Ocean View

Until the late 17th century, European settlers bypassed the area now known as Ocean View because of the poor quality of its sandy, salty soil and the salt air that blew in from the Atlantic Ocean; they preferred to settle a few miles inland, where the land was higher and drier and the soil richer. At the time, there were also some legal complication in obtaining land because Lord Baltimore claimed the area as part of his Maryland colony, while William Penn asserted that the area belonged to the Delaware Colony. Rather than get involved, settlers just looked elsewhere for land.

The town was an isolated community for much of the 19th century; the nearest railroad, constructed in 1874, was in Dagsboro. In fact, Ocean View did not become popular until automobiles allowed easier access to it.

When the town started, many of its residents were seamen, farmers, or entrepreneurs like Cecile Long Steele. Cecile raised the area’s first flock of broiler chickens and started the commercial broiler industry from Ocean View in 1923. The poultry/broiler industry is still the state’s #1 agricultural enterprise, although Ocean View is no longer home to chicken farms.

The village has evolved into a residential beach front community that attracts thousands of visitors during the summer season, maintaining its small-town charm with about 2,000 year-round residents. More recently, its become a bedroom community for the neighboring summer resort of Bethany Beach.

The Town sponsors a few annual events including the summertime Concerts in the Park, the annual Christmas time Carols and the Ocean View Homecoming. Ocean View also has an active Historical Society with over 100 members.

If you’re thinking about joining the Ocean View community, now’s the time! Delaware New Home Rebates is offering an incentive for new home buyers. Register with us before you visit one of our preferred builders and you’ll get 1% of the purchase price of your new home as a rebate.

That rebate can be used to reduce your sales price, applied to your closing costs, or used toward any home upgrades. Whether you are looking for a cozy cottage, prefer a townhome with modern amenities, or are in search of a luxury home, there has never been a better time to find a new home in Ocean View.