what is your honest opinion of delaware? what do you like about the state? what do you dislike about the state? do you think you would enjoy living here? would you or did you enjoy a visit here?

i just want to see what you guys think of delaware. the "honest opinion of buffalo" thread was successful, and i thought i would do the same with a place that also gets mixed reactions, and sometimes unjustified reactions. i've been meaning to do this for a while, but today is a good day to finally do this thread since espn is making their "50 in 50" stop in delaware today.



p.s. what espn plans on covering in their segment on delaware:

the wilmington blue rocks, our minor league baseball team here (3 carolina league championships and 6 playoff appearance since their inception in 1993)

the monster mile (dover international speedway, home of 2 mbna nascar races)

delaware state university (whose basketball team gave duke a run for it's money in the ncaa tournament)

elena delledonne, who espn calls "the lebron james of women's high school basketball" (the 6'4", soon-to-be sophomore is regarded by many publications to be one of the top 10 or even top 5 players in women's high school basketball in the country)

forgot to add that sportscenter will be setting up their stage along the left field line at the baseball stadium. that way, the backdrop for the segment will be the skyline of our beautiful city of wilmington.

I like Delaware. The big misconception that a lot of people have is that there is nothing in Delaware. I think it is very diverse because you have a nice corporate hub like Wilmington, city and suburban living, rural farmland, and awesome beaches. Oh, and no sales tax! The things that I don't like about it are the tolls and traffic trying to get to New Jersey or back to Maryland.

very nice business friendly state, low taxes and good seafood.

maybe Delaware keeps itself from being a haven for being a wild state, being wild might cost more money.

I know a few people who have gone from WNY to Delaware...they are doing good, very good.

Dover Downs I hear makes alot of cash for the state and the city...keeps the taxes low or something.

The good thing about DE is the fact that it's a very nice looking state, only takes an hour to get to Philly from VA on Route 1, no state tax, and you have Wilmington, which is a very good looking city. The bad is that only a few towns (especially in New Castle County) are unincorporated (Bear, Glasgow, Wilm. Manor, Dunleith, Claymont, Talleyville, Fairfax, Minquadale), the low immigration rate in the DE Valley, not using smart growth as a model like RI is doing, hence the sprawl around Middletown and Townsend, and no nightlife in Wilmington (bars, nightclubs and stripclubs). It's not a bad state.

What is Delaware?

delaware's very nice. i like it alot. the big thing is (like Cabo just said) is NO tax!!. lol. it's a beautiful state that should more frequently be visited by other often.

I live in Philadelphia and hardly give Delaware a thought. It's great that there is no sales tax, and I hear that Rehoboth is nice, but really the only time I think about it is when I drive through it when I go to DC to visit my brother. Delaware County is more relavent to me than Delaware State.

Problem with no sales tax is it generally drives other "fees" up. At least that is the case in New Hampshire, which also has no income tax. But they make up for it in property taxes, auto registrations, etc.

2 years ago on my way back from South Carolina, I detoured through Delaware so I could see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. Anyways, when looking for hotels in that area, it was much cheaper to stay the night in Salisbury, MD than any place in DE. I attributed that to the lack of sales tax, as that's exactly how NH is. Am I correct or are there other factors?

Otherwise I don't have much experience with Delaware. We drove through it between 6-8 am and didn't stop. Didn't look half bad though, just typical rural America for the most of it.

Delaware is great. I love the Rehoboth Beach area. Wilmington has some beautiful old homes and neighborhoods. There needs to be more life downtown, restaurants, etc. Downtown is nice, but too quiet. Newark is a nice town with a pleasant downtown. The countryside is beautiful, especially around the Brandywine area. I like shopping without taxes, but really, that money just comes from someplace else. There is no free ride - especially in Delaware with all the tolls. One big benefit of Delaware is location, very close to Philly, Balto, DC, New York, etc.

I can't say I've done too much touring of Delaware. I do go to Fenwick Island every summer for a week, where the scenery is tremendous; it's also close to Ocean City, MD. I've been to Rehobeth and some of the smaller towns in South Delaware. I've only passed through the Wilmington area, though a few times. I've gone through Wilmington on the way to New York several times by car and once this winter by Amtrak. Other than that, I have never set foot in Wilmington long enough to know what it's all about. I always enjoy the pictures you guys take of Wilmington. They definitely make me feel like I'm in a city similar to Baltimore or Philly and, frankly, they don't ever remind me I'm in a city of only 70,000. I get the impression Delaware is very much like Maryland's eastern shore, but with more culture and some city-life.

What did Delaware?
A NewJersey! ;)
LOL! :D
No, Delaware is a nice little state that serves as a nice "buffer" zone for all the surrounding states. :) More pluses than negatives.

small. and I really mean small

The only Northeatsern State that is not dense. Even Rhode Island is more dense.

