more about raising a family in Lewes, DE (fit in, live)

[DelawareLiz]

No worries about Lewes or the beach areas. People are very accepting and about ninety percent are from up north anyway. The Delaware beaches are kind of like a different world here in Delaware. Plenty of people and traffic, but if you're from NJ then that won't be a big deal. Hope this helps!
PS--Great school districts at the beach as well.

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by Piccola123

Hey, just wondering if you ended up making the move and how it has been? We are also from NJ and have been to Lewes several times to visit retired family members and have the same concerns expressed in the original post. Also, my husband is from Europe and moved to NJ in his 20s about a decade ago. With NJ being so diverse, he loves it. He has a pretty thick accent but never treated poorly or anything, feels very welcomed and at home in NJ. Do you think Lewes area will be just as welcoming to him, especially these days? He worries about the Lewes area being not as "cultured" I guess you could say. Can anyone chime in on that? I think he is imagining it to be somewhat like the stereotypical south and worries about our kids growing up to be stereotypically southern or something like a redneck, I don't know! I know it sounds off, and I don't think that, but need some information to really dispute him.

Not trying to pick on you but wish I had a better understanding of what you mean by cultured? I live in Rehoboth for 4 years now and DH and I were native LI'ers before we retired. This area is diverse and very kind to those of different backgrounds in my experience. I have never seen anyone discriminated against in any manner. As RDLR said, this is an agricultural state, so the likes of a NYC theater district and Lincoln Center or the art museums are not going to be found here. That said, there is plenty of history right in Lewes and everyone who volunteers or works in the historical area are more than happy to share their stories with you. Have you shared you concerns with your family members? Since they know you better than we, perhaps you should discuss this with them. We can offer all kinds of information, but, IMO, if you have someone who knows you and your family and also resides here, I would suggest that they might be your best source of information to bounce this stuff off.

[longneckone]

Originally Posted by Piccola123

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Not trying to put anything down. We've been visiting for years since our family is there, and now we are just going back and forth about if it is the right place for us and our young kids to grow. I know no one can tell us definitively YEA IT IS or NO it isn't. I don't know what I am expecting anybody to really tell me, but I appreciate any food for thought, and maybe some points to counter my husband. . Thanks.

If you have been visiting for years and actually getting out and seeing the area and it's people why do you have to ask.
Is the area cultured?? Are the kids rednecks?? It is actually offensive as is the person in the other thread who does not want to drive past mobile homes.
My family works and pays taxes. One of my Grand Children is serving in the contested sea off China and North Korea and another has earned a Harvard Scholarship. Oh yeah the mobile home I live in is in a very upscale community.

[Piccola123]

Originally Posted by longneckone

If you have been visiting for years and actually getting out and seeing the area and it's people why do you have to ask.
Is the area cultured?? Are the kids rednecks?? It is actually offensive as is the person in the other thread who does not want to drive past mobile homes.
My family works and pays taxes. One of my Grand Children is serving in the contested sea off China and North Korea and another has earned a Harvard Scholarship. Oh yeah the mobile home I live in is in a very upscale community.

I felt the need to ask because I think even in our multiple visits we are seeing through the lens of tourism instead of Day to day living. I think by cultured my husband was trying to express a desire to around lots of different cultures and opportunities within the local community to share those varied interests. I apologize for offending anyone. It is interesting that you brought up mobile homes because that is something that I didn't have in mind at all - where I grew up we had three different mobile parks and other housing situations ranging all the way up to mansions, it was that diverse and varied (pretty large township). I don't have any negative connotations with that, wasn't even in my mind.
For some reason, I think there is a fear of just not fitting in or something. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[StillRoaming]

Originally Posted by rdlr

Some of us are Rednecks, but we wear shoes, and know how to behave in public. But then again, some of us do not. Maybe you'd better visit and look around.

Love this! Actually, my Delaware grandmother wore shoes only when absolutely necessary, and I proudly follow her example. I keep thinking about all of the ribbing I used to get from co-workers in New Castle County for coming from "south of the canal", as if it is the great cultural divide of the state. There was a definite snobbery which I found silly but amusing. You just have to laugh at ignorance, or it will drive you crazy.

