Many people dream of beach living in retirement. If retirement is a non-stop vacation, then beach living really makes that feeling come to life. In the Mid-Atlantic, active adults looking to retire near the beach often choose Delaware.
Maryland only offers a few communities near the beach and the communities around Virginia Beach are more urban, with the Hampton Roads metropolitan area next door.
Then there’s Delaware, which provides 13 communities near the Atlantic beaches of Rehoboth, Dewey, and Bethany. Plus, The First State has become an active adult paradise due to its low cost of living and tax friendliness, including no sales tax.
While all are within 45 minutes of the beach, here are five great communities to consider to live near a Delaware beach.
Bay Crossing – Lewes
Mid $300s – High $500s
Imagine, in just a 15-minute drive, the beach beckons. At Bay Crossing in Lewes, Delaware, this is the reality for residents.
This medium-sized community of 256 homes offers single-family and attached models, with between two and three bedrooms, two baths, and two-car garages. Residents can enjoy personal outdoor spaces like yards and patios, or communal spaces like the gazebo, scenic ponds, and walking trails. Beach living wouldn’t be complete without a pool, and residents enjoy the water and a sundeck for relaxing.
While the community doesn’t have its own golf course, residents are next door to the Midway Par 3 golf course. The clubhouse offers residents a place to meet with groups and engage in activities, or stay active in the fitness center and dance studio.
Four Seasons at Belle Terre – Lewes
High $300s – Mid $400s
K. Hovnanian started construction on the 55+ Four Seasons at Belle Terre in 2019. They offer six models of new homes with three bedrooms and two to two-and-a-half baths. While all homes have open floor plans, two-car garages, homebuyers can also choose options like closed in patios.
The community plans to complete the 6,000 square-foot clubhouse in 2020, where active residents can enjoy meeting neighbors and working out. Outside, a pool, tiki bar, and fire pit will become central social spaces. In the meantime, residents are only 15 minutes from the shops, restaurants, and boardwalk of Rehoboth and the quieter Dewey beach.
Nassau Grove – Lewes
Low $400s – Mid $500s
Also located in Lewes, Nassau Grove offers prospective homebuyers an established community of single-family homes. The 244 homes are offered on a resale basis, and the eight models include between two and three bedrooms, two and three baths, with a two-car garage and full basement.
Although the community is gated, it is not age-restricted. The clubhouse offers residents a place to watch movies, socialize with neighbors, stay fit, and learn something new. Outside, residents can swim in the pool or spend time on the pool deck, socialize at the fire pit or picnic area, play a round of tennis, or enjoy a drink at the tiki bar.
The community is just minutes from the shops, stores and restaurants along Route 9, and about twenty minutes from Rehoboth Beach.
Cedar Bay – Ocean View
Mid $100s – Mid $200s
Cedar Bay is a prime 55+ community in Ocean View, just a half an hour walk to the beach. With only 72 units, the community is intimate, yet has many amenities.
The clubhouse includes meeting and exercise rooms, while residents can also enjoy an outdoor pool and patio. However, the small size also means that homes are not often listed for sale.
The condominiums range from just 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, making them great for downsizing in retirement. Patios and porches let residents take in the sea breezes and sights of the nature preserve that borders the community.
Forest Landing at Bethany Beach – Frankford
Mid $200s – Mid $300s
Also in the Bethany area, Forest Landing offers active adults and retirees easy living near the beach. While not age-restricted, residents have the amenities of a retirement community, including a clubhouse and pool and outdoor spaces maintained by the homeowners’ association.
Currently, Ryan Homes offers new and resale attached homes, with plans to build single-family homes in the future. Homeowners enjoy three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, with spacious first-floor master suites, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances.
When not enjoying all the community has to offer, residents can drive less than 15 minutes to the boardwalk and restaurants at Bethany Beach or enjoy the water in South Bethany and Fenwick Island State Park.
