Delmar has a quiet, small-town atmosphere that straddles the Delaware-Maryland border
Delmar offers a quaint environment in a community that straddles the Delaware-Maryland border. The area was established in the mid-19th century as a passenger train depot, and when railroad workers moved to both sides of the state line, the communities slowly combined. Today, Delmar is known as “the little town too big for one state,” with separate mayors and town councils on either side of the border. Even with this minor separation, the town’s 1,800 residents find plenty of reasons to come together. “Delmar is really well-known for its annual festivals,” says Doug Stephens, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty who has sold homes in the area since 1987. Locals can celebrate the town’s history at the heritage festival held in the historic downtown district and pick up produce at the seasonal farmers market. “It’s a very classic small town,” Stephens says. “Everybody knows each other, and life is really quiet.”
Houses on the Delaware side have lower taxes
Homes here include bungalows, farmhouses and Colonial Revivals dating back to the early 1900s. Ranch styles and New Traditionals built between the ‘80s and 2020s are also common. Downtown Delmar’s sidewalk-lined streets follow a grid pattern, while roads on the outskirts are typically winding and surrounded by farmland. The median single-family home price here is around $316,500, slightly higher than Salisbury’s median. Buying on the Delaware side is often cheaper than in Maryland. “There’s no sales tax in Delaware, and income taxes are lower,” Stephens says. “When people move to Delmar, they tend to look at houses on the Delaware side first because of this.” Several Nanticoke River creeks flow through the area, and houses near these waterways may be in flood zones.
Two school districts serve Delmar
Kids can attend Delmar Elementary, which is part of Wicomico County Public Schools and gets a B from Niche. Students then switch to the Delmar School District for Delmar Middle & Delmar Senior High, both earning B pluses. The high school has career pathways like agriscience, marketing and health services. Salisbury University and Wor-Wic Community College are both less than 10 miles south.
Parks host Little League games and festivals
The community is home to several recreation spaces, including Gordy Park, which has skateboarding ramps and basketball courts. The Delmar Little League plays games on the Mason-Dixon Sports Complex’s four baseball diamonds. State Street Park on the border hosts community events, like the Delmar Farmers and Artisans Market, every Saturday between May and October. Locals can enjoy carnival rides, live musicians and lawn games during the Day in the Park Festival on the first Saturday of June. Engines roar from the U.S. 13 Dragway and the Delaware International Speedway, both located in the northern part of the community. Dragsters, dirt bikes and ATVs race on the two tracks, which are known to attract large crowds. “Those stands are packed on a Saturday night, no matter what race is happening,” Stephen says. The Delmar Public Library regularly hosts story times, painting classes and cardio classes. Several boat launches, hiking trails and hunting grounds sit along the Nanticoke River, less than 15 miles west.
Route 13 has commercial options, and downtown Delmar hosts the heritage day
Furniture stores, fast food restaurants and a Food Lion sit along U.S. Route 13 on the community’s eastern edge. Downtown Delmar has government offices and a pizza joint. Besides the Gothic Revival-style St. Stephen’s Methodist Church, there’s not much else downtown, but it's still a popular place to go for walks. “People will take their dogs for walks around there because that’s where all the century-old homes are, so it’s pretty,” Stephens says. Locals also visit downtown for Delmar Heritage Day at the end of September. The festival celebrates the town’s history with tours of 19th-century train cars and Delaware and Maryland residents competing in carnival games. Food vendors and artisans sell goods from tents along North Pennsylvania Avenue. Horse-drawn carriages carry families around the area, and musicians perform in front of the town hall.
Salisbury and other Eastern Shore towns are nearby
Though locals walk around downtown, Delmar is a car-dependent community. An 8-mile drive south on Route 13 leads to Salisbury, where locals will find the closest regional airport and hospital. Shore Transit provides buses to Salisbury, while DART has bus routes to other Eastern Shore towns like Laurel, Georgetown and Seaford. Delmarva Central Railroad is a freight line that runs through town. Traffic occasionally stops at roads intersecting with the tracks when trains pass by.
