problems, or will have problems?

If it's just a county? Which one? Same logic.

Changes in home values sometimes reflect conditions in school districts. So I hope momoftwinBOYS will return and give us a little detail.

Charley

[trh1013]

MaryCh us must have been in Cumberland County or Hoke County while you lived in NC. I know your pain I'm living here now and I am a teacher, I hate to say it but these kids and some of these so call administrator put the "D" in the word dumb. My kids also attended Caesar Rodney School District when we lived in Delaware. It was pretty ok. I think Kent County may be a little far to drive to Salem County everyday though.

Originally Posted by maryCh

I know we are new here, but I am very satisfied so far with the public schools my boys are attending. They are in the Caesar Rodney School District, which I heard is one to target. Can't say much about other districts, but it is leaps and bounds above the district we were in back in North Carolina.

Mary

[maryCh]

trh1013,

No we were not in those counties... we were in Randolph. For those not familiar with NC, Randolph County is the next county south of Guilford, which is "home" to Greensboro, NC. The area was easily commutable to High Point, Greensboro, Winston Salem, even Burlington. All of those cities provided very good employment opportunities. In fact, over the years we lived there, northern Randolph developed quite a bit and became somewhat a bedroom community for these cities.

The problem we experienced trickled down from the state ed dept... the $$$ mysteriously did not make it into the schools themselves. Frankly, I just got tired of fighting the fight to get even the basics my kids should have received in public school. Having 4 kids, one with a disability (autism), I spent way too much of my time policing schools and had nothing left to enjoy their childhood.

From what I understand, the state ed system is pretty good on the college level, but leaves A LOT to be desired on the primary/secondary level (K-12). Some of this comes from the huge wave of new residents, as it seems the infrastructure is not there to support the influx. Not just with schools, but most of your other standard community services (police, fire, etc).

Read some of the activity on the NC board... we were in a pretty rural area which I know was part of the problem. But we were not so far out in the country that our schools should have been in as bad a shape as they are. I can't speak for other states, but there is a very real reason why homeschooling in NC is so big.

Back to the original topic... is it feasible to think Shelly's husband could commute to Salem NJ via the Lewes/Cape May ferry? I understand the ferry allows a discount for commuters, but I'm not sure about the pricing. Just a thought.
Mary