Ardentown, DE

With around 250 residents, Ardentown is a tiny, wooded enclave in northern Delaware, nestled alongside its sister villages of Arden and Ardencroft. Founded in the 1920s as an artistic, utopian community, it still holds on to its distinctive roots. Rather than holding traditional property deeds, homeowners lease their lots through a shared community land trust and gather at regular town meetings to help manage village affairs, creating a remarkably close-knit neighborhood feel.

Wandering the quiet, winding lanes, you will find eclectic cottages surrounded by the towering old-growth trees of Sunnyside Nature Preserve. Local culture thrives right in the neighborhood, from dinner shows at the historic Candlelight Theatre to art exhibits, concerts, and weekend coffee meetups at the nearby Buzz Ware Village Center. Families have access to the Brandywine School District, and residents get to enjoy an easy commute to Wilmington or Philadelphia while living in a peaceful, creative pocket of Delaware.