The only Northeatsern State that is not dense. Even Rhode Island is more dense.

Vermont and Maine are far less dense than Delaware.

Nor is New Hampshire, or most of NY for that matter.

Uh, isn't Rhode Island the second-densest state in the country behind New Jersey? 1,045 sq miles of land and a population of 1,048,319 in 2000 gives the entire state a density of 1003 pp sq mile.

The only opinion I have of Delaware comes from the Simpsons:

"The Simosons are going to Delaware! Yaaaay! I wanna see a screen door factory!"

Uh, isn't Rhode Island the second-densest state in the country behind New Jersey? 1,045 sq miles of land and a population of 1,048,319 in 2000 gives the entire state a density of 1003 pp sq mile.

The only opinion I have of Delaware comes from the Simpsons:

"The Simosons are going to Delaware! Yaaaay! I wanna see a screen door factory!"

"And I want to see where JCPenny sends their damaged merchandise!"

I think there was another line but I can't remember it.

95 thru del has gotta be the most expensive highway per mile in the country.

Uh, isn't Rhode Island the second-densest state in the country behind New Jersey? 1,045 sq miles of land and a population of 1,048,319 in 2000 gives the entire state a density of 1003 pp sq mile.

The only opinion I have of Delaware comes from the Simpsons:

"The Simosons are going to Delaware! Yaaaay! I wanna see a screen door factory!"
Yeah, and Wayne's World 2, lol. "Uh, we're in Delaware now!" complete with the image of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. :colgate: Seriously though, I love Del. Spent many summers in Rehoboth and Lewes. My father grew up in Claymont in a 50's split-level, and my uncle settled in Newark in 1975. My cousin was renting an apartment in Wilmington years ago. I stayed over there a couple times, it was a beautiful old building dating back 150+ years. And a nice, big roomy apartment with tall windows and hardwood floors. The neighborhood was, well, flavorful however. All night tires screeching and shouting were heard. A little gentrification could fix that though. Yeah, the First State is pretty cool.

I drove thru Delaware today back from DC. For a city of 70,000 Wilmington has a kick butt skyline. It's as good as some cities 10 times it's size like Oklahoma City Topeka or Albuquerque.

For a small state it has an insane amount of traffic. The shore traffic is brutal and the I-95/495 split is horrible. Don't know much about the southern part of DE. but I live close to the northern border in Pa. around Brandywine and thats a beautiful area. Very underrated state. I wish Pa had it's business smarts.

Things I know about Delaware:
-lots of companes incorporated in Wilmington
-neat license plate
-first state
-capital is Dover
-2nd smallest state
-blocks (along with New Jersey) Pennsylvania from having Atlantic Ocean access

Why is its own state, and never a part of New Jersey or Maryland?

Things I know about Delaware:
-lots of companes incorporated in Wilmington
-neat license plate
-first state
-capital is Dover
-2nd smallest state
-blocks (along with New Jersey) Pennsylvania from having Atlantic Ocean access

Why is its own state, and never a part of New Jersey or Maryland?
Delaware was once a part of Pennsylvania.

They need to give New Castle County, DE back to PA. Other than Greater Wilmington, and the beaches, I hate the state.

Wilmington = good, rich, poor, ghetto, corporate!
Beaches = hellz yeah - half naked people and alcohol!
Farms = bad, very scary
Cows = violent animals only good for eating.
corn = evil. very evil.
open space = scary. why must this happen?
Joe Biden = you say something bad about this man, I'll personally kick your ass.
Dover = failure. relocate the capital to new castle.


(You asked for my honest opinion, I gave it.)

Things I know about Delaware:
-lots of companes incorporated in Wilmington
-neat license plate
-first state
-capital is Dover
-2nd smallest state
-blocks (along with New Jersey) Pennsylvania from having Atlantic Ocean access

Why is its own state, and never a part of New Jersey or Maryland?
When British people know more about Delaware than some Americans, we know the U.S. Education system lacks awfully.

Delaware was once a part of Pennsylvania.

It's also the only state that has a circular border. (with PA)

Delaware was once a part of Pennsylvania.

It's also the only state that has a circular border. (with PA)

I found this interesting as well - at the southern state line with MD, along Rte 13 in Delmar -

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/maps/extmap;_ylt=AoGJSKzdsiTYtk2lOpKdKR5kDLMF/*-http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?name=&ed=t_wG4up_0Toeu4JxWneddJ4Va45QZwYcg7NwLTmwOdQpaoHFTRAgqpv5o5uDoH0wD7mF2yK9bIMZ0Cv5KMCqrfQazkMNR4LGThHPMveoSw--&csz=Delaware&desc=&mag=1&ds=n&state=DE&uzip=&country=US&BFKey=&cat=comm&resize=l&trf=0

Does the state line really bulge out to accomodate those slip ramps? That's weird....

