Any somewhat walkable but more laid back areas...? (New Castle: hair salon, homeowners association)

[Icarus7]

Let me try this a more positive way...
is there an area in New Castle where people are houses have a non-rural tighter pattern (have sidewalks, can walk around neighborhood, see neighbors, walk to parks and stores), but people are still fine with vegetable gardens (maybe even chickens), hanging laundry outside, having a bbq, etc...? Is the Nottingham Green area near Downes like this?

[ltdontcare]

For the most part, in NCC, if you have sidewalks, you don't have chickens. The houses are to close together and it kinda pisses off your neighbors. In NCC, there are a lot of developments so you have sidewalks, bbq's, gardens, etc. Most houses have between 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots. In fact, if you do a google earth of NCC, it looks like 1 big development with a couple of cities wedged in .

[Icarus7]

Originally Posted by ltdontcare

For the most part, in NCC, if you have sidewalks, you don't have chickens. The houses are to close together and it kinda pisses off your neighbors. In NCC, there are a lot of developments so you have sidewalks, bbq's, gardens, etc. Most houses have between 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots. In fact, if you do a google earth of NCC, it looks like 1 big development with a couple of cities wedged in .

My apologies, but I didn't really understand what "In NCC, there are a lot of developments so you have sidewalks, bbq's, gardens, etc." meant. Does that mean you can have things like vegetable gardens in most developments, because that's not what I was seeing so far.

I don't know that I will actually have chickens, but things like chickens and such as just a barometer of what people think are nuisances. In other areas I've totally been in multiple neighborhoods with sidewalks and <1/4 acre lots that allow chickens (as long as you don't have a rooster!). I actually have never lived in a place with >0.25 acre lot (or a place that defined most of the lots by "acres" in general). I've never personally had them, but I've had neighbors have them, raise bees, etc...

It's also interesting the different perceptions people have. I find Delaware to be much more spaced out than I expected. Developments tend to be splotched randomly here or there, with no real connection to each other. But this allows a lot of natural parks to be easily accessible as well.

[Gerania]

That's what I think it meant. I've never live in a neighborhood which restricted grills or vegetable gardens--other than not putting them in the front yard.

I don't know about DE, but some towns allow 2 chickens if they are considered pets.

[nuts2uiam]

Simply put you want a non HOA community in NCC that has neighborhood feel. IF there is no HOA you can park your boat or your car up on blocks and have a hanging clothes line and chickens. The only caveat to that would be the rules of NCC.

[rdlr]

Yes, there are many laid back areas, that are not junkie locations, and are walkable. In fact, Delaware is a "rural" state, with agriculture being first and foremost, our largest commodity. (it's not the beach).....You just have to find an area that suits you, and those are lower New Castle County, most of Kent County, and mid to western Sussex County.

In our little Kent County town, we have no restrictions, other than keep you grass cut, your house in good repair, and cars with expired tags need to be fenced in and out of sight. A couple of residences have horses, a couple have chickens. I hang our sheets out to dry on a clothes line in our back yard, if I feel like it. Our neighbors have gardens, and they have little tables in their front yards, where we can buy a tomato or squash for a dime, just a few steps away from us. We're not "hillbillies", just prefer to live in an old fashioned small town comfortably, rather than conform to the modern Homeowners Association way of life.

About "walkable".....I walk to the: post office, deli-butcher, bank, ice cream shop, park, pond, police station, town hall, tavern, restaurant, hair salon, 2 curio shops, our town's summer peach festival, and tonight we're walking to the funeral parlor, for a neighbor's service. All that within a short, 4 block stretch. For a long "mile" walk, it's Fifer's Orchards, for picking our own fresh fruits and veggies, just outside the town limits. Suits us!

[Icarus7]

Thanks everyone!