Beat area for retirement with cultural activities and good library facilities? (Wilmington: apartments, condos)

[TaiChiMaster]

Hi,

This is my first post. My wife and I are living in the Metro NYC area and looking for a possible retirement condo in Delaware. Besides being among other retirees, we are also looking for year-round cultural events (music, art, education, etc.) and a nice library, since I love to read. A nice walkable area with a coffee shop should also be nice. I would appreciate any ideas or recommendation for areas that we may begin a search. Thanks.

[Pocopsonite]

Lewes/Rehoboth area. The two towns themselves have a lot of what you're looking for, and the ZIP codes for those two mailing addresses are huge, so the housing choices can be dizzying.

Here are some websites that address some of your wish list:
New Lewes Public Library grand opening June 25 | Cape Gazette The new Lewes Public Library opened last year.
Rehoboth Beach Public Library - Rehoboth Beach Library
Lewes - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Browseabout Books | Best bookstore at the beach! -- great bookstore and cafe in downtown Rehoboth
https://www.historiclewes.org/
Rehoboth Beach Museum
https://www.rehobothartleague.org/

[TaiChiMaster]

Originally Posted by Pocopsonite

Lewes/Rehoboth area. The two towns themselves have a lot of what you're looking for, and the ZIP codes for those two mailing addresses are huge, so the housing choices can be dizzying.

Here are some websites that address some of your wish list:
New Lewes Public Library grand opening June 25 | Cape Gazette The new Lewes Public Library opened last year.
Rehoboth Beach Public Library - Rehoboth Beach Library
Lewes - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Browseabout Books | Best bookstore at the beach! -- great bookstore and cafe in downtown Rehoboth
https://www.historiclewes.org/
Rehoboth Beach Museum
https://www.rehobothartleague.org/

Great information. Thanks!

[longneckone]

Lewes?Rehoboth area is great and has a lot to offer. As far as Cultural Activities go you come down and check it out mid winter . Nothing compared to the New York area.

[TaiChiMaster]

Originally Posted by longneckone

Lewes?Rehoboth area is great and has a lot to offer. As far as Cultural Activities go you come down and check it out mid winter . Nothing compared to the New York area.

Thanks for the info. I will have to research whether there are c sufficient cultural activities during the v winter months.

[NJBoy3]

Annapolis, MD

[BigDog811]

You'll find the bulk of cultural activities (theater, museums, music venues, etc) in New Castle County, and mostly in the northern part of the county around Wilmington. Not to denigrate the offerings you'll find further south, but you'll be northbound on Route 1 to visit the major attractions. Touring Broadway shows and similar productions are at the DuPont Theater and Grand Opera House in Wilmington. We're subscribers. Our seatmates on one side drive up from Lewes on show day, and on the other side we have friends from Dover. And of course, there's Philadelphia a short drive north with even more. But we don't "do" downtown Philly so can't comment on any of it.

The New Castle County Library is excellent, with a dozen branches scattered around the county with at least one convenient to just about everyone. We use the one in Bear which is the newest, and I believe largest. They have a very efficient inter-branch system so if there's something not on your local shelves they'll get for you in a couple of days. I mostly read e-books on a Kindle or my android tablet. Their selection of that material is very limited and I use other sources for it. But my wife is always working on a couple of print books and visits the Bear branch every few weeks. If she gets behind they have an efficient on line renewal service.

We live in Middletown where nothing's very walkable. You'd probably need stay in or very near to Wilmington for that kind of neighborhood. I'll let others advise you in the regard.

[Mary2014]

OP,


In addition to the info already provided about the Lewes/Rehoboth area, you might find some very interesting activities that are probably not available to you in NYC.


There is great emphasis placed on monitoring and maintaining the health of the bays. Lot of opportunities to get involved with outdoor activities about 10 months out of the year. Check out the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays website. I volunteer to help with seining surveys Apr - Oct. and horseshoe crab counts in May and June. Lots of opportunities to get involved with various wildlife surveys be it dolphins, hawks, etc. Or you might want to get involved with MERR. I have one friend who is on call as a volunteer with MERR to baby sit seals that get washed up on the beach until they are ready to return to the water.


Southern DE is not NYC, but, there are many new and different opportunities in DE that I expect are not available in NYC.


Oh, and if you would like to try indoor rock climbing check out Rise fitness in Rehoboth. A fantastic gym with a 34' high rock climbing wall.

[TaiChiMaster]

Thank you all.

It seems like there are two very different retirement lifestyles being offered by Delaware. I am guessing that many more retirees are choosing the beach communities because it better suits their lifestyle preference as well as housing availability. My own preference would be a more northern Delaware cultural lifestyle but I am not sure about the housing availability in Wilmington that would suitable for retirees. I'll have to further research these two very different options.

Thanks again for the support.

[Pocopsonite]

TCMaster --
I had assumed "Beat" in your title meant "beach." Now I realize you probably intended "Best."

Northern New Castle County has much more to offer culturally than Sussex County if New York City is your frame of reference. The Osher Center in Wilmington is much more extensive; there are opera and ballet companies, and a symphony in addition to the Broadway show tours mentioned above. It's a short drive to Philly and a quick train trip to Philly or NYC.

The up and coming area of Wilmington is at the Riverfront. Lots of restaurants. High rise condos and apartments on both sides of the river. (That would be the Christina River, which is barely more than a wide stream, to be honest.) The longtime trendy residential area in Wilmington is Trolley Square, but that seems to be oriented more toward people in their 20s and 30s.

Wilmington's problem is the violent crime rate. Check crime maps here on C-D and elsewhere. Most residents do not live near the worst crime areas, but I wouldn't feel comfortable walking anywhere in Wilmington after dark.

Newark (pronounced New Ark), half an hour southwest of Wilmington, is home to the University of Delaware, which offers an array of cultural activities to the public. Newark has a very lively Main Street with shops and eateries. http://enjoydowntownnewark.com/ There are apartments and condos on or within a block of Main Street.

Medical care is often a concern for retirees. Northern New Castle County has a much bigger medical center, Christiana Care, than anywhere else in the state. Beebe Healthcare in Lewes operates a fine community hospital and the system is growing by leaps and bounds, but has limitations. It is a Community Level III Trauma Center, e.g., compared to Christiana, which is a Regional Level I Trauma Center.

My brother lived in Rehoboth for many years. He had two serious and fairly uncommon health issues and for both, the local doctors referred him out of town. In one case, it was to Christiana Care, in Newark. In the other, it was to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Both are a long haul from the beach when frequent trips are required.

Best of luck in your search.