New Castle County Delaware 2017-2018 Resource & Relocation Guide
Table Of Contents 4-5 Newcomer Information 6 Health & Hospitals 7 Local Education 9 Things To Do 10 State Information 11 County History 12-13 New Castle County Map 16 Home Buyer Information 17 Buyer Mistakes 19 How Much Can You Afford 20 Tips to Selling Your Home 22 Packing Tips 23 Moving Checklist 24 Homefinder Notepad 14-15 New Castle City Map Skyline Publishing Project Coordinator: Devri Colver Ad & Book Designer: Linda Swindler 1
2 3
Newcomer Information Post Offices 4 US Post Office 125 Rickey Blvd. Bear, DE (302) 836-9300 US Post Office 401 Ogletown Rd. (302) 737-6464 US Post Office 147 Quigley Blvd. (302) 323-2260 Utilities Public Utilities 861 Silver Lake Blvd. Dover, DE (302) 736-7500 Sue Z Water Delaware 2000 First State Blvd. (302) 633-5900 Artesian Water Company 664 Churchmans Rd. (302) 453-6900 US Post Office 3434 Old Capitol Trail Marshallton, DE (302) 998-1168 US Post Office 500 Delaware Ave. (302) 656-0228 US Post Office 501 Delaware St. (302) 328-2392 Acorn Energy Inc. 4 W. Rockland Rd. Montchanin, DE (302) 656-1707 Wise Power Systems 500 Philadelphia Pike (302) 351-4613 Courthouse New Castle County Courthouse 500 N. King St., (302) 255-0000 Verizon Wireless 4407 Concord Pike (302) 529-2750 AT&T 715 Christi ana Rd. (302) 455-1100 Tricomm Services Corporation 2860 Ogletown Rd. (302) 454-2975 Police Fire New Castle County Sheriff - 800 N. French St. - (302) 395-8450 New Castle County Police Department 3601 N. Dupont Highway (302) 573-2800 Wilmington Police Department 300 N. Walnut St. (302) 654-5151 Christiana Fire Co. 2 E. Main St. Christiana, DE (302) 737-2433 Good Will Fire Co. 401 South St. (302) 328-2211 Odessa Fire Co. 304 Main St. Odessa, DE (302) 378-8929 Middletown Vol. Fire Co. 27 W. Green St. Middletown, DE (302) 378-7799 Hockessin Fire Co. 1225 Old Lancaster Pike Hockessin, DE (302) 239-7159 Minquas Fire Co. 21 N. James St. Newport, DE (302) 998-3474 New Castle City Police Department 1 Municipal Blvd. (302) 322-9800 Brandywine Hundred Fire 1006 Brandywine Blvd. (302) 764-4901 Mill Creek Fire Co. 3900 Kirkwood Highway Marshallton, DE (302) 998-8911 Cranston Heights Fire Co. 3306 Kirkwood Highway (302) 995-7083 5
6 7 Health & Hospitals Delaware Health & Social Services 1901 N. Dupont Highway (302) 255-9040 Dial 911for Emergencies Christiana Care Christiana Hospital 4755 Ogletown-Stanton Rd. (302) 733-1000 VA Medical Center Wilmington 1601 Kirkwood Hwy. (302) 994-2511 Bayhealth Medical Center 209 E. Main St. Middletown, DE (302) 378-1199 St. Francis Hospital 701 N. Clayton St. (302) 421-4100 Select Specialty Hospital 701 N. Clayton St. - 5th Floor (302) 421-4545 Wilmington Hospital 501 W. 14th St. (302) 733-1000 Union Hospital 821 N. Broad St. Middletown, DE (302) 378-6220 Newark Emergency Center 324 E. Main St. (302) 738-4300 Promote, protect and improve the health of all people in Delaware Local School Districts Appoquinimink School District (302) 376-4128 Brandywine School District (302) 793-5000 Christina School District (302) 552-2600 Colonial School District (302) 323-2700 Red Clay Consolidated School District (302) 552-3700 Smyrna School District (302) 653-8585 When Registering Your Children For School, Please Remember To Bring: Current Immunization Record & Birth Certificate Name & Address Of Last School Attended Last Report Card & Any Scores Obtained From Standardized Tests Colleges & Universities Wilmington University 320 N. Dupont Highway (302) 356-4636 Goldey-Beacom College 4701 Limestone Rd. (302) 998-8814 University of Delaware 210 S. College Ave. (302) 831-2792 Delaware College Art & Design 600 N. Market St. (302) 691-5047 Springfield College 1007 N. Orange St. (302) 658-5720 Dawn Career Institute 3700 Lancaster Pike (302) 633-9075 Delaware Technical & Community College 400 Stanton Christiana Rd. (302) 454-3956
