Delaware Questions

[motivated2surf]

My family and I are considering moving to Delaware because it's hard to afford the cost of living in NJ now. The taxes are close to $9,000.00. I look at Delaware and the taxes are only $500 annually. This is a huge difference.

I don't see what we really get for our taxes here in NJ but was curious why the taxes are so low there. Could any people from Delaware explain why the taxes are lower? Are the schools good in Delaware? Are the schools run at the state level instead of the local level?

Also, we are looking at living in a Coastal town there but didn't want to just have summer people or old retired people for neighbors. Are there any beach towns there with a high population of annual people that have kids? We looked at Rehoboth but it seems like it's mainly tourists and can get quite busy with the boardwalk.

Feel free to pm me if you don't want to post the information on the forum. Also, don't worry I will always respect locals in the area and I know my place in a lineup.

Thanks.

[eppeldaa]

this is a complicated question
it will require someone who has time and knowledge
i have neither

[mitchell]

My family and I are considering moving to Delaware because it's hard to afford the cost of living in NJ now. The taxes are close to $9,000.00. I look at Delaware and the taxes are only $500 annually. This is a huge difference.

I don't see what we really get for our taxes here in NJ but was curious why the taxes are so low there. Could any people from Delaware explain why the taxes are lower? Are the schools good in Delaware? Are the schools run at the state level instead of the local level?

Also, we are looking at living in a Coastal town there but didn't want to just have summer people or old retired people for neighbors. Are there any beach towns there with a high population of annual people that have kids? We looked at Rehoboth but it seems like it's mainly tourists and can get quite busy with the boardwalk.

Feel free to pm me if you don't want to post the information on the forum. Also, don't worry I will always respect locals in the area and I know my place in a lineup.

Thanks.

Property taxes are cheap (mine are $650 / year) and there is no sales tax because Delaware makes a lot of money off companies that incorporate here (even if they arent physically located here) due to advantagous Delaware tax laws for companies.

Your not going to find any towns along the coast that dont have a high percentage of older retirees and summer rental houses. Lewes is probably the closest thing to a year-around community with family neighborhoods. Have to drive to waves tho...

Honestly, if living in a beach town with decent waves nearby (like walk/bike distance) is what your looking for, forget Delaware. If low cost living, but having to hop in the car and drive 30-45 minutes to find fun waves is something you can live with, then Delaware might work for you.

[delawaredell]

There are alot of corporations paying lots of taxes since they are based in delaware. It creates some relief for the rest of us. I believe they also collect a 1.5% tax when you buy or sell property that you don't have other places, but that's small unless you're flipping. It is true though, much cheaper. My family and I pay $400/year in taxes on our beach place in lower slower delaware, similar places in MD would have been 5-6,000/year. My house in northern Delaware I pay around 1500/year, if it were in MD it could be 5-8 depending on where it is. I obviously don't live full time in lower de, but check out Ocean View, Lewes, Milford, Fenwick, etc to start with for better community atmospheres.

[walkingonh2o]

jersey=high taxes

everywhere else=normal taxes

you could just move to tuckerton or something

[motivated2surf]

Property taxes are cheap (mine are $650 / year) and there is no sales tax because Delaware makes a lot of money off companies that incorporate here (even if they arent physically located here) due to advantagous Delaware tax laws for companies.

Your not going to find any towns along the coast that dont have a high percentage of older retirees and summer rental houses. Lewes is probably the closest thing to a year-around community with family neighborhoods. Have to drive to waves tho...

Honestly, if living in a beach town with decent waves nearby (like walk/bike distance) is what your looking for, forget Delaware. If low cost living, but having to hop in the car and drive 30-45 minutes to find fun waves is something you can live with, then Delaware might work for you.

Thanks Mitchell. When you say 30-45 minutes, are you still talking about the beaches in Delaware. Are the waves in Delaware equivalent to Jersey waves or do you need to travel south for better quality?

[waytooold]

The waves in NJ are much better as of late. The breaks in Delaware have been harmed by alot of dredging recently. It's now mostly shorebreak everywhere. The most consistent wave remains at one spot near Lewes. But, boy does it get crowded. Lewes is by far the best place in Southern Delaware to live year round with school age children. Schools are ok (the new High School is beautiful), at least as compared to Maryland.

[shark-hunter]

The waves in NJ are much better as of late. The breaks in Delaware have been harmed by alot of dredging recently. It's now mostly shorebreak everywhere.

I don't why people continually allow this crap to happen. It creates dangerous waves and completey ruins surf/boogie boarding breaks. It's because people won't stand together. I've seen it before on this site. People actually arguing on here FOR that nourishment crap with no regard to the affect on a break. Complete haters. Think crowds are bad now? Just wait until they destroy almost every surf break out there. They even try this crap in california http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/dr...san-die_19208/
But the surf culture is too strong to allow that crap to happen out there as much as it happens on this coast at least.

You can do nourishment projects while still keeping in my mind the wave quality as well and not completely anihillating a sandbar.

The army corps don't give a rat's ass about the sandbar, unless a lot of people stand up and complain.

[SkegLegs]

I don't why people continually allow this crap to happen. It creates dangerous waves and completey ruins surf/boogie boarding breaks. It's because people won't stand together. I've seen it before on this site. People actually arguing on here FOR that nourishment crap with no regard to the affect on a break. Complete haters. Think crowds are bad now? Just wait until they destroy almost every surf break out there. They even try this crap in california http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/dr...san-die_19208/
But the surf culture is too strong to allow that crap to happen out there as much as it happens on this coast at least.

You can do nourishment projects while still keeping in my mind the wave quality as well and not completely anihillating a sandbar.

The army corps don't give a rat's ass about the sandbar, unless a lot of people stand up and complain.

100 surfers complaining about playing in the ocean compared to hundreds of millions of dollars in tourist revenue. You do the math.

[shark-hunter]

100 surfers complaining about playing in the ocean compared to hundreds of millions of dollars in tourist revenue. You do the math.

Tourists don't understand what dredging even is unfortunately. Trust me, most would rather play in waves on a beach with a more gradual slope rather than taking two steps and being overhead deep water. A ton of tourists boogie board and many rent surf boards/take surf lessons. And of cours e a beach with a gradual slope is MUCH safter than a steep beach. That's just common sense. Shore pound is dangerous

And it's not 100's. It's thousands upon thousands of surfers. Every complaint matters. If no one complains, nothing will be changed. Sort of like voting.

It really doesn't take much to adjust the design of a dredging project so a beach isn't kept flat and to completely destroy a sandbar.