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30-ish white, middle-class couple moving to the Northern Delaware/SE Pennsylvania are for a job at Lincoln U. Looks like the Newark area might be a decent choice to move to. I don't know anything about the area. Can anyone give me any thoughts on any of the apartments listed below? Are any of them a "you couldn't pay me to live there" situation? We don't have any kids, so schools aren't an issue. We do have a large dog, though.
Lincoln U. is out in the middle of nowhere, so you're kinda stuck. I've lived in Newark for several years, and I grew up near in Lancaster. Lancaster is awesome, on so many levels...but it's probably too far to commute. Lancaster is small population-wise, but is a major cultural center...art, music, food, it's where it's at!
A few general things to think about:
Oxford is a really cute town, tiny, a bit run down, but it's right next to Lincoln U...and it has some coffee shops, a Mexican store, it's surprisingly culturally vibrant for how tiny it is...it might be hard to find a place to live there, but it's worth looking at, just cause it's the closest town.
Outside of that it's boondocks (New London is even tinier) until you hit suburban Delaware. Suburban Delaware can get pretty awful...but Newark is a lot of fun. The problem with Newark is the drunk college students. Newark is rapidly changing--the downtown is being built in with more mixed use--more apartments, condos, and storefronts appear each year. If you can find a nice apartment in the walkable part of the city of Newark, which is not in a party area, it can be a gem--you can walk to anything you need, lots of great shops (ethnic foods, etc.). But the party areas are...just out of control, like a zoo, very loud.
I can't say anything about the specific complexes you've listed but I do know a lot about the general areas.
Most of the complexes you listed are in generic, highly sprawled suburban areas, so you'll be stuck not being able to walk anywhere. The Pike Creek area is, in my opinion, both boring and overpriced. One thing to consider if you live in this area: clustered along the busy route 2 (kirkwood highway) are a lot of interesting and useful stores and restaurants, and the bizarre "Newark Farmer's Market"...an off-the-wall, eclectic hodgepodge that I can't even explain without you going there. But Route 2 itself is a very ugly, congested area...not sure you'd want to live near there. But it's worth knowing as it's a major commercial area. Also, if you like nature, White Clay Creek State Park is beautiful. Living near that is a plus...I live near it and bike there regularly, and I love it.
Rodney Square is a totally different beast...right in downtown Wilmington. That's going to be a tougher commute to Lincoln U. though--longer and more traffic, although you will be driving against Wilmington's rush hour. Also, Wilmington is surprisingly boring relative to its size (I find there is much more to do in Newark, even though it's much smaller). Most of the commerce (shopping, etc.) is outside of town--mostly along 202, quite a ways north of town. 202 is horribly congested (worse than Route 2) and ugly. One huge huge huge benefit of living in downtown Wilmington though would be that if you want to go into Philly, NYC, Baltimore, or DC, you're on the AMTRAK line, and every train (Acela + Regional) stops in Wilmington. If you want to be able to hop into the big cities easily, this might be worth considering. There are also places to live in Wilmington outside of Rodney square. There are a few cute residential neighborhoods in the city...just...watch out because much of Wilmington is very slummy.
One other thing...you could look in Cecil County, MD. Most of Cecil County overall is pretty backwater but there are little pockets of civilization. Fabulous natural areas though! This area is barely developed at all. The little town of Rising Sun is cute, and is about the same distance as Newark from Lincoln U.--but there's virtually no traffic in that area and the drive would be substantially quicker.
I hope that gives you a general feel for what's out there! No real ideal choice jumps out...but you certainly will have different pro's and con's in different locations.
It's a good start. Basically, the Lancaster area was ruled out because of a desire to have a shorter commute to Philly, or possibly to Baltimore. I did find 3 places in MD: Stonegate, just over the line off 277; Pine Valley, off 281; and Alta-Chesapeake Ridge, near North East and next to I-95. And there's a few places in the West Chester area that might work, too. Most of the Wilmington places I looked at either had only 1 bathroom, wouldn't take a big dog, or were too small for us.
The closest place I've found to UD is off to the SW, off Rt 2 near Applebee's and Home Depot. Or maybe just east of Rt 72, south of Old Baltimore Pike. Are those in what you'd consider "party areas"? Similarly, are there any areas of the city and surrounding region you'd suggest I avoid (run down, crime, don't-go-there-at-night sort of places)?
Overall, the list below on a location basis are good, some have negatives due to high traffic volume and congestion during hours of work traffic and would make commutes somewhat slower. Its all dependent on your travel time preferences. I can't speak to any of their managment practices, how quickly they follow up on maintenance request, their pet policies or deposits. A good gauge would be sections with residents comments and ratings based on their experiences. I'll suggest Pike Creek area, because of the proximity to Route #1 and Lincoln U along with links.
Apartments At Pine Brook Apartments Newark, DE - Apartments for Rent in Newark Delaware (http://www.apartmentguide.com/rentals/Delaware/Newark/Apartments-At-Pine-Brook/84072/ - broken link)
Quote:
Originally Posted by roman304
30-ish white, middle-class couple moving to the Northern Delaware/SE Pennsylvania are for a job at Lincoln U. Looks like the Newark area might be a decent choice to move to. I don't know anything about the area. Can anyone give me any thoughts on any of the apartments listed below? Are any of them a "you couldn't pay me to live there" situation? We don't have any kids, so schools aren't an issue. We do have a large dog, though.