It's also the only state that has a circular border. (with PA)

I found this interesting as well - at the southern state line with MD, along Rte 13 in Delmar -

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/maps/extmap;_ylt=AoGJSKzdsiTYtk2lOpKdKR5kDLMF/*-http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?name=&ed=t_wG4up_0Toeu4JxWneddJ4Va45QZwYcg7NwLTmwOdQpaoHFTRAgqpv5o5uDoH0wD7mF2yK9bIMZ0Cv5KMCqrfQazkMNR4LGThHPMveoSw--&csz=Delaware&desc=&mag=1&ds=n&state=DE&uzip=&country=US&BFKey=&cat=comm&resize=l&trf=0

Does the state line really bulge out to accomodate those slip ramps? That's weird....

that must be false. the entire border with maryland is the mason-dixon line. i have never heard about someone screwing around with the line, especially for something small like a turn lane.

Uh, isn't Rhode Island the second-densest state in the country behind New Jersey? 1,045 sq miles of land and a population of 1,048,319 in 2000 gives the entire state a density of 1003 pp sq mile.

The only opinion I have of Delaware comes from the Simpsons:

"The Simosons are going to Delaware! Yaaaay! I wanna see a screen door factory!"

Don't forget "Air Delaware" which featured the state with wings on it..
Hillarious!

Why is its own state, and never a part of New Jersey or Maryland?

from wikipedia:

The name "Delaware" comes from the title of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, erstwhile governor of the colony of Virginia. The deed to the property that is now Delaware was granted to William Penn in 1682, by James, Duke of York (later, James II of England), and was part of the colony of Pennsylvania. In 1704 the "three lower counties" gained a separate legislature, and in 1710 a separate executive council.

However, Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore of Maryland claimed a competing grant to lands in the southern portion of Pennsylvania and most of Delaware. Thus raged over 100 years of litigation between William Penn and Baltimore, and, later, their heirs, in the High Court of Chancery in London. The legal battles were settled by the heirs agreeing to a survey -- which resulted in the Mason-Dixon line, surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon between 1763 and 1767. Part of the Line now forms the east-west boundary between Delaware and Maryland, and part of the north-south boundary between Pennsylvania and Delaware (this section, known as The Wedge was in dispute up till 1921), and some 80 of their original limestone markers remain. The remainder of the border between Pennsylvania and Delaware is formed by an arc known as The Twelve-Mile Circle. The north-south boundary between Delaware and Maryland is known as the Transpeninsular Line. Several towns on the borders between Delaware and Maryland are divided by these lines.

that must be false. the entire border with maryland is the mason-dixon line. i have never heard about someone screwing around with the line, especially for something small like a turn lane.

Yahoo shows it that way, as does Streets & Trips. That almost makes it look as though DelDOT bought the land from Maryland for construction and maintenance, which makes no sense as there are several interchanges that cross state lines. There's even a 1 mile stretch of NY 17 (future I-86) that is entirely in PA, maintained by NYSDOT and everything - and they didn't buy the land!

Also, if you take Streets and Trips seriously, the border between NY and PA for the western 3/4 of it is not a straight line, but a series of segments within fractions of degrees of each other. Now I don't know how accurate it is at a very close up as roads and such tend to get jagged. Although I'd tend to believe that one as they are line segments of significant length.

As you can tell, I often have too much free time on my hands...

Back to Delaware, does anybody know how many towns and counties in the US are so named?

from wikipedia:

The name "Delaware" comes from the title of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, erstwhile governor of the colony of Virginia. The deed to the property that is now Delaware was granted to William Penn in 1682, by James, Duke of York (later, James II of England), and was part of the colony of Pennsylvania. In 1704 the "three lower counties" gained a separate legislature, and in 1710 a separate executive council.

However, Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore of Maryland claimed a competing grant to lands in the southern portion of Pennsylvania and most of Delaware. Thus raged over 100 years of litigation between William Penn and Baltimore, and, later, their heirs, in the High Court of Chancery in London. The legal battles were settled by the heirs agreeing to a survey -- which resulted in the Mason-Dixon line, surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon between 1763 and 1767. Part of the Line now forms the east-west boundary between Delaware and Maryland, and part of the north-south boundary between Pennsylvania and Delaware (this section, known as The Wedge was in dispute up till 1921), and some 80 of their original limestone markers remain. The remainder of the border between Pennsylvania and Delaware is formed by an arc known as The Twelve-Mile Circle. The north-south boundary between Delaware and Maryland is known as the Transpeninsular Line. Several towns on the borders between Delaware and Maryland are divided by these lines.


here's a few pictures i took of the stone that marks the end of the arc and the beginning of the circle. i will also feature this picture in a later thread of delaware pictures.

