u del (Newark: middle-class, rentals, crime)

[salukigirl]

hey, im originally from dayton, oh. i have lived in cincy for a little over a year and now i live in marion, il which is a little crap town at least an hour away from anything good. i have been looking into u del's parasitology program and really like it. but i was wondering what newark was like. crime ridden? upper class? ive never been to delaware so i have no clue. dayton and cincy are both pretty crappy places so the crime thing isn't a big deal. could anyone compare the 2 places?

[FindingZen]

You may take some of my opinion with a grain of salt since I graduated from UD (not be confused with University of Dayton ) some twenty years ago. But I recall Newark being a basically middle-class town with a smattering of upscale neighborhoods and nothing that would be truly considered lower-class (at least coming from the perspective of someone who grew up in the Philly area). I would guess that the area has become even more expensive since my time as the University's influence has grown bigger and the area has become more of a hub for businesses.

Delaware's campus is woven into the community so Newark and University police both criss-cross around the university. As with any school population, there are the occasional "bad apples" that need to mature. One should probably be slightly more aware living off-campus, but overall Newark is a safe area to go to school.

GO BLUE HENS!

[jdoll]

Newark is a lot more upper-middle class than Marion or Carbondale and is very clean. UD is close to the same size as SIU, but a lot less of a party atmosphere and a more upper-class student body too. At least the SIU I remember (nothing wrong with SIU so save your e-mails folks). Judging by the locations you listed I would say Newark would remind you more of Urbana without Champaign attached with a SIU sized student body.

I am a Midwesterner living in DE for the past 1-1/2 years and would be happy to try and draw some specific comparisons for you if I can. Just ask away. But in general Newark will be more liberal than Cincy (what place isn't) and less redneck than Marion. Plus it's a lot closer to everything you might possibly want. The SEPTA train to Philly takes 45 minutes, DC is a 2 hour drive/train ride or NYC is 3-hours by car or train.

Good Luck

[exwestchester]

As the moniker says, I am from West Chester, OH- lived between West Chester and Oxford from age 17 to 39 - and now live in the Newark, Delaware area (7-8 miles from UD). I agree with previous posters, there are a lot of attractive subdivisions within 2 miles of UD, but of course the immediate area (walkable from UD 's academic buildings) are mostly student rentals and all that that entails. There are the usual student bars around UD and the usual heavy traffic, parking issues, etc. I like college communities so I enjoy going to UD occasionally for special events. They have a nice ice arena and agood skating program, reminiscent of University of Dayton and Miami University (local skate hero is Kimmie Messner, Olympic hopeful), and all the usual special interest groups are available.

I would probably say the traffic in Newark is somewhat more oppressive than in Dayton/Cinci area, at least the suburbs where I lived in Ohio. I find the drivers here impatient and aggressive compared to Ohio.

[salukigirl]

more aggresive than dayton?! holy crap. I think the drivers down here have forgotten what a right of way is. people in so. ill. are always sunday drivers so im yearning for any kind of "normal" driving.

and im not sure what you mean by more liberal than cincy? the people in it are more liberal? middletown was pretty bad but most of the peoplei met in cincinnati were not conservative. my boyfriend actually grew up in w.c. and went to lakota east.

well it sounds like a very nice area so ill look more into it. the main thing is finding a professor who has an interest in my field, but knowing its a nice area helps too. thanks guys.

[katreese]

Originally Posted by jdoll

I would say Newark would remind you more of Urbana without Champaign attached

Wow, that's very apt. I went to U of I and am headed to UD. Never thought of it that way before.