Camden Delaware

[brava4]

Originally Posted by rdlr

West of Dover, and a little southwest of Dover can get pretty bad at various times of the year. In addition to chicken farms, sludge (actually called liquid manure) trucked in from elsewhere is spread on lots of open farm land. I was told the farmers get it free which helps their crops, and the "givers" are glad to get rid of it. In my opinion, that stuff is much more rank than the smells of cleaning out manure from the broiler houses, which are in both Kent and Sussex Counties. I learned a lot about the broiler operations, as I lived and worked on our chicken farm in Kent County. The broiler houses are cleaned out between flocks, which is why the odors are not constant.The farmers have contracts with various chicken processing plants, thus the cleaning of houses between those coming and going.

Oh right the chicken farms!! I forgot about those, they can be really stinky. Not the smells of a farm or just plain old manure.

I moved to Vermont when I was a teen and whenever my parents would take us driving down dirt roads to explore my mother would always exclaim... "Love the smell of manure. Someone should bottle it". (she sorta said it the way Robert Duvall said he loved the smell of napalm in the morning in Apocalypse Now)

[doctorjef]

Yeah, I rather like the smell of composted manure, but I reckon that's different than sludge. Years ago at the library of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado I espied an industrial journal called "Sludge"

Last weekend we were driving through Dover behind a big truck loaded with crates of battery hens. White leghorns -- only they weren't white; they were so filthy dirty that they were buff brown. Sad. And a bit sickening.

[rdlr]

Many years back, when the trek to Delaware first began, farmers started putting large signs up at the end of their lanes, and in open fields...... worded something like this:
Delaware is an agricultural state. This is a working farm in AC/AR zoning (agriculture conservation/agriculture residential). We raise farm animals, poultry and grow grain. Our work days start early. Please be aware that we plow, fertilize and cultivate these fields, and there may be odors from the farm animals, and fumes from the farm equipment. Know before you move here.

Many of those signs still stand, especially around the Magnolia area, which is now in Kent County's designated growth zone.

[doctorjef]

That's another angle of my dislike of all these housing developments thrown up on former farmland. But there's no single party to blame for that. Everyone's responsible for that.

The thing is, most other places IME communities grow outward from the central nexus of a sizeable population cente -- in DE that would basically be Wilmington or Dover. But here, instead, there's lots of development thrown up on the outskirts of small towns and all along significant (not even major) arteries of the state's highway system.

[cgerlach1]

I hope to be able to thank you all sufficiently for you valuable time and energy. Perhaps, one day, I'll be able to give someone some solid advice who is seeking answers to important questions. Thanks very much.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

That's another angle of my dislike of all these housing developments thrown up on former farmland. But there's no single party to blame for that. Everyone's responsible for that.

Yes, that's very true.

[anne61]

I don't know about anyone else, but I would LOVE to live in Camden!!! Just reading the replies on here..sounds like my type of place that I want to live in!!
I'm tired of the moving all over. (Military life) and I am all about the country life, living simply, and this sounds so ideal. My husband is currently applying for a position that is available and I am keeping my fingers crossed. I WANT TO LIVE THERE!!!

[retiree2011]

Originally Posted by anne61

I don't know about anyone else, but I would LOVE to live in Camden!!! Just reading the replies on here..sounds like my type of place that I want to live in!!
I'm tired of the moving all over. (Military life) and I am all about the country life, living simply, and this sounds so ideal. My husband is currently applying for a position that is available and I am keeping my fingers crossed. I WANT TO LIVE THERE!!!

Yes, you would love Camden. I stayed overnight at Barclay Farms a few years ago, in a model home that was for sale (certainly sold by now). All I heard at night were crickets, the streets (in the development) are short and dead-end, so not a lot of traffic by the homes. Right now I live on a state road, and in addition to all the cars, people illegally drive ATV's around, plus the loud motorcycles in the summer. A place like Barclay Farms would be heaven on earth to me. Plus, the location can't be beat; it is just about a mile to the shopping strip and about 4 miles to Dover Downs. Good luck in your search!

[NJVillasOutsider]

I agree Camden,is really nice,I,ve visit there often,Also Barclay Farms I really love,and I stayed there too,The whole area has alot to do.Very friendly too.Also love Halls to eat,we stop there when we visit.Good luck