Odessa, Delaware

Located on the National Registry District and home to a National Historic Landmark and two National Parks Service Network to Freedom sites, Odessa’s nod to history comes alive with candlelight tours, the annual ever-popular Christmas in Odessa historic home tour, an Old Thyme Peach Festival, and the Historic Odessa Brewfest. The Historic Odessa Foundation hosts events throughout the year welcoming guests to explore the town’s five buildings with examples of 18th century mid-Atlantic craftsmanship, nearly 70 acres of surrounding landscape, outbuildings and gardens in much the same way as nearly 200 years ago.

Young professionals, families and retirees who live and work in this tiny hamlet enjoy nearby 21st century shopping and dining, a Dutch Country farmers market, easy access to a pro-business climate in nearby cities of Wilmington and Dover, and thriving business opportunities in the rapidly growing Middletown-Odessa-Townsend region.

Odessa, Delaware is less than a 30 minute drive from the Wilmington Train Station with Amtrak Acela service from Washington, D.C. to Boston; an hour’s drive from the Philadelphia International Airport and just an hour and a half from BWI. Drive just an hour in either direction and you can enjoy dinner and vibrant nightlife in Delaware’s largest city, Wilmington, or sink your toes in the sand at one of the Delaware’s pristine beaches. Stay closer to home and unwind in one of the town’s two public parks complete with walking paths and sports fields, or lose yourself in the authentic natural beauty of Odessa’s Historic Secret Garden.

Nestled in the southern-most part of Delaware’s northernmost county, life in Odessa, Delaware blends the convenience of easy access to metropolitan attractions along the I-95 northeast corridor with the privilege to return home to the charms of rural, small-town living.

Odessa, Delaware is a tiny town with a tiny population — less than a half square mile and about 500 residents — that offers big benefits when it comes to a charming, quiet lifestyle with easy access to a wide range of employment opportunities including careers in manufacturing, health care, finance, the military and higher education. A low cost of living with high wages, low property taxes and no state sales tax make Delaware one of the most affordable places to live in the East Coast. Families especially appreciate Odessa’s highly rated public schools and close proximity to the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Wilmington University and Goldey-Beacom College.