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/6291/dscf17571hi.jpg

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/5375/dscf17580fv.jpg

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/5868/dscf17607yu.jpg

I have a love hate relationship with the state which is complex, meaningful, and stupid all at the same time.

I grew up outside of Rehoboth Beach and I have always loved it there, but that place has become so overdeveloped and commercial that it is in danger of losing its charm. All of Sussex County (the south most of the three counties) is becoming suburban sprawl without the urban part to pull it all together. There is no real cohesive land use plan so developers are just swallowing up large swaths of farmland and turning into all the things we hate about the suburbs.

I can't stand New Castle county and I can't really put my finger on why. It may have somethign to do with the fact that there are no real good places to eat there or maybe it has something to do with the fact that there are no good ways of getting around to where you want to go. No back roads anywhere. I lived there for three years while I went to Univ. of DE and I don't think I would move back. Other than Main Street in Newark, there are no real fun places to hang out in the entire county.

People say that DE is cheaper because they have no sales tax but I just havnt found that to be true. I eventually moved across the MD/DE line to Cecil county Maryland and I found that housing is way cheaper and gas and food prices are less. I have plenty of friends who are all moving to Cecil county because they have been priced out of New Castle county and they all agree that the cost of living is actually cheaper in MD despite the addition of sales tax.

Lastly (and you're free to disagree with me on this one) I think that Delware is on the verge of losing all of the things that have made it great over the past 20-30 years. Delware became the economic powerhouse that it was b/c of economicly conservative policies. Pete DuPont saw that if we eliminated business taxes and lighened up usury laws that banks and businesses would flock to the state. Sure enough he was correct and that economic boom has trickled down through the state since then. However the economic boom has led to an increasingly liberal upper class upstate which has lost sight of how conservatism made the state strong. The governor of the state is awful, in my opinion, but the state has become so Democratic now that she still easily won over a good challenger. Its getting bad when I make fun of my brother (who lives in DE) by saying to him that I'm the one who lives in the conservative state now.

So thats my opinion thru and thru. I love the state, but I just dont know what the future holds for it.

People say that DE is cheaper because they have no sales tax but I just havnt found that to be true. I eventually moved across the MD/DE line to Cecil county Maryland and I found that housing is way cheaper and gas and food prices are less. I have plenty of friends who are all moving to Cecil county because they have been priced out of New Castle county and they all agree that the cost of living is actually cheaper in MD despite the addition of sales tax.

I agree with that entirely, though I don't have much experience with it in Delaware. That same reasoning is why I left New Hampshire to return to New York. And NH doesn't even have an income tax, either. But they more than make up for it in other ways.

Ehh.. Jayson. Opinion appreciated... but there are TONS of back roads in the most beautiful Chateau country in the state with hills, and turns, and drops, and dips, etc.

Trust me.. I was the bluntride king at my h.s. I can mapquest you 50.

There are plenty of places to have fun. Newark is for the kiddies btw.

BTW, I think you mean liberal there for conservative. I feel you had an unfortunate meeting with the top portion of the state. It's not gonna be cheap if you're from downstate, or Baltimore. Especially not Cecil Co. Baltimore is a super super super cheap city. Wilmington has had a huge influx of NYers lately, which is screwing cost of living up for us all.

As for the city.. I'd rather be in NY or Phila.. It's just not a big city, and it can't contain me anymore.. I'm moving to Phila this fall.. but I don't think you knew where you were going when you were up here exactly. There are killer restaurants. I don't understand how you can say that. Maybe you mean downtown. Everything is on the west side, along Little Italy, and Trolley Square. Just recently the riverfront is getting interesting.

For a city that small, there couldn't be better restaurants. Have you seen Trenton, or Allentown?? bigger cities with hardly a fraction of what this one does.

Delaware? Like the river, right? ;)

delaware ave. rocks!

For a city that small, there couldn't be better restaurants. Have you seen Trenton, or Allentown?? bigger cities with hardly a fraction of what this one does.

I think the problem is I grew up outside of Rehoboth where there are tons of fun quality restaurants. Once I moved upstate I mostly found either take out places or your typical suburban faire (TGIFridays etc)

I actually think the root cause of the problem is that there is no upstate culture per se. All of the TV stations and good radio statiosn come out of Philly, therefore for the most part, all of northern DE is left without a forum to express its own identity. If I had some money to invest, I would try and open up a TV station there so you could at least get Delaware News on the television.

Take out places??

We gotta take you up to Little Italy and feed you some Zuppa di Pesce on Lincoln St. then get you slammed at Kid Sheleen's.

It's got a vibe.. but it's all in the Italian/Irish section of the city.