There are a few quirks about this city, as there is with every city. The state of Deleware is serviced by volunteers for their fire departments instead of paid crew.
According to Delaware law, volunteers are not permitted to have, mount, or use sirens on their vehicles when in pursuit of a fire; therefore, each time a firecall is made the tornado air-raid sirens across the city go off. These sirens go off frequently and at all times of the day or night and it is unnerving at first. It took us several days to finally ask someone about the frequent sirens. When staying in a hotel on the south end of town we didn't hear the sirens, but when we moved into our apartment on the far west side of downtown we heard them five times within the first 24 hours of settling in! Crazy stuff! With all of the technology today at our fingertips... like cellphones for calling and texting, it is annoying that air-raid sirens are used day and knight to wake up everyone in the city for each fire call.
Next up, stop lights here do not appear to be timed or at least timed well. I find myself sitting at a red light with no other cars in sight for what feels like five minutes for each light. Because the city is so old, blocks are short and stoplights are plentiful. What should take 3 minutes to navigate takes more like 9 minutes. I can be stopped at a light with no other car in sight while I wait for 3 minutes per light for the signal to turn green.
The city of Dover is the state capital. Government seems to be the biggest employer here. Therefore, there is a high unemployment rate particularly for the black and minority population. Unfortunately, developers here have become predatory here, meaning, that the large historic homes which populate the downtown area have been run down, foreclosed up, then snapped up by developers turned slum-lords. Large sections of the downtown are now home to the unemployed and the under employed poor of Dover. Crime is higher than the national average and the downtown business area has died because of it. 20% of the population in Dover earns $20,000 or less per year for a family of four. That is quite a bit higher than the national average. With that population living downtown there is plenty of room for trouble in the business district. Less pedestrian traffic, less investment, and less money coming into businesses has cause the downtown Loockerman Street to have a 30% storefront vacancy rate. As of 2014 the State is attempting to pour business development funds into the downtown, but quite frankly, until the jobs develop (better paying that minimum wage) the business revenue cannot return. Those with the higher earning wages that the State jobs provide have built in suburbs. The three thriving businesses here that we have seen so far are: The Dollar Tree/Dollar Gerneral/Family Dollar - those are on every corner! Liquor stores are a booming business - there are more liquor stores here than there are even in Wisconsin. That is quite remarkable. Bail/Bonds also seems to be big business are there are several business on State Street and Governors offering 24/7 services.
Since we have lived here, which is only for one month so far, the Restaurant Association credit card processing site has been hacked and our credit card info has been stolen and fraudulent charges have been made, and I have personally been approached by a thirty-something man in the grocery store at 1:00pm in the afternoon offering to sell me his food stamps in exchange for cash. While the history of the city is terrific here, opportunity lacks and, unfortunately, this city of Dover has left the impression of being seedy.
Another fact with this city, Dover has a very high sex offender rate compared to the national average. Some critics suggest it is because there isn't much to do here. Liquor stores are on every corner in Dover. I wonder if that is a contributing factor. Liquor seems to be the big business here as those parking lots are always full while restaurant parking lots seem mostly empty.
There is a stretch of the DuPont Highway just south of the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino that is a restaurant waste-land. This is the busiest stretch of roadway real-estate in the city yet there are at least five restaurants in a row that sit empty and abandoned with no other businesses in between.
Now for more of the positives. The surrounding area is quite scenic with vast amounts of waterfront reserved for wildlife. Pickering Beach is the home of the largest population in the United States for breeding horseshoe crabs. At high tide you can easily see the strange, prehistoric creatures on the beach by the thousands. Some grow to be a couple of feet long!
Customer service here provided by the young generation actually seems better, more sincere, than in other parts across the US. When these people thank you, they actually mean it, not just repeat some mantra.
Having unpacked and catching our breath we had a little time to explore the area. One of the big attractions here is the big casino, Dover Downs. Not only is it a sizable, luxurious casino, but it also sports one of the fastest NASCAR circle tracks in the United States. I hear that they host one event a year on the track. For another part of the season the stands are filled with harness racing enthusiasts. While we arrived too late in the season to catch a horserace, the pictures look pretty amazing of the grounds. More on that later as we discover it for ourselves.
Dover sits in perfect proximity to the Rehoboth Beach entertainment district, Wilmington's attractions, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, and New York City. All of this to see and do close enough for just a day trip.
While we certainly don't want to stay in Dover, we are enjoying being here as we get to see the Eastern Seaboard up close and personal.
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