HELP! Delaware/Philadelphia DISers .... NEW request, post #8

[tink2020]

Hey there. DH and I are heading to Newark, Delaware for a medical residency interview during the first week of Janaury. Sell me on where you live!

What do I need to see to get a feel for your city? While he's interviewing, I'm going to cruise around town, because we have to eventually rank these places and may end up there for at least 4 years!

Thanks in advance!

 

[drgnfly30]

I live in Newark .... Are you looking to rent or buy? I presume that the residency is at Christiana Hospital? I'm not to far from there... We have great Tax Free shopping, while Delaware isn't the most exciting place to live.. we are very close to alot of things, Poconos for skiing, DE/MD/NJ beaches, Atlantic City, NYC, Washington DC etc.... If you let me know more what you're looking for I'd be happy to steer you in the right direction!

Christine

 

[tink2020]

I live in Newark .... Are you looking to rent or buy? I presume that the residency is at Christiana Hospital? I'm not to far from there... We have great Tax Free shopping, while Delaware isn't the most exciting place to live.. we are very close to alot of things, Poconos for skiing, DE/MD/NJ beaches, Atlantic City, NYC, Washington DC etc.... If you let me know more what you're looking for I'd be happy to steer you in the right direction!

Christine

We are looking to buy, and yes the residency is through Christiana Care. I do love the location of Newark, it's really convenient to a lot of stuff! I'll definitely let you know if I have more questions!

By the way... cute min pin!

 

[drgnfly30]

Aww! What a cutie!!
Immediately around the hospital are older neighborhoods, the farther out you go (Bear for instance) you'll find some newer housing... if you go a bit further out to say Middletown you'll find alot of new houses, it's really growing there... only about 2 years ago you could get a lot of house for your money... not so much anymore but definately more spacious in both housing & yards...

Also right over the MD/DE border (straight down the road from my house) is an option.. my boss just bought a nice newly built house there.

If you have any questions, just PM me.. Once you have some options, I can tell you what/where to steer clear of!!

 

[tink2020]

Aww! What a cutie!!
Immediately around the hospital are older neighborhoods, the farther out you go (Bear for instance) you'll find some newer housing... if you go a bit further out to say Middletown you'll find alot of new houses, it's really growing there... only about 2 years ago you could get a lot of house for your money... not so much anymore but definately more spacious in both housing & yards...

Also right over the MD/DE border (straight down the road from my house) is an option.. my boss just bought a nice newly built house there.

If you have any questions, just PM me.. Once you have some options, I can tell you what/where to steer clear of!!

Great! Thank you. Once we get closer to match day (March) we will be looking for more details to really rank our choices. Right now I am just checking out the various cities while he interviews, making sure I wouldn't absolutely hate living there

 

[MagicalMom]

It's less than a 16 hour drive to WDW! Only a 2 hour flight! Nice thing about the area is that you are close to everything. You are always a short drive from major cities, beaches, mountains, airports & still head out to the country to pick apples in the afternoon.

 

[tink2020]

It's less than a 16 hour drive to WDW! Only a 2 hour flight! Nice thing about the area is that you are close to everything. You are always a short drive from major cities, beaches, mountains, airports & still head out to the country to pick apples in the afternoon.

That sounds ideal! Well, minus the 16 hour drive part.... but nowhere we're looking is all that close!

 

[tink2020]

Ok, new questions!

During our time spent in the Newark/Wilmington area, both DH and I fell in LOVE with your state We both felt as if we could REALLY enjoy residency there, and the Christiana program is excellent.

That being said, we're going back for a second look to determine whether we rank the program #1 or #2, so I have a few, more specific questions.

We really want to look in the northern New Castle county area. Either between Newark and Wilmington (closer to Wilmington) or north of Wilmington towards Philly. We are really city-people, so we would feel more comfortable with the closer proximity to Philadelphia.

To give you an idea of what we are looking for, we want a well-developed suburb with newer developments (both condos and houses, etc), a decent amount of commercialism (ie, a Target, Michaels, etc near enough to run errands comfortably).... where do we begin?

On a long weekend, we are going to explore Philly (the actual city) and then check out some of the suburban areas.... what areas, neighborhoods, communities, cities, etc do you suggest?

Thanks in advance!

 

[drgnfly30]

Heads up...If the residency is going to be at Christiana (not Wilmington) Hospital, the farther north you go the more traffic headaches you'll encounter. DH works in Broomall PA & the drive can be a nightmare....

I grew up in North Wilmington, I loved living there but costs & sheer population make it impossible for us to buy there... we live in Newark/Bear area. Much of the N. Wilmington housing is older, just no space for new construction. If you check it out on Mapquest... I used to live off of Silverside & Shipley roads... right near the malls, grocery stores, Target etc... You are looking at around $300k++, the more south you go the less you'll pay (and in most cases, more house for the $).

I can't be of much help on the PA side but make sure the taxes aren't going to be cost prohibitive (Chester/Delaware county), despite my Dad's excellent retirement & savings, my parents found that when they were looking to downsize, the taxes were just too much (mom's now in Middletown).

Here's a link that might help you narrow down some housing options....
http://delawareonline.gon.gannettonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=HOMES

ETA: Anywhere north of Newark is going to fit into your criteria... well developed, variety of housing options...

Good luck!!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

I know you are talking about north of Newark so I can't be much help there. But, if you are interested in anything south into Maryland, I live in Elkton and grew up in Baltimore.

 

[tink2020]

Thanks! We looked at Middletown and Bear the first time we were there, and they are nice areas.... but we felt they were too far from a city, or at least the kind of "city" we are used to. Thanks for posting the website, I will look at that as well.

The residency is actually in Christiana, Wilmington, and Dupont, so - in essence - 2/3 hospital time is in Wilmington. It will depend on the month for sure, but DH will be in all three, as well as outpatient clinics in both Newark and Wilmington.

What areas between Newark and Wilmington, (ie "north of newark"?) are developed (Target, malls (aside from Christiana mall), lots of development, etc)?

 

[tink2020]

Ok, I've looked at several real estate websites and am a little confused. Are there any areas building new homes/condos besides the $400k ones I'm finding? We arel ooking for just a condo or something for these 4 years, and everything I'm finding seems older. Is that just what's available in the area of Northern Delaware? Thanks!

 

[Caradana]

Ok, I've looked at several real estate websites and am a little confused. Are there any areas building new homes/condos besides the $400k ones I'm finding? We arel ooking for just a condo or something for these 4 years, and everything I'm finding seems older. Is that just what's available in the area of Northern Delaware? Thanks!

My fiance owns a house in Delaware County, PA, just north of the Delaware border - about 25 mins from Wilmington and 25 mins from Center City, Philadelphia. Really a nice place. Here is an example of new construction in this area closer to your price range:

http://c21crest.re.neteconomist.com...e=&mode=features&listnum=4599872&client_id=98

 

[tink2020]

My fiance owns a house in Delaware County, PA, just north of the Delaware border - about 25 mins from Wilmington and 25 mins from Center City, Philadelphia. Really a nice place. Here is an example of new construction in this area closer to your price range:

http://c21crest.re.neteconomist.com...e=&mode=features&listnum=4599872&client_id=98

Those look great, thanks for posting the link! We'll definitely check out that area. Any others, anyone?

 

[luvmyeor]

I don't live in Phila but I do a lot of traveling in that area. The rush hour traffic can be a nightmare! You can sit forever on 95 or 476 and it usually doesn't do any good to try to get around it. There are just too many people with the same idea and you just end of sitting in more traffic.

I don't know about the housing prices but check out the Elkton, MD area as it isn't too far from Christiana.