May move to Wilmington DE area. Need help.
 

We may move to the Wilmington DE area. Can you help with some information on places to live?
Would need a good school system public or private for middle/high school. It seems the area surrounding Wilmington would have a reasonable commute from DE, MD, PA or NJ. Is this correct?
Are there certain communities/areas recommended in those areas? Areas to avoid? Areas more industrial vs rural vs city vs ?? It seems you can drive to Phily on weekends for culture, NJ, MD, DE for beaches, etc.

We now have a colonial on 3 acres. Thanks for your help.

I'm now a resident of Houston, TX, but was born & raised in Wilmington and lived there until I was 35. It's a wonderful place to live with its proximity to beaches, mountains, NYC and Washington, DC - all within a few hours' drive. The Hotel du Pont in downtown Wilmington has The Playhouse which hosts broadway shows, there's a great art museum, and a recently renovated riverfront area -- so there's lots of culture locally, in addition to the vast, colorful things that Philadelphia has to offer. If schooling is a priority, it would be my recommendation that you live in north Wilmington for its public school system (Brandywine or Concord High Schools), or even better that you consider Pennsylvania in the Kennett Square/Chadds Ford area (Unionville School system). The latter also lends itself to finding a piece of property closer to the size you're accustomed to...but prepare to pay dearly for it, unless you're coming from NY or CA, in which case it's a steal. The private school system in Wilmington is outstanding (options include Tatnall, Tower Hill, Friends and various parochial schools). You are correct that Wilmington is an easy commute to surrounding areas in DE, PA and NJ - with Interstate 95 and other state highways; and, depending on where your current location, Wilmington itself has comparatively easy rush hour traffic. Hope this is of some help to you - and good luck. Mrs. Rich

Thanks for the reply.

Does anyone know how the taxes compare in these areas? Is it less expensive to live in one state vs another. When I lived in NJ awhile ago and worked in NYC, I had to pay NY, NJ and NYC taxes. Triple whammy. Plus federal.

There is no sales tax in Delaware, but if you work in Wilmington, there is a Wilmington tax in addition to State & Federal tax. ((b))

There is a state income tax. There's also a city wage tax within Wilmington city limits (even if you don't live in the city, you have to pay the city wage tax if you work within city limits; however, if you travel a significant amount of time on your job and can substantiate that travel, you can apply for a rebate). Confirming what Budman said, there is no sales tax in Delaware. If you live in PA and work in DE, the states have reciprocity (i.e., you pay a portion to PA and a portion to DE but not 100% to both)...I don't know if NJ has the same deal. If you plan on remaining in the area to retire, I understand that PA has a more favorable tax treatment once you start to live off of pension and 40lK funds, but I don't know the specifics. If taxation is a big issue, you might invest in an hour of a CPA's time to make an educated decision.

Thanks for your replies.
Can you give me any idea about the cost of housing? Is it more/less expensive in DE vs PA or NJ?

GBelle--Here is the respone I posted on your previous thread on this subject, just in case you haven't seen it:

Message:
I don't live in Wilmington, but have a lot of friends whom I visit there, so I listen to the Wilmington traffic reports frequently. The nasty traffic jams I hear about tend to be south (and maybe slightly west) of the city of Wilmington--Pike Creek, Churchman's Marsh, and the area around the Christiana Mall are often cited. I don't really know that area, so I can't comment about the quality-of-life.

Old New Castle is very nice (also pricey), although the outskirts seem to be filled with new subdivisions and garden apartment complexes. Could make for a hellish commute, I'd think.

Newark is a neat college town, but again, depending on where you'd be working, the commute could be difficult.

Delaware City is trying to transform itself into a more happening place, based on some historic architecture and a nearby fort, but it's in the shadow of some huge oil refineries, so I don't know how successful it will be.

There are some nice neighborhoods in the city of Wilmington--the Trolley Square area and Kentmere Parkway are especially nice.

North of the city, but still in the state of Delaware, you get into very pricey real estate in the suburbs of Greenville and Centreville. The nearby Pennsylvania communities of Fairville, Mendenhall, and Chadds Ford are pretty expensive, too (but lovely). Just over the PA border in one direction is Kennett Square, which has a nice small town feel but is still affordable. Farther west is Unionville, which is very horsey and again, pretty pricey. To the east in PA is the Glen Mills area, which has a lot of new development (in a wide range of prices, I think).

Back in Delaware, to the north west of the city of Wilmington is Hockessin, a pretty, upscale village. North Wilmington is a convenient place to live--lots of subdivisions, some nicer than others. Very suburban atmosphere.

As for schools, the leading private schools are Tower Hill, Tatnall, Wilmington Friends, Ursuline (Catholic and I think it stops at Grade 8), and Archmere (also Catholic). Good public schools are A. I. du Pont in Delaware and the Chadds Ford/Unionville district just over the border in PA.

Hope that helps. Please understand that a lot of this is hearsay from my friends, not personal experience. (although even though I don't live in DE, I do seem to spend an awful lot of time there!)

To get a sense of the cost of housing, learn the zip codes of some of the areas that might interest you, then go to www.realtor.com and plug them into the zip code finder. You'll see what's available in all price ranges.

