Interested in moving to Lewes DE area. (Wilmington, Milford: transplants, condo)

[intofitness10]

Originally from Boston, I have been currently living in VA for the past several years. Looking forward to moving further north, closer to northern beaches and a nice community. How is the housing and jobs in healthcare (nursing)? Thanks for any information.

[nuts2uiam]

I have several neighbors who are nurses in Beebe Hospital and surrounding health care locations so I doubt find a job in that field will be challenging. What do you want to know about in terms of housing? Rent, buy? House, Condo?

[NJBoy3]

I have been studying Lewes for quite some time. This should work for you..

[SittinInATree]

Yes Beebe hospital is good. Milford (about 20-30 min away) is getting a brand new hospital/healthcare "campus" in the next couple years so that would be a good option as well. I love Lewes but it definitely seems a bit boring to me. They have a cute downtown that I love to visit, as well as the beach, but what else is there? Maybe since I don't live there, I don't know. But to me, the whole beach area in DE is just touristy and not much local sustenance? If I am wrong, please let me know because I would love to live "at the beach" but we are moving down to Coastal North Carolina (Wilmington or just south of) because they have tons of shopping, tons to do, and you get to live "at the beach". Its cheaper, too

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by SittinInATree

Yes Beebe hospital is good. Milford (about 20-30 min away) is getting a brand new hospital/healthcare "campus" in the next couple years so that would be a good option as well. I love Lewes but it definitely seems a bit boring to me. They have a cute downtown that I love to visit, as well as the beach, but what else is there? Maybe since I don't live there, I don't know. But to me, the whole beach area in DE is just touristy and not much local sustenance? If I am wrong, please let me know because I would love to live "at the beach" but we are moving down to Coastal North Carolina (Wilmington or just south of) because they have tons of shopping, tons to do, and you get to live "at the beach". Its cheaper, too

Well I guess that would depend upon what you are looking for. What "bores" one is another persons delight. Although I do leave, I live in Rehoboth and if I never left the Lewes-Rehoboth area I would be plenty entertained. That said, other than the beach, what are you looking for.

You also did not state the type housing you are looking for.

[Mary2014]

Originally Posted by SittinInATree

Yes Beebe hospital is good. Milford (about 20-30 min away) is getting a brand new hospital/healthcare "campus" in the next couple years so that would be a good option as well. I love Lewes but it definitely seems a bit boring to me. They have a cute downtown that I love to visit, as well as the beach, but what else is there? Maybe since I don't live there, I don't know. But to me, the whole beach area in DE is just touristy and not much local sustenance? If I am wrong, please let me know because I would love to live "at the beach" but we are moving down to Coastal North Carolina (Wilmington or just south of) because they have tons of shopping, tons to do, and you get to live "at the beach". Its cheaper, too

Well, I guess "shopping" is important to some individuals - as for me it is right up there with going to the dentist - only exception is shopping at all of the local consignment and thrift shops - which I enjoy because you never know what you will find.

As for fun things to do - if you are a history buff, particularly maritime history you will find lots of people getting together to work on various projects involving doing research or restoring historical sites. Anyone interested in fishing, aquatic life of all types, environmental issues etc. will find all sorts of opportunities to meet and work with others. Volunteering seems to be a way of life in the Lewes area and it provides countless opportunities (particularly for singles) to meet others and to get involved with their community.

Actually living in the Lewes area is very different from just vacationing here during the beach season. If you are looking for someplace where you can be entertained all year round it might not be for you. If you are looking for a place where you can be involved in your community there are countless opportunities available to you depending upon your particular interests.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by SittinInATree

Yes Beebe hospital is good. Milford (about 20-30 min away) is getting a brand new hospital/healthcare "campus" in the next couple years so that would be a good option as well. I love Lewes but it definitely seems a bit boring to me. They have a cute downtown that I love to visit, as well as the beach, but what else is there? Maybe since I don't live there, I don't know. But to me, the whole beach area in DE is just touristy and not much local sustenance? If I am wrong, please let me know because I would love to live "at the beach" but we are moving down to Coastal North Carolina (Wilmington or just south of) because they have tons of shopping, tons to do, and you get to live "at the beach". Its cheaper, too

I don't think you're wrong about the "touristy" thing (Lewes-Rehoboth). I've been in Kent County, Delaware a lifetime, and remember when it was not. It certainly has changed, but I guess it needed to, to attract out-of-staters, transplants, retirees and visitors. It's all about money. With Lewes only being 30 minutes from us, the only time I go down there is for work, and I plan my schedule around heavy traffic times. We do stay in Rehoboth a couple weekends, but only in October-November, when we enjoy it. By the way, that cute, downtown, Lewes you mentioned, isn't cute to me anymore. But then, I don't think Cape May, NJ is cute, either. Everyone has different ideas and preferences.

So, are you saying Wilmington, NC is NOT touristy?

[EnjoyEveryDay]

Hi intofitness.

We recently moved to Lewes (east of Route 1) and absolutely love it, but as you can tell from the varied responses, any area's appeal will depend on what you enjoy.

We are "young" retirees (62 and 58) who recently moved here from Chicago (and previously Minneapolis). We love to bike and ride almost daily from our driveway to either Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, or Cape Henlopen State Park on the bike paths. We go to the beaches at CHSP about 4-5 times per week during the summer months, and get great fun walking up and down the water's edge, sitting under an umbrella catching up on our reading, and watching others splash in the ocean & bays or fishing. We will ride bikes into Rehoboth (usually in the morning) when we want to enjoy that beach; or will drive in the "off-times" if the mood moves us. We love to take boat rides as well, and are contemplating buying a boat although I would rather make a "new friend" that owns one. Our greatest vice is eating out, and there are more restaurants around than we have time to visit. We can drive to downtown Lewes (which we love), grocery shopping, get haircuts, car repair, the high school, doctors, dentists, and Beebe hospital without ever going onto Route 1. The people are almost universally friendly. For us, this is heaven-like.

BUT we love the people and laid-back atmosphere of small towns and beach towns. My kids/nephews/nieces (in their 20's) lament the lack of a young singles scene and bars that stay open past 1 a.m., so they visit a few days at a time for the beach and then head home. We like that too!

Trade-offs? Absolutely, but we don't mind them. We gave up our Broadway theater subscriptions, but plan to take overnight trips to Philly, NYC, or D.C. to see plays there and feel it will make it even more of an "event". Costco, Target, and Kohl's? Nope, but with Tanger Outlets and Amazon Prime two-day delivery we haven't found a need for anything we can't easily acquire. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods? We prefer the Farmer's Market every Saturday morning in Lewes, and the rest of the year we can easily get by with the produce from Food Lion, Giant, SuperFresh, or Safeway.

Again, no one place satisfies everyone's needs, so the answer is to check out Lewes for yourself and see if it is your cup of tea. If not, there are a lot of other places in the good ol' USA to chose from.

Best of luck in your journey!