The City of Wilmington is Delaware’s cultural and corporate center. The largest city in the state, it is defined by its individual residential neighborhoods, its prime position on the East Coast corridor—midway between New York City and Washington, D.C.—and by the revitalization of its riverfront, where a mix of corporate centers, residential towers, and retail establishments is energizing city life. Neighborhoods such as Trolley Square, Highlands, Wawaset Park, West Haven, Little Italy and Browntown offer a mix of urban chic and ethnic flavor. Wilmington’s Amtrak station is a major stop on the Boston-to- Florida line; Philadelphia and its international airport are only a 30-minute drive away.
Brandywine Hundred, also known as North Wilmington, is home to a wealth of quiet and attractive suburban neighborhoods developed in the 1950s through the ‘70s to accommodate executives and employees of the DuPont Company. Solid construction, larger lots with mature landscaping, abundant shopping centers, and close proximity to commuter routes and downtown Wilmington are assets that continue to attract new families to places like Woodbrook, Arden, Fairfax, Edenridge, Tavistock and Graylyn Crest.
Greenville and Centreville comprise the upscale “chateau country” of Northern Delaware along the Rt. 52 corridor, historically known as Kennett Pike and preserved as a pristine scenic highway. Just north of Wilmington and encompassing Westover Hills, suburban Greenville offers a retail center of specialty shops and mature neighborhoods of elegant homes along heavily wooded byways. Rural Centreville is defined by an historic village, scenic byways, and vast tracts of rolling land—former duPont family estates now protected from development by the Brandywine Conservancy. Only 15 minutes from downtown Wilmington, this area is the perfect combination of rural serenity and ultimate convenience, and a steppingstone into Pennsylvania.
Hockessin, located northwest of Wilmington and also bordering Pennsylvania, offers rolling hills and semi-rural privacy in executive-home neighborhoods developed in the 1980s and ‘90s. What was once an agricultural area is now a chic bedroom-community enclave with its own commuter corridor into downtown Wilmington. Hockessin’s village has a wide range of specialty shops, from garden center to organic food market, in addition to Lantana Square, a full-service shopping center. The newly expanded Hockessin Library and state-of-the-art Hockessin Athletic Center are also major assets.
Newark, just 12 miles south of Wilmington via I-95, is home to the University of Delaware. In addition to year-round cultural opportunities and seasonal sporting events, the town provides an interesting retail mix of specialty shops and restaurants along its vibrant Main Street core. Call it small-town living with an urban edge. Housing choices range from traditional vintage homes on lovely residential streets surrounding the university to executive homes and townhomes in newer communities on the semi-rural periphery. Pike Creek Valley, on the outskirts of Newark, offers multiple communities in scenic settings. The area’s heavily wooded, rolling terrain has great natural beauty. Nearby recreational assets include the vast White Clay Creek Preserve and Fair Hill Nature Natural Resource Management Area; Chesapeake Bay and its many marinas are less than 30 minutes away.
Historic New Castle, Delaware’s second oldest town, is a treasure trove of colonial period homes in a setting faithfully maintained as an authentic piece of American history. It is Delaware’s version of colonial Williamsburg—with real residents. They are drawn to the cobblestone streets of The Strand, the view of the Delaware River from Battery Park, and a lifestyle that offers walking-distance proximity to specialty shops and quaint restaurants. Only six miles south of Wilmington, New Castle has housing that ranges from elite properties in the historic district to more affordable homes on the outlying streets.
Southern New Castle County has been one of the state’s primary growth areas for the past 10 years or more. Towns such as Bear (along Rt. 40) and Middletown (south of Newark) have spawned hundreds of new-construction communities within commuting distance of Wilmington via the Del. 1 artery that extends into Kent and Sussex counties to the south. In addition to being closer to Lewes, Rehoboth and other beach resorts, Middletown is attractive for its highly acclaimed Appoquinimink School District and for generally offering larger home sites in well-designed communities. Housing choices run the gamut, from executive homes to townhomes. In both Bear and Middletown, services have followed the housing growth spurt, making these areas very attractive to a range of buyers.
Southern Chester County and Delaware County, Pennsylvania are within easy commute of Wilmington and offer both new-home communities in settings with great natural beauty and older homes in historic towns or country villages.
As the county seat, West Chester is a bustling town with an historic heritage and a contemporary urban vibe. Its expansive retail core includes boutique and specialty shops, along with many diverse, upscale restaurants. The outlying rural areas feature attractive new-construction communities, such as Cherry Creek, that offer executive homes and townhomes in a bucolic setting.
Storied Chadds Ford also lies north of Wilmington and is the setting for historic Chester County farmhouses, high-end mansions, new-construction homes and traditional vintage homes in well-established, lushly landscaped communities. Its enduring popularity as a residential area derives as much from the award-winning Unionville-Chadds Ford School District as from the history that imbues the land and the natural beauty that defines the topography.
Kennett and Landenberg, just west of Hockessin, offer a similar combination of rolling hills and heavily wooded terrain. Rural serenity, natural beauty and spectacular vistas are assets that shape the lifestyle.
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Schools in Wilmington, Greenville and New Castle County
