Harrington, DE - safe area? (Dover, Milford: for rent, HOA, crime rate)

[Platinum350]

Hi,

My wife and 2 young boys are considering moving down to Harrington, DE. My wife has some concerns about the very high crime rate there and has read about a lot of drug crime. Besides that, any information regarding quality of life in that are would be very nice to hear about. Mainly the ability to grocery shop and normal day to day activities. Parks for younger children etc?

I found a business opportunity down there and am considering trading in our current busy lifestyle for something slower and less expensive. Currently live in Chester county, PA.

[kyle19125]

Like most any suburban smaller town in the US the crime rate skews the reality that 90% of the area is safe to live in and the high crime areas tend to be no where close to where you'll wind up living, or have reason to be in. A good friend of mine lives in Milford and loves the area.

[arabus]

Southern Delaware is flat and mostly rural. That is changing since many folks move here. The beach areas of Lewes and Rehobeth Beach are more upscale and very busy in the summer. Killins Pond State Park is close by Harrington and offers a pond with paddle boats and canoes for rent. It also has a separate water park. At the Harrington Casino complex there is an Ice Skating rink which offers semi-pro ice hockey games as well as children related ice programs, open skating and lessons. This also the area for the State Fair each year.

I think Dover is your closest large shopping area with a mall. I am not familiar with Milford but there is a Walmart complex there.

A large portion of housing is outside the city limits. So even if it is shown to be in Harrington, it may be outside of Harrington proper. Most developers build outside city limits for cheaper land, then charge an HOA fee for services such as maintenance, a clubhouse, sewer, trash, snow removal and so forth. Police and fire would be county or state operated.

[retiree2011]

I'm just outside the Dover limits, also in an unincorporated area, so County tax only. But we have public water and sewer and trash pickup. I go to Harrington at least once a week and if I didn't like my place so much, I would move to Harrington. There is a Moose Lodge on Route 13 which has meals open to the public - steak, shrimp, fish fry, etc. Also a 24-hour restaurant, Rudy's, and in the same area (adjacent parking lot), my favorite grocery store, Byler's. There is another grocery, Food Lion, Walgreen's, but no other large store. But 10 miles north, in my area, 2 Aldi's, a new Lidl (Aldi's rival German grocer), Walmart Supercenter, Target, and Redner's and Safeway, another 3 miles or so, Dover Mall. I think you and your family should come for a few days and see how the area "feels" to you. After my first trip here, I knew I would end up moving here.

Any questions, just ask. I will answer what I can.

Good luck!