New Castle County The Grand Opera House 818 N. Market St. (302) 652-5577 Delaware Art Museum 2301 Kentmere Pkwy. (302) 571-9590 Brandywine Zoo 1001 N. Park Dr. (302) 571-7747 Hagley Museum and Library 200 Hagley Creek Rd. (302) 658-2400 Delaware Museum of Natural History 4840 Kennett Pike (302) 658-9111 Winterthur Museum 5105 Kennett Pike (302) 888-4600 Nemours Mansion & Garden Tours 850 Alapocas Dr. (302) 651-6912 New Castle Farmers Market 110 N. Dupont Hwy. (302) 328-4102 Amstel House 2 East Fourth St. (302) 322-2794 Arden Fair & Antiques Market 2126 The Hwy. Arden, DE (302) 475-3126 Bowlerama Family Entertainment Bowling Center 3031 New Castle Ave. (302) 654-0263 Biggs Museum of American Art 406 Federal St. Dover, DE (302) 674-2111 Cape May-Lewes Ferry 43 Cape Henlopen Dr. Lewes, DE (800) 643-3779 Chapel Street Players 27 N. Chapel St. (302) 368-2041 Cornucopia Tours, Inc. 600 Halstead Rd. (302) 427-9037 Delaware Center for Horticulture 1810 N. Dupont St. (302) 658-6262 Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts 200 S. Madison St. (302) 656-6466 Delaware Children's Museum 550 Justison St. (302) 654-2340 Delaware History Museum 504 Market St. (302) 656-0637 Delaware Museum of Natural History 4840 Kennett Pike (302) 658-9111 Delaware Symphony Orchestra 818 N. Market St. (302) 656-7442 Fort Delaware Pea Patch Island Delaware City, DE (302) 834-7941 Twin Lakes Brewing Company 405 E. Marsh Lane Ste. 7 Newport, DE (302) 658-1826...and so much more! 8 9
10 Delaware The First State The 1st state to approve the new U.S. Constitution, Delaware is the oldest state in the Union. The motto is Liberty and Independence. Named after Delaware Bay and River, which were originally named after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577 1618), a governor of colonial Virginia. Although the state ranks 45th in population, it is the seventh most densely populated state, with a population density of 320 more people per square mile, ahead of states such as Florida, California, and Texas. Delaware s capitol of Dover, is one of the smallest and oldest capitals in the country. Capital: Dover Population: 843,524 State Bird: Blue Hen Chicken State Flower: Peach Blossom State Tree: American Holly State Song: Our Delaware - State Facts - State Mineral: Sillimanite Highest Point: Centerville (442 ft.) Area: 2,489 sq. miles Largest City: Wilmington Entered the Union: Dec. 7, 1787 Top Industries: Business, Agriculture And Tourism New Castle County History New Castle County, Delaware is located in the Middle Atlantic region. Bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, Maryland to the west, the Delaware River to the east, and Kent County, Delaware to the south, New Castle County is the northernmost of Delaware's three counties, the smallest in area, but the largest in population. New Castle County has a rich history, as the home of early European settlements, a center of industry in the colonial era, home to three signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the first county in the state. To early European explorers, the land along the Delaware River and Bay looked like a gold mine. The native Lenni Lenapes were a peaceful tribe with no centralized governing structure. Abundant wildlife made the area ideal for hunting; not only was there ample meat for eating, but there was easy money to be made by fur traders. Native Americans had lived in the area for over 10,000 years. The rivers and streams provided a generous variety of marine life and the land vegetation. The Lenapes worked with the traders until, plagued by new diseases and faced with a threat to their way of life, they moved away from the areas being settled by Europeans. With migration of the Lenapes, who had no notion of even the concept of land ownership, there were no practical impediments to permanent settlements along the Delaware. And, as wildlife populations steadily decreased due to over-hunting, agriculture became more common. New