2. “This tranquil
town seems
worlds away
from the bustle
of Delaware’s
other coastal
communities.”

3. Best Places
To Live
March 2011
Milton #19
out of 35
towns in DE

21. “Sweet is the breath of
morn, her rising sweet,
With charm of earliest birds.”
John Milton

24. Slide 1
Intro slide:
What makes a neighborhood great and what are the characteristics that make people want to live there?
Slide 2
Featured in May 2007 Southern Living Mid-Atlantic Living Section
Slide 3
Featured in March 2011 DE Today Magazine, Best Places to Live: Rating: School district; Median home
price, Property Taxes, Safety, Commuting time, Arts and Culture, Shopping and Dining, Nightlife. Lewes #1
Slide 4
Street slide. It starts with Design. Traditional Neighborhood Design/New Urbanism/Smart Growth Planning
Theories: Core philosophy of creating sustainable and livable communities. Concepts that date back centuries to
the “old town” pattern of development when the primary mode of transportation was walking.
Slide 5
Broadkill River Slide. Tidal estuary of the Delaware Bay. Originally settled in 1672, it was once known as "Head of
the Broadkill" for its geographic location at the head of the Broadkill River. This location, just a few miles from
Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean, was ideal for shipbuilding in days of old. Many shipbuilders and sea captains
lived and worked in Milton, and evidence of this life is still visible in some of the historic homes and landmarks in
town. 1862-1892 were the golden years of shipbuilding on the Broadkill. More than 200 ships were built.
Slide 6
Governor’s Walk Slide: Brick pathway that runs along the Broadkill’s banks. Milton is the birthplace of five
governors, a town divided in allegiance during the Civil War, home to many officers who participated in the famous
War of 1812.

25. Slide 7
Governor’s Walk Slide. Residents enjoy being close to the beach towns, yet avoid the beach town hassles 20 minute
drive to DE beaches including Lewes/Rehoboth
Slide 8
Wagamon’s Pond Slide: Mix of people..NJ, MD, DC, VA
Slide 9
Town Slide. Good Neighborhood Design: Discernible center such as a main street or public square with government
buildings, shops and homes surrounding; compact in nature so residents can walk. Farmer’s Market. In 1950, Milton
Business Association goes on the record as opposing the idea of parking meters in the main business section of
town.
Slide 10
Town Slide: Children can walk to school; Parks and open spaces; Tree lined streets and landscaping; Streets
smaller; Sidewalks larger; Street parking as opposed to lots/garages

26. Slide 11
Historic Home Slide: Variety of housing types. Neighborhoods are laid out where speed limits average 15-20MPH.
Buildings are place close to the street and fosters a sense of community.
Artful mix of beautifully preserved homes from several eras including: Victorian, Gothic, Federal and Colonial.
Participated in “Prettiest Painted Places” including 200 participants.
Other cottage industries have blossomed in Milton throughout history and following the wooden shipbuilding
era, including that of button making! Large mother-of-pearl shells were once shipped to many Milton sites from the
South Pacific for just this purpose.
A group of enterprising men set up shop in homes and garages throughout town, where they cut and polished the
button blanks and then shipped them to the northeast for further decoration and use on garments of all kinds. Dig
up the rich dark soil in many a backyard garden in Milton today and you will still find sparkling pieces of mother-of-
pearl in all shapes and sizes!
Slide 12
New Homes Slide Back to great neighborhoods…Town designs were purposeful and deliberate, intending to create
compact communities where residents could easily get to schools, churches, shopping and other homes. Reflected
in new neighborhood cropping up with conformity to town standards.

27. Slide 13
Gallery Slide: Gary Merz, owner of Federal Street Gallery and Espresso Bar combines his artistic expertise with
his love for a good cup of coffee. Produced the documentary, Dancing on a Volcano which features Nadja
Merino, fashion artist for the NY Times who fled Hitler’s Europe and helped hundreds of others escape.
Slide 14
Finest art in DE. Gary has helped put his adopted hometown on the artistic map by featuring world renowned
artists.
Former hardware store, post office, drug store, bank, and one room school house.
Slide 15
Historical Society Slide: Collects household artifacts and records oral histories from local residents. Milton Fire
of 1909. Entire town fought the blaze. Milton Flood of Nor’easter 1962. Blue Hawaii was playing in the local
theatre when the flood waters came.
Slide 16
King’s Ice Cream Slide: Tom King Owner. Inherited his father’s recipes. The front of the shop was built in the
1830’s as a general store. His dad bought it in 1972 and turned it into an ice cream shop. Tom took over the
business in 1982 and cranks out more than 600 gallons of frozen sweets a week in the spring and summer.

28. Slide 17
Events Slide. Community is a big part of life. Garden and home tours Spring/Christmas) and annual events
such as the Horseshoe Crab Festival, Farmer’s Market, Shorebird Festival, and Bargains on the
Broadkill, Summer Free Concerts, and Holly Festival.
Slide 18
Lavender Fields Slide
Forget an expensive trip to Provence, France. A day trip to Lavender Fields Farm is all you need if you long to
wander through blooming rows of purple lavender. The historic five-acre property is all that remains of a large
tract of land deeded to the Warrington family in 1776. The old farmhouse, built over the foundation of a
previous dwelling, dates from the 1890’s and is being beautifully restored. The quaint cottage store and
greenhouse were completed in the spring of 2004 and the old barn and milk house were restored in the fall of
2005. Everything is done by hand from planting to harvesting, to hanging the lavender in bundles to dry and
creating value added products from the flowers in their workshop. You can cut your own flowers in the
fields, check out the quaint cottage store which offers everything from potted plants to scented soaps or
attend one of a dozen demonstrations on lavender’s many uses in the farm’s restored nineteenth century
barn.
Slide 19
Holly Slide: The American Holly is Delaware's State Tree - and residents are certainly proud of the role it has
played in Milton's history! Once known as the "Holly Capital of the World", Milton at one time in history
produced more Christmas and holiday holly wreaths and decorations than any other location.

29. Slide 20
DogFish Head Brewery Slide The story of Dogfish Head began in June of 1995 when they opened Dogfish
Head Brewings & Eats, the first state's first brewpub opened in the resort beach community of Rehoboth
Beach, Delaware. The plan was to bring original beer, original food, and original music to the area. They
outgrew our distributing brewery in a couple years and in the summer of 2002; moved the entire production
brewery up the road to Milton, Delaware into a 100,000 square foot converted cannery. Fast forward to today:
they built a distillery on the second floor of the Rehoboth Beach brewpub, so they could make vodka, rum and
gin. Dogfish Head continues to grow today! nearly 20 styles of beer that are sold in more than 25 states, and
a half–dozen kinds of hand–crafted spirits. International beer writer Michael Jackson calls Dogfish Head
"America's most interesting and adventurous small brewery." Offer kayaking/brewery tours.
Slide 21
Wrap Up Slide: Population=1657. The town is named for the English Poet who wrote Paradise Lost. Many
residents say they actually found it in Milton.
Slide 22-23
Wrap Up Slide: People are still reading John Milton’s poems after all these years. And like the poet, they are
holding their own