Piccola123, you are contemplating a whole different lifestyle. It sounds like your husband might simply be a city person through and through. You would be going to a much more laid-back lifestyle moving to Sussex County. Would you both like that, or would you yearn for the hustle and bustle of the city?

[Piccola123]

Originally Posted by nuts2uiam

Not trying to pick on you but wish I had a better understanding of what you mean by cultured? I live in Rehoboth for 4 years now and DH and I were native LI'ers before we retired. This area is diverse and very kind to those of different backgrounds in my experience. I have never seen anyone discriminated against in any manner. As RDLR said, this is an agricultural state, so the likes of a NYC theater district and Lincoln Center or the art museums are not going to be found here. That said, there is plenty of history right in Lewes and everyone who volunteers or works in the historical area are more than happy to share their stories with you. Have you shared you concerns with your family members? Since they know you better than we, perhaps you should discuss this with them. We can offer all kinds of information, but, IMO, if you have someone who knows you and your family and also resides here, I would suggest that they might be your best source of information to bounce this stuff off.

Thanks for your reply! Your examples of the rich history in Lewes are great reminders of what is available. Really now that I am more awake than I was when I made the first post, cultured is the wrong word for what I think he is getting at which is just probably diversity, and I should correct him. We have different friends who send their kids to Greek school/Hebrew school/Korean churches etc. and then all come together for other things like sports together, so I will look into similar things being offered, as an example. We do go back and forth in this discussion with family and will continue to do so. Thank you again!

[nuts2uiam]

Originally Posted by Piccola123

I felt the need to ask because I think even in our multiple visits we are seeing through the lens of tourism instead of Day to day living. I think by cultured my husband was trying to express a desire to around lots of different cultures and opportunities within the local community to share those varied interests. I apologize for offending anyone. It is interesting that you brought up mobile homes because that is something that I didn't have in mind at all - where I grew up we had three different mobile parks and other housing situations ranging all the way up to mansions, it was that diverse and varied (pretty large township). I don't have any negative connotations with that, wasn't even in my mind.
For some reason, I think there is a fear of just not fitting in or something. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

So put differently, your hubby wants to meet people and chat with them. Depending upon who he meets up with now and chats with will better determine if he could be happy here. This area pulls from all over the northeast (in particular) as far as transplants go and there are many fascinating and interesting locals that I now consider my good friends. Who do your relatives associate with? Any one of us could answer you, but since our experience is not yours, or rather your DH, I am afraid that the answer you are seeking for him, is one only he can answer by experiencing the area.

[Piccola123]

Originally Posted by StillRoaming

Love this! Actually, my Delaware grandmother wore shoes only when absolutely necessary, and I proudly follow her example. I keep thinking about all of the ribbing I used to get from co-workers in New Castle County for coming from "south of the canal", as if it is the great cultural divide of the state. There was a definite snobbery which I found silly but amusing. You just have to laugh at ignorance, or it will drive you crazy.

Piccola123, you are contemplating a whole different lifestyle. It sounds like your husband might simply be a city person through and through. You would be going to a much more laid-back lifestyle moving to Sussex County. Would you both like that, or would you yearn for the hustle and bustle of the city?

I think you hit the nail on the head! One of us is ... the other isn't. Thank you for your reply!

Also thank you to BeachLiz for your reply as well, lots of thinking to do. I appreciate the time everyone took because it has helped me flesh out the real concerns vs. unfounded notions for my next family discussion

[EnjoyEveryDay]

Originally Posted by rdlr

Some of us are Rednecks, but we wear shoes....

...but then again, some of us aren't Rednecks, but we don't wear shoes. At least June through mid-September, when only sandals and flip-flops will do!

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by EnjoyEveryDay

...but then again, some of us aren't Rednecks, but we don't wear shoes. At least June through mid-September, when only sandals and flip-flops will do!

Sorry about that, Nuts.....