Milford

On the southern outskirts of Milford, Lincoln was originally settled by people building the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Railroad in 1865. Lumber mills, general stores and a horse racing track helped the town grow over the next few decades until a fire burned down most of the area by the 1890s. Today, the train tracks are part of the Delmarva Central Railroad, a freight line stretching over 180 miles. Even with this industrial element, RE/MAX Horizons Realtor and Milford local Myra Mitchell says the community is more known for its rural character. “You get a quiet lifestyle and big pieces of land here. There’s one stop light, one post office and one fire station. It’s technically a suburb of Milford, but it’s more rural than anything else.” Locals will pass by soybean crops, rusted grain silos and convenience stores as they drive along the cracked asphalt roads here. Cozy bars, art galleries and performing arts centers fill Italianate-style storefronts in downtown Milford, less than 4 miles north of the neighborhood, and Delaware’s white sand coastline is just 10 miles to the east. <br><br>Most homes in Lincoln were built between the 1950s and ‘70s. Ranch styles sit on half-to-1-acre lots, often with wide-open pastures in the backyard. Gravel driveways run alongside three-bedroom Cape Cod cottages shaded by mature pin oak trees. The neighborhood also has a few mid-1800s clapboard-façade farmhouses and custom-built New Traditional homes from the early 2000s. Buying here typically costs between $100,000 and $400,000, a range similar to a Milford home’s average $350,000 selling price. Mitchell says Lincoln’s real estate market is active because it’s outside city limits. “Every time I put a house up here, I’ll show it at least three to four times within the first week. People are eager to move out here because they don’t have to pay Milford property taxes, but they’re still close enough to enjoy the city.” <br><br>Lincoln has a few community hubs, including the white brick Lincoln Community Center, which locals can rent for birthday parties, weddings and other small celebrations. Lincoln United Methodist’s white, Carpenter Gothic-style church has been on Road 38C since the mid-1800s, while the Pentecostal Church of God of Lincoln's contemporary stone structure was built on Greentop Road in 1965. <br><br>Though several Delaware coast beaches are just a quick drive away from Lincoln, Mitchell says Slaughter Beach is a local favorite because of its quiet setting. “Slaughter Beach is in a tiny town that almost no tourists visit, so you don’t have to deal with crowds. It’s a hidden gem for everyone in the Milford area.” American beachgrass and broken seashells cover Slaughter Beach’s shoreline, where horseshoe crabs lay eggs between May and June. Anglers can catch rockfish and bluefish on rock jetties, and hikers can trek the boardwalk path traversing the 108-acre Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve. <br><br>Children can attend kindergarten at the Morris Early Childhood Center, which is on 3rd Street and receive a B-grade from Niche. They may continue to C-plus-graded Mispillion Elementary School and B-minus-rated Milford Central Academy. Milford High School earns a B-plus and offers 15 Advanced Placement classes, like environmental science, human geography and European history. <br><br>The Little Lincoln Store on Road 38B has an ice cream cooler, snacks and a deli counter located in a red barn-style storefront. A Redner’s grocery store is about 4 miles north of the area, but Mitchell says locals can also get essentials from Lincoln’s Dollar General. “They get produce shipments every once in a while, so it’s more convenient than your average dollar store.” The neighborhood also has a few industrial facilities, including auto repair shops, storage units and landscaping supply companies. For restaurants or retailers, locals drive to downtown Milford, where red-brick sidewalks are lined with black vintage lampposts, young elm trees and pocket parks along the Mispillion River. An American and Irish flag wave outside Milford Tavern, known for its pool table and all-wood bar stocked with whiskey. Dark green booths fill Westside Restaurant, a diner that’s served stacks of pancakes and pies by the slice since 1997. A Walmart Supercenter and numerous fast-food restaurants like Starbucks and McDonald’s are along Dupont Boulevard. <br><br>Lincoln does not have sidewalks, making it a car-dependent community. The neighborhood’s only stop light is at Marshall Street and Johnson Road. Streets intersecting the Delmarva Central Railroad may briefly close to traffic when trains drive by. Dupont Boulevard on Lincoln’s western border connects to Delaware Route 1, leading to Philadelphia with a 100-mile drive north. Baltimore and Washington D.C. are 95 miles west via U.S. Route 50. Several Delaware Authority Regional Transit bus stops are in the area, giving riders access to Dover via Route 303. Bayhealth Hospital’s concrete and glass building sits on over 200 acres, just 2 miles east of Lincoln. The Salisbury Regional Airport, 45 miles south, offers daily flights with American Airlines.