Vienna is a historic small town on the Nanticoke River
The age-old community of Vienna lies at the east end of Dorchester County, right beside the Nanticoke River. "Vienna has a distinct historic, quaint little town feel to it," says Mary Mabry, an Eastern Shore native and 23-year real estate agent with Keller Williams Select Realtors of Annapolis. "There's also a great local elementary school, which can attract folks to move here." Years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, it was a dense commercial hub for tobacco trading and shipbuilding on the Eastern Shore. Today, residents can live in modest riverside cottages and socialize at popular local events, all while living less than half an hour from Salisbury for work or leisure.
Single-family homes with riverside options
Popular home styles in town include ramblers, Cape Cods and open-porch cottages. Single-family homes line narrow, small-town streets, and are often priced between $190,000 and $300,000, varying by age and square footage. A handful of waterfront homes are along Church and Water Street, and these options tend to be the priciest in town.
Vienna Elementary School motivates students to build good habits
Dorchester County Public Schools is the main district serving Vienna. Students can attend Vienna Elementary School, which has a B-rating from Niche, while North Dorchester Middle School is rated a C-plus, and North Dorchester High gets a B-minus. Vienna Elementary is ranked as the third-best Niche Standout School in Maryland and has a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Committee with teachers and counselors to motivate students to be in good academic standing with rewards and activities.
Popular local events display Vienna's history and culture
The Vienna Farmers Market runs on Friday afternoons from July through November, for residents seeking locally sourced produce. "Vienna is known for its Indian heritage; there's a festival every year," says Mabry. "And in the summertime, they do weekend bands down at the marina." Music on the Nanticoke is a free summer concert series at Emperor Landing Park's pavilion, and locals come out with chairs and picnic blankets to catch live music in the evenings. The Native American Festival has been an annual fall tradition in town for over thirty years. It features traditional indigenous music and dance performances, vendors, educational exhibits and a raffle.
Riverfront parks and nearby wetland trails
Emperors Landing Park is the town's main waterfront green space, bearing the area's name back when it was a 17th-century village for the Nanticoke Tribe. The park features boat slips for locals to dock motorboats for pleasure cruises or fishing trips on the Nanticoke River. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is west of Vienna, and offers miles of wetland trails, guided birdwatching tours and waterfowl hunting zones.
Locals dine at Millie's, or shop in Cambridge
Millie's Road House Bar is a community hangout that offers drinks, seafood, burgers and steak specials in its down-home dining area. "Vienna pretty much has Millie's, the local bar," says Mabry. "Most shopping isn't done locally besides the farmers' market." Folks can browse the commercial corridor along U.S. Route 50 in Cambridge to the west, with a Walmart, an Aldi, and several fast-food chain restaurants. Salisbury has several shopping centers, including The Centre At Salisbury, an indoor mall with department stores like Burlington and Boscov's.
Commuters can reach Salisbury in half an hour
Salisbury is an 18-mile drive away on Route 50, which takes around half an hour to reach. The city features the Salisbury Regional Airport, retail centers and regional employers like Perdue. Cambridge is 16 miles west on Route 50 for shopping and dining options. The University of Maryland Shore Medical Center is a nearby hospital, also in Cambridge.
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Written By
Maxwell Olarinde