Also, check out the real estate listings of the Wilmington News Journal, www.delawareonline.com and the Philadelphia Inquirer www.philly.com

Remember, too, that if you live in New Jersey and work in Delaware, you will have to pay a toll to cross the river everyday.

Thanks elle. I couldn't find the original post so I posted again.

Any other comments/suggestions from others would be appreciated.

Regarding the cost-of-housing question:

All things being equal (siz e of house, lot, etc.) the housing in PA and DE are roughly the same. You'll probably find cheaper housing in South Jersey anywhere but the shore areas.

You've received pretty good advice from other posters. I can tell you that a lot of people who work in DE live in the Unionville Chadds-Ford area, which is mainly in Chester County, overall a desirable area to live in PA. The state income tax in PA is a 3% flat tax -- no deductions unless there are unusual circumstances. Many municipalities tack on another 1%.

You may have a little trouble finding the kind of acreage you have now unless you're willing to spend big $. Of course, that depends on where you're moving from.

Culturally, it is a good area -- access to beaches, cities, countryside, etc.

Thanks K 999 9. In your opinion, (or anyone else's), what will we find DIFFERENT than what we've experienced elsewhere? We've lived in New England, NYC area, Ohio.
I suspect --
1. weather will be milder
2. real estate taxes may be less
3. real estate prices are likely less

What will you find that's different from where you've lived before?

Humidity! Of the curl-your-hair-before- 9 a.m. sort.

Real Estate sites will list property taxes. Another one to check out is prufoxroach.com.

In my case the humidity will be make it "flat as a pancake" hair.

Elle - do you have an idea of the cost of the schools you listed? I looked on the websites for Tower Hill and Tatnall schools that you mentioned, but I didn't see any cost. Or any of the parochial schools at the high school level?
Thanks for your help.

My family and I lived in North Wilmington for 14 years then moved to AL, MD and back to PA (about 35 min drive from North Wilmington). Housing costs have risen considerably in the last few years due to a major drug company on Rt 202 moved their headquarters there (sorry can't remember their name). As for real estate taxes, by far DE is the lowest, but of course the school systems have suffered. When we moved back to this area 6 years ago, we chose PA because 1)schools (we have 4 kids), 2) less congestion meaning we wanted less suburban with a little more land 3)we wanted a new home which is impossible in North Wilmington. I wouldn't recommend south of Wilmington since the schools are bad, traffic is horrible and the area is ugly. Southwest of Wilmington - Hockessin is very nice (my sister lives there) but bad traffic if you are commuting into the city. Also, the public schools in that area are not great either. West of Wilmington is gorgeous (Greenville and Centerville) but VERY expensive. Right over the border in PA from this area is the Mendenhall area which is very nice with good schools. Over the border off of RT 202 is the Chadds Ford-Unionville School District which is excellent and has more of a rural feel to it but again expensive with much higher taxes. Don't forget higher taxes, better schools. The school districts you want to consider are Brandywine in North Wilmington, Chadds-Ford Unionville and West Chester in PA. I would stay away from Avondale area schools. Definitely though PA is superior. Let me know if you need any more information. I still have many friends and relatives in the area and could give you my email address. Since I have moved 5 times, I know how hard it is to get good information and make sure you get a GREAT realtor. Good luck!

One of my co-workers just looked into pre-K at Wilmington Friends--$11,000/year.

The other schools mentioned are between $15,000 - $18,000 for high school. Not sure what they are for lower school.

Maureen04 - Since you have kids maybe you can answer this. Do you know which schools have good sports programs? My one son plays Div 1 sports in his high school and the other was planning to attend that next year (but now won't).
Also, do you know if there are boy scout programs in the areas you mentioned? One of my kids is starting his Eagle project, so he should be done before we move. However, the other has one level to go before beginning Eagle and he would like to finish it through to the end.
Thanks.

I should also ask -- what kinds of medical facilities are in the area? I believe Philadelphia has the biggest, but I don't know how long the ride is to Philly and am thinking about local facilities for checkups and/or smaller emergencies.

I pity you. I'm assuming that either you or your spouse is employed by DuPont, MBNA (or any other major bank) or Astra Zeneca. Thanks to the recent expansion of Astra Zeneca, property values rose by at LEAST 15 percent within a 15 mile radius of Wilmington so a colonial on 3 acres around these parts will set you back at least $700,000. We have deseg here so if you choose a public school for your kids, they will be bussed into the city for middle school and that could be as far as 10 miles away from the suburban development you choose to live. www.delawareonline.com is the local paper - check it out, especially the real estate section. Wilmington does have an excellent childrens hospital, patients from all over the world travel here for pediatric medical care. The only other good thing about Wilmington and DE in general is that it's very easy to get the hell out of, via the 1 road that runs thru it called I-95. Oh and 1 more thing, there is no spring or autumn in DE, it's either summer or winter so you'll either have the AC or furnace running all year long.
Hope this helps

Are the summers hot as well as humid? And full of bugs/mosquitos? The winters can't be any worse than New England where we now live. Last winter we had 100 inches of snow and this winter less snow but more bitter cold single-digit degree days.

Are the private high schools mentioned earlier difficult to get into with tests and interviews and long waiting lists?

In reviewing all the wonderful information you've given me, I realized that most of it seems to be in DE and PA.
Are there any communities/areas recommended/or to avoid in the NJ and MD areas with good middle/high schools, public or private.

Thanks again.