A farming village and bedroom community meet in Newark
The community of Newark stretches from the wetlands along Newport Bay to inland cornfields, covering the rural area between the Eastern Shore towns of Berlin and Snow Hill. The fields around Newark largely support the county’s large chicken-raising industry. “Our crops are almost all corn and soybeans raised to make chicken feed,” says Jeff Chapman, a Realtor at Long & Foster and a lifelong resident of Worcester County. While Newark is a farming community to many, it’s a bedroom community for others who want to live near the beach while removed from the touristy streets of Ocean City. “If someone was buying a home there, they’re going to work in Ocean City, Salisbury, Berlin or Snow Hill,” Chapman says.
Developments add modern homes to Newark’s mature housing stock
Colonial Revivals and Victorians built in the early 1900s are clustered in the center of Newark. Ranch homes were later added on the south and east sides of the community. A few subdivisions have been developed since the mid-2000s, including a loop of Cape Cod-style homes called Arcadia and a cluster of spacious houses on acre-plus lots along Cropper Island Road. Prices in Newark generally vary from $250,000 to $480,000, though homes on Cropper Island Road can fetch more than $700,000. The CAP Index Crime Score is 1 out of 10, lower than the national average of 4.
Clusters of schools in Snow Hill and Berlin
Kids can take classes in Snow Hill, where Snow Hill Elementary teaches kindergartners through third graders and receives an A grade from Niche. Snow Hill Middle gets an A-minus, while Snow Hill High scores a B-plus. Juniors and seniors at Snow Hill High can take dual enrollment courses through one of three nearby institutions: Salisbury University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Wor-Wic Community College. Children living on the north end of Newark may instead attend a pipeline of schools located in Berlin.
Boat ramps and beaches on the Eastern Shore
A boat ramp at Mason Landing provides an entry point to Massey Creek and Newport Bay for boaters, who can navigate on to Ocean City. Ten miles from Newark, trails and beaches cover Assateague State Park. Visitors to the long, narrow island can relax on the sandy oceanfront or kayak around the marshy bayside, with wild horses roaming both environments. North of Assateague, boardwalks, bars and amusement park rides line Ocean City’s beachfront. Tourists pack Ocean City in the summer, so Eastern Shore locals tend to go in the offseason, Chapman says.
Only a few businesses in Newark, but more shopping and dining in Berlin, Snow Hill
Farms are found throughout Newark, and Fresh Cut Butcher Shop sells beef, pork and produce raised on one of those farms. In the center of Newark, Barbely’s serves fried chicken and other country cooking staples that draw people from Salisbury. “People will drive 30 miles to have dinner at Barbely’s,” Chapman says. Down the street, a deli operates out of a convenience store at the Sunoco gas station. People do their grocery shopping in Berlin, a town that’s also home to local hangouts such as Burley Oak Brewing Co. Meanwhile, people may head to nearby Snow Hill to go antique shopping or to sip coffee at Golden Clover Café.
Located on the lower Eastern Shore
U.S. Route 113 passes through Newark as it travels throughout the lower Eastern Shore. Newark residents can catch nonstop flights to Charlotte and Philadelphia from Salisbury Regional Airport, 20 miles away.
Written By
Alex Soderstrom
