Camden

Less than 3 miles south of Delaware’s capital city, Highland Acres offers that quintessential suburban atmosphere where people tend to stay for life. “You can find your forever home here and raise your family,” says Steve Schmidt, Broker/Owner with RE/MAX Horizons who has lived in the Highland Acres area his whole life. “I’ve been in my current house for 30-something years. People stay here.” Proximity to Dover offers museum exploration and Dover Motor Speedway NASCAR events, and Rehoboth Beach is only an hour’s drive south. Highland Acres also neighbors Dover Air Force Base on the east side. “It’s nice sitting on the porch and hearing the Reveille in the morning, and at night they play Taps,” Schmidt says. This long-standing tradition at the nearby military base complements the well-established and well-maintained environment found in this neighborhood. In addition to sending their kids to a highly rated school district, residents have easy commutes on U.S. Route 13, which borders the western edge of town and runs through the entire state. Most of Highland Acres’ residential streets are lined with beech, oak and maple trees, and a lack of sidewalks is no concern as driveways and attached garages keep the roads quiet. Common housing styles include ranch homes, colonial-inspired properties, Cape Cods and New Traditionals, many built in the late 1970s to early 2000s. These single-family homes typically sit on half-acre to full-acre lots, featuring well-manicured front lawns and sizeable backyards. Ranging in size from 1,000 to 3,000 square feet, price tags for these properties typically stay between $250,000 and $550,000. “A lot of people move in from New York or Pennsylvania because Delaware doesn’t tax your social security,” Schmidt says. “They want to still be close to their kids and grandkids, but they get more bang for their buck.” Students are part of the Caesar Rodney School District, the No. 1 Best School District in Kent County, according to Niche. They may begin at W. Reily Brown Elementary School, which Niche grades a B, before advancing to F. Niel Postlethwait Middle School, graded an A-minus. Caesar Rodney High School, which Niche grades an A-minus and ranks as the No. 1 Best Public High School in Kent County, has been the recipient of both the Siemens Foundation Award for Advanced Placement and the Lt. Governor’s Model of Educational Excellence Award. Private school options in the area include Calvary Christian Academy, a Pentecostal kindergarten through twelfth-grade school with a B-plus Niche grade. The academy shares the building where Calvary Church holds its services in affiliation with the Assemblies of God faith. Highland Acres residents are surrounded by green spaces, waterways and walking trails. On the west side across from U.S. Route 13, Brecknock County Park has 86 acres of athletic fields, walking trails and a castle-themed wooden playground. On the east side, Tidbury Creek Park features an off-leash dog park, a short walking loop and a playground that all surround Tidbury Pond. Near this park, Hunn Conservation Area offers 173 acres of preserved space and nature trails along the St. Jones River. Part of this river flows south for about 10 miles before it empties into Delaware Bay. Another waterway leads to the 14-mile St. Jones Greenway and nearby Moores Lake, a popular fishing spot on the northern part of Highland Acres. About 3 miles south of the neighborhood is Kent County Public Library, which recently won the 2024 Library of the Year award from the Delaware Library Association for its inclusive literature and community events. Shops, eateries and salons line the highway on the west side of Highland Acres. Bee Bowl’d is a local counter-serve spot offering acai bowls and smoothies, and nearby is Redner’s grocer. A half-mile down U.S. Route 13, there’s a Walmart and a few chain restaurants. On the south side of the neighborhood, located right off State Street, Restaurant 55 serves gourmet burgers and rotating craft beers. In the same plaza, Cool Springs Fish Bar & Restaurant is the go-to for seafood and cocktails. Also on State Street near Tidbury Park, Valerie’s Bar & Grill is a local watering hole with pub food and karaoke. Dover Air Force Base is located on the east side of Highland Acres, where large aircrafts flying in and out can cause noisiness for those who live close by. “You do hear planes every once in a while, but the flight patterns rarely come over our house in Highland Acres,” Schmidt says. The base is home to the active duty 436th Airlift Wing, known as the Eagle Wing, and the reserve’s 512th Airlift Wing, known as the Liberty Wing. Visitors from all over the country come to watch the highly anticipated air show, held every May, featuring the United States Air Force Thunderbirds and the United States Navy Blue Angels. Residents are also about 45 miles from Rehoboth Beach, a popular Atlantic Coast destination. “It’s about an hour’s drive, so you can easily take a day trip,” Schmidt says. “We like to take our Jeep out onto the beach.” U.S. Route 13 runs along the western edge of Highland Acres, and Delaware Route 1 – or Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway – is not too far to the east. There are several Delaware Administration for Regional Transit – DART – bus stops along U.S. Route 13 and State Road, which cuts through the center of the neighborhood. Bayhealth Hospital is the nearest hospital, less than 3 miles north in the downtown Dover area. There are several small-scale airports where hobby pilots can fly their planes, but the closest airport for resident travel is Wilmington Airport, about 50 miles north.