Castle County, as a government unit, was formed in 1673. During the early days following European colonization, control of land along the Delaware River went back and forth between the Dutch and Swedes. New Castle County underwent a number of changes in political control and in boundaries, it was controlled by the Swedes and Dutch before the British prevailed. Part of the land was granted to William Penn, and New Castle County was at one time part of Pennsylvania, and, later, had boundaries that extended into what is now New Jersey and Maryland. In 1704, William Penn granted the colonists of what is now Delaware the right to their own assembly, while still sharing a governor with Pennsylvania. Delaware played a critical role in the Revolutionary War. The state sent representatives to the Continental Congress. Three signers of the Declaration of Independence - George Read, Thomas McKean, and Caesar Rodney, lived in New Castle County. The only battle of the Revolutionary War to take place on Delaware soil occurred in New Castle County at CoochNewark. As the first state to ratify the Constitution, Delaware proclaims itself the First State. New Castle County, as the first regional jurisdiction established, is proud to be the First County of the First State. During the Civil War, Delaware was a border state. While the two lower counties lent more support to the South, New Castle County was supportive of the Union. Major links in the Underground Railroad were located in New Castle County. Prior to 1967, New Castle County was governed by a three-person Levy Court. With the growth in population and in the complexity of the government, the Levy Court system was no longer the most effective means of county government service delivery. Therefore, in 1967, the State General Assembly approved an Executive/Council form of government for New Castle County. The County Executive is elected to a four-year term and can only serve for two terms. County Council is comprised of 13 members, one member elected from each of 12 districts and Council President, who serves at large. Effective with the November 2004 election, County Council was expanded to 13 members. Council members serve 4-year terms and the terms are staggered such that half of Council comes up for reelection every two years (except following redistricting). There are no term limitations for Council members. 11
New Castle County 12 13
New Castle City 14 15
16 17
How much House Can You Afford? How much you can afford is determined by a relatively simple formula. Lenders generally figure that no more than 28 percent of your income should be for total housing costs. In addition, they require that your total monthly debt be less than 36 percent of your income. (Note: These are general numbers. Other loan programs may allow higher percentages.) For example, if you make $48,000 a year, divided by 12 months, your monthly income is $4,000. (Remember, that s $48,000 in gross pay, before federal and state taxes are removed.) Twenty-eight percent of $4,000 is $1,120. That is the most you can make in a monthly mortgage, taxes, and insurance payments. Generally, to qualify, the self-employed buyer must have been self-employed in the same line of work for at least 24 months before applying for a loan. Lenders use your net income, the figure at the bottom of schedule C of your federal income tax form, to decide how large a mortgage you can carry. But they don t look at what you earn now or what you made last year. Rather lenders figure the monthly average of your income over the past 24 months. Also, overtime pay & bonuses sometimes may not be figured into your average income. Don t forget that points, closing costs & other out-of-the-pocket expenses probably will come out to about one percent of the mortgage amount. 18 19
20 21
Packing Strategies Supplies: Preparing to move: A strategy for packing: Packing for efficiency: - - 22 23
24