| |
"Dream
Towns"
By Sarah Mahoney / AARP Magazine
July & August 2006
Summer living, all year long
REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE
Sonja and Hoyte Decker
Two years before they planned to retire, Sonja and Hoyte Decker
settled on the Delaware coast as their retirement destination. Living
in Chevy Chase, Maryland, near where Hoyte worked for the U.S. Department
of Transportation, the two had been spending weekends and vacations
on the sandy beaches of the Maryland and Delaware shores for years.
But they liked friendly little Rehoboth Beach best of all. Just
three hours from friends and their daughter in Washington, D.C.,
it was also reasonably close to Hoyte's two children from a previous
marriage.
But finding their retirement house was challenging: Rehoboth Beach
itself is only about one square mile, with fewer than 1,500 full-time
residents. Housing costs—as in many beach communities—were
sky-high. "Houses were just too expensive, even in the late
1990s," says Hoyte, 65, "or else they were just small
cottages, or they weren't winterized. We decided against buying
an existing home. We had retired without a mortgage—that had
always been our goal. And we wanted to keep it that way," he
says.
Instead, when Hoyte retired in August 1998, the couple decided to
build their own retirement home. They didn't waste any time, either.
By September they had purchased a lot. By December they had contracted
with a builder. And by Memorial Day 1999 they moved in. It's been
one long beach season ever since.
The Deckers aren't the only retirees flocking to the area. With
a median age of 57, and 38 percent of the population over 65, Rehoboth
and the surrounding communities are a retiree's haven. That trend
shows no sign of slowing: Delaware expects its 65-plus population
to increase 75 percent in the next 25 years.
What makes Rehoboth Beach magical, of course, is the beach. "Walking
along in the early morning, it's like having the ocean to yourself,"
says Sonja, 61. "There are dolphins all summer long, different
kinds of birds—it's beautiful. And it means that in the summer
we have constant houseguests, which is great."
Why
the locals love it
Rehoboth Beach is a bargain
Housing in Rehoboth Beach proper is, admittedly, expensive, but
the nearby communities of Long Neck and Milton are quite reasonable
(and they're still only a few miles from the beach). All Delaware
residents can take advantage of the state's super-low property taxes;
plus, Delaware has no sales tax on goods, food, or entertainment.
Social Security and railroad-retirement benefits are exempt from
income tax, and taxpayers 60 and older can exclude up to $12,500
of investment and qualified pension income. Out-of-state government
pensions also qualify for the pension and retirement exemptions.
Lifestyle perks
The Deckers love that they can walk everywhere—whether it's
on the beach, along Rehoboth's mile-long boardwalk (circa 1873),
or to the area's little boutiques and more than 70 restaurants.
Great escapes
Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia are within a three-hour drive.
Residents love
The small-town atmosphere and the constant events—from Christmas
parades to the Annual Chocolate Festival. "Where else would
I be able to know the mayor, the chief of police, and be able to
be on the beach so much?" says Hoyte. "In Washington there
were a lot of things to do, and I did a few. In Rehoboth there are
not so many things to do—and we do them all."
Average temperature in summer: 68° F
Average temperature in winter: 41° F
Number of sunny days per year: 96
Casual supper for two at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats:
$30
Hot tickets: The Rehoboth Film Festival in November
screens about 100 of the year's best independent films, with a special
$6 rate for seniors.
|
|
