SperlingViews - Dover, Delaware

For the past few years, Dover and the surrounding area has been experiencing a bit of a population boom. Residents spurred on by the appreciation of their homes in neighboring states, such as New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Washington DC metro areas, have sold their homes to move to Dover. Dover, where a home (or farmette for that matter)could be bought for cash with the half of the profits made from the sale of their home in New York. This sudden influx and housing boom has caused some problems though. The infrastructure is not able to keep pace. Dover PD and fire departments have the same number of officers and fire fighters as a decade ago. Watersheds cannot handle the number of homes sitting on them. Schools cannot be built fast enough. Social services staff was thin previously, and stretched to breaking now. Farmland is being lost at an alarming rate -- to the point legislation is being sought to stop the "sprawl". So while Dover continues to enjoy an excellent quality of life, and a low crime rate, it is bumping into the areas where a downturn could occur.[read more...]

I've lived in central Delaware now for more than ten years and find myself consistently having to drive either north (Phila) or west (Baltimore, Washington, D.C.) to find cultural activity. For a town with an airbase, which brings people here from all over the world, you'd think there might be more demand for interests other than Dover Downs and the gambling & Nascar crowd; but the one small theater in town is woefully underutilized and there are almost no art events to speak of.[read more...]

area is steadily losing jobs[read more...]

Dover,DE is centralized to D.C., Philly,Baltimore,VA. I think Dover,DE is a charmimg place to raise children. It has a small hometown feel and low crime for the moment. Delaware State is just down the street and just about all the shopping is conveniently located on DuPont Hwy. The housing industry is taking off quickly here b/c of the low cost of living in this state. Now with that being said,here's the other side of the story. Dover is a place for retirees. If you are young and college educated and want a good job here, please apply for a job with the State or at the Dover Airforce Base, those are the high paying jobs! Dover is not a city that is as progressive as it could be. The educated leave b/c the opportunities do not abound, the retired have done just that...retired their knowledge and skill is not being circulated in such a way that you can see a more competitive salary range here. I also noticed that Old Dover looks as though it is a refuse dump for half-way houses. I have never seen so many people hanging out on the street corner in such a small city in my life. The weather is interesting,you do get four seasons, lot more rain than expected, beautiful sunny days, hot summers, fairly cold winters,not to much snow fall. Dover,De is abit bitter sweet. Transportation system is not as advanced, you MUST have a car to get around. Renting a house would be better than an apartment not to many updated apartments here. If you really want a good job you'll need to live up north..Symrna,Newark,Wilmington. you have to weigh your options. The processing center for Bank of America is here but your starting salary is a great disappointment[22,000]. My comparision is hot and cold b/c i just moved from the Pacific Northwest area, so this has been a uneasy adjustment for me. I'm looking to move back west where it is more progressive socially,cuturally,economically. Dover is nice... just don't lose a job very hard to bounce back. oh yeah...you can find a nice church home here to.[read more...]

Living in Dover for the past 35 years, I can say it is one of the cleanest cities I have seen and I have traveled extensively. People are very kind and friendly. The weather is mild and we have four seasons, with distinct and beautiful changes. Delaware has NO sales tax. We are an hour and a half from two major airports and an hour from the beaches. Baltimore, Philly, NYC, and Washington are all day trips and close. The casinos and Nascar have brought more people to the city, helping our economy. Many new housing developments are springing up to accomadate familiesand retirees tired of high property taxes. We have some of the best schools and colleges in the nation. Please- come visit.[read more...]

Delaware may be pretty looking with all of the beaches it has, but looks can be tricky. Dover is extremely uncomfortable in the winter and in the summer, which will put your heating and air conditioning costs through the roof. Also, There is an extremely high mosquito population since with the large amount of thunder storms in the summer, we get much rain. The schools are also not well kept, desks break there every day and they have a very high repeating rate for students.[read more...]