Lincoln U. is out in the middle of nowhere, so you're kinda stuck. I've lived in Newark for several years, and I grew up near in Lancaster. Lancaster is awesome, on so many levels...but it's probably too far to commute. Lancaster is small population-wise, but is a major cultural center...art, music, food, it's where it's at!
A few general things to think about:
Oxford is a really cute town, tiny, a bit run down, but it's right next to Lincoln U...and it has some coffee shops, a Mexican store, it's surprisingly culturally vibrant for how tiny it is...it might be hard to find a place to live there, but it's worth looking at, just cause it's the closest town.
Outside of that it's boondocks (New London is even tinier) until you hit suburban Delaware. Suburban Delaware can get pretty awful...but Newark is a lot of fun. The problem with Newark is the drunk college students. Newark is rapidly changing--the downtown is being built in with more mixed use--more apartments, condos, and storefronts appear each year. If you can find a nice apartment in the walkable part of the city of Newark, which is not in a party area, it can be a gem--you can walk to anything you need, lots of great shops (ethnic foods, etc.). But the party areas are...just out of control, like a zoo, very loud.
I can't say anything about the specific complexes you've listed but I do know a lot about the general areas.
Most of the complexes you listed are in generic, highly sprawled suburban areas, so you'll be stuck not being able to walk anywhere. The Pike Creek area is, in my opinion, both boring and overpriced. One thing to consider if you live in this area: clustered along the busy route 2 (kirkwood highway) are a lot of interesting and useful stores and restaurants, and the bizarre "Newark Farmer's Market"...an off-the-wall, eclectic hodgepodge that I can't even explain without you going there. But Route 2 itself is a very ugly, congested area...not sure you'd want to live near there. But it's worth knowing as it's a major commercial area. Also, if you like nature, White Clay Creek State Park is beautiful. Living near that is a plus...I live near it and bike there regularly, and I love it.
Rodney Square is a totally different beast...right in downtown Wilmington. That's going to be a tougher commute to Lincoln U. though--longer and more traffic, although you will be driving against Wilmington's rush hour. Also, Wilmington is surprisingly boring relative to its size (I find there is much more to do in Newark, even though it's much smaller). Most of the commerce (shopping, etc.) is outside of town--mostly along 202, quite a ways north of town. 202 is horribly congested (worse than Route 2) and ugly. One huge huge huge benefit of living in downtown Wilmington though would be that if you want to go into Philly, NYC, Baltimore, or DC, you're on the AMTRAK line, and every train (Acela + Regional) stops in Wilmington. If you want to be able to hop into the big cities easily, this might be worth considering. There are also places to live in Wilmington outside of Rodney square. There are a few cute residential neighborhoods in the city...just...watch out because much of Wilmington is very slummy.
One other thing...you could look in Cecil County, MD. Most of Cecil County overall is pretty backwater but there are little pockets of civilization. Fabulous natural areas though! This area is barely developed at all. The little town of Rising Sun is cute, and is about the same distance as Newark from Lincoln U.--but there's virtually no traffic in that area and the drive would be substantially quicker.
I hope that gives you a general feel for what's out there! No real ideal choice jumps out...but you certainly will have different pro's and con's in different locations.
This is some REALLY good information! Thanks for posting this.
I plan on moving to Newark, DE with a friend of mine next summer and needed to know some basic information about the area before visitng. I want to live in an area that is walkable and provides some interesting things to see and do. I wouldn't mind the drunk college kids and their rowdy parties since I will be fresh out of college by then. Another huge plus about Newark is that there is an Amtrak line that stops in Newark. However, the monthly ticket/pass prices are VERY costly. Although w/ the Amtrak line, I would be able to work in DC/Philadelphia, just in case I don't get the job I want in MD. My friend's job is set (since he works for the govt) and he really wants to live near/in Newark near the University of DE.
I looked through some of the links that the OP had posted, but I'm looking for an apartment that isn't part of a complex. My friend and I will be young 20 somethings w/ no pets and no children. Any suggestions?
I know that it may be too soon, but I want to get myself set up w/ the process and not wait to the last minute due to employment and financial reasons.
Last edited by stressedCollegeGirl89; 07-18-2010 at 09:09 PM..
Reason: verb tense corrections
You can stay at Marriott Residence at City Center in the Nemours Building in downtown Wilmington with your dog. I lived there and it is very nice and convenient to many things. You can rent it by the month, or however you choose, but they do accept dogs.
To respond to stressedCollegeGirl89, a word of warning: most Amtrak trains do not stop in Newark. Currently there's one a day in each direction, which means that if you want to commute you need to drive or take SEPTA to Wilmington first--not really practical.
There are people who are working on this...check out this proposed train and transit service improvement to Newark, DE. I'm one of the people working to get this to happen! I think the University would like to see it happen too, so it may happen sooner than you might think. But right now, you can't pratically commute to anywhere but Philly by train, and to Philly it's a long trip because SEPTA takes over an hour (although it still might beat rush-hour traffic, depending on where you're going). SEPTA is annoying though, because the last train back is so early that you don't even have time to have dinner in Philly.
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