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Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Part of Delaware's Waterfront Resort Region, Touristy, Old Fashioned Rehoboth Beach is Known for its Fun Mile-Long Wooden Boardwalk and Classic Beach Vibe
Founded by a Methodist minister in 1873, touristy Rehoboth Beach sits on Delware's southern coast. Along with Dewey Beach, Bethaney Beach and some other seaside towns, it makes up the state's popular waterfront resort area and has a long, clean beach.
Rehoboth Beach also exudes old fashioned, small town charm, with local leaders working to keep it that way. The downtown is small, and tall buildings and large commercial developments are few. The town may be best known for its mile-long wooden boardwalk packed full of colorful funky shops, excellent eateries, and amusements. The beach bandstand offers a season of free concerts, and the professional Clear Space Theatre Company has a year-round schedule as well as adult performing arts classes. The Rehoboth Art League maintains six galleries on a shaded campus and sponsors salons, cottage tours, bus trips, and more than 150 classes in painting, pottery, drawing, writing, and fiber art. Locals support a farmers' market, a walking club, a senior center, a visitors' center and more. A Tanger Outlets sits on the outskirts of town.
There are eight parks. Teardrop has a dock along Silver Lake. Deer Park and Central Park have wooded areas for wildlife viewing. The town's tennis courts are at Deauville Beach. Nearby Cape Henlopen State Park is home to hiking trails, a secluded beach, birds and reptiles. The Delaware Seashore State Park offers fishing and boating year round.
Fall brings three celebrations. The Sea Witch Festival has costume parades for dogs and their humans. The town's film festival is the oldest and largest event of its kind in the state. The jazz festival stretches through a long weekend in early October.
Housing includes ranch ramblers, cottages and Cape Cods, some on stilts, some on sandy lanes and some on wooded lots. The median home price hovers near $750,000, remaining steady during the last year.
The cost of living is 45% above the national average.
About 1,300 people live in Rehoboth Beach year round. In the summer, the population swells to 25,000. The demogrpahic is mature, with 70% of locals age 45 or better. The town is well-educated as 67% of residents hold a four-year college degree.
Summer temperatures are typically in the 80s, while winter temperatures average in the 30s and 40s, with around 45 inches of rain and 10 inches of snow annually.
Rehoboth Beach has no hospital, but Beebe Medical Center is just five miles away in Lewes. Public transit operates only in the summer, linking downtown, Tanger Outlets, and neighboring beach towns. The public library is a popular place.
The crime rate is above the national average, but most incidents are concentrated in the downtown and tourist areas. Many residential sections remain safe.
The town is conservative politically, yet also gay-friendly, home to a popular gay beach. East Coast residents come to shop, thanks to Delaware having no sales tax.
Delaware may be one of the nation’s smallest states, but it offers an appealing mix of coastal beauty and financial advantages that make it especially attractive to retirees.
Its Atlantic shoreline is lined with fun beach towns like Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach, and Dewey Beach, where visitors and residents alike enjoy boardwalks, fresh seafood, and summer festivals.
Beyond the sand and surf, Delaware’s greatest draw for many is its tax friendliness: the state has no sales tax, low property taxes, and exempts Social Security benefits from state income tax, making everyday living a little more affordable.
This combination of relaxed seaside living and financial perks has helped Delaware maintain a reputation as one of the East Coast’s most desirable retirement